Course Overview

The NextGenBright LTspice Simulation Course is a practical, simulation-based programme designed to develop learners' understanding of analogue electronics, digital electronics, and power electronics from beginner to advanced level.

Rather than learning circuit theory in isolation, learners progressively design, simulate, analyse, troubleshoot, and optimise real electronic circuits using LTspice.

The course begins with fundamental electrical and electronic circuits and progresses toward advanced analogue systems, digital circuits, DC–DC converters, AC–DC converters, DC–AC inverters, and resonant power converters.

LEVEL 1 — LTspice & Electronics Fundamentals

Module 1: Introduction to Electronics and Circuit Simulation

• What is electronics?

• Electrical versus electronic circuits

• Voltage, current, resistance and power

• AC and DC concepts

• Why circuit simulation is important

• Introduction to SPICE and LTspice

• Simulation versus practical hardware

• Understanding schematic diagrams

• Basic simulation workflow

Module 2: Getting Started with LTspice

• LTspice interface

• Creating a schematic

• Placing components

• Wiring circuits

• Ground and reference nodes

• Setting component values

• Voltage and current probes

• Running simulations

• Reading waveforms

• Saving and documenting simulations

Module 3: Fundamental Passive Circuits

• Resistors

• Capacitors

• Inductors

• Series and parallel circuits

• Voltage and current division

• RC circuits

• RL circuits

• RLC circuits

• Time constants

• Energy stored in capacitors and inductors

Practical simulations:

• Voltage divider

• RC charging/discharging

• RL transient response

• RLC transient response

LEVEL 2 — Analogue Electronics Through LTspice

Module 4: Diodes and Rectifier Circuits

• Semiconductor fundamentals

• Diode operation

• Forward and reverse bias

• Diode models

• Zener diodes

• LED models

• Half-wave rectifiers

• Full-wave rectifiers

• Bridge rectifiers

• Capacitor filtering

LTspice laboratory: Design and analyse a complete rectifier circuit.

Module 5: Transistor Fundamentals

• BJT operation

• NPN and PNP transistors

• Transistor biasing

• Operating regions

• Common-emitter configuration

• Common-collector configuration

• Common-base configuration

• MOSFET fundamentals

• NMOS and PMOS devices

• MOSFET switching

Module 6: Analogue Amplifiers

• Voltage gain

• Current gain

• Power gain

• Small-signal concepts

• Common-emitter amplifier

• Common-source amplifier

• Emitter follower

• Source follower

• Multistage amplifiers

• Frequency response

• Bandwidth

Practical: Design and simulate a transistor amplifier and determine its gain and bandwidth.

Module 7: Operational Amplifiers

• Ideal op-amp concepts

• Inverting amplifier

• Non-inverting amplifier

• Voltage follower

• Summing amplifier

• Difference amplifier

• Integrator

• Differentiator

• Comparator

• Practical op-amp models

• Frequency response

Practical: Build a complete op-amp signal-conditioning system.

Module 8: Filters and Frequency Response

• Low-pass filters

• High-pass filters

• Band-pass filters

• Band-stop filters

• Active filters

• Passive filters

• Cut-off frequency

• Resonance

• Bode magnitude plots

• Phase response

• Bandwidth and Q-factor

LEVEL 3 — Digital Electronics Through LTspice

Module 9: Digital Electronics Fundamentals

• Analogue versus digital signals

• Logic levels

• Binary signals

• Digital switching

• Rise time and fall time

• Propagation delay

• Logic gates

• AND, OR, NOT

• NAND and NOR

• XOR and XNOR

Module 10: Digital Circuit Simulation

• Digital voltage sources

• Pulse generation

• Logic-level switching

• Timing diagrams

• Truth-table verification

• Combining logic gates

• Propagation delay analysis

Practical: Design and simulate a digital logic system from a truth table.

Module 11: Timing and Sequential Circuits

• RC timing circuits

• Oscillators

• Pulse generation

• Flip-flop concepts

• Latches

• Counters

• Frequency dividers

• Clock signals

• Timing analysis

Module 12: PWM and Digital Control

• Pulse-width modulation

• Duty cycle

• Carrier signals

• Reference signals

• PWM generation

• PWM measurement

• Digital control of analogue systems

Practical: Generate PWM and use it to control a power converter.

LEVEL 4 — Power Electronics Through LTspice

Module 13: Power Electronics Fundamentals

• What is power electronics?

• Power semiconductor devices

• Diodes

• MOSFETs

• IGBTs

• Switching concepts

• Switching frequency

• Duty cycle

• Conduction losses

• Switching losses

• Thermal considerations

Module 14: DC–DC Converters

Buck Converter

• Step-down operation

• Duty-cycle relationship

• Inductor current

• Output capacitor

• Ripple voltage

• Continuous conduction mode

• Discontinuous conduction mode

Boost Converter

• Step-up operation

• Duty-cycle relationship

• Inductor charging and discharging

• Output-voltage regulation

Buck-Boost Converter

• Step-up/step-down operation

• Inverting and non-inverting configurations

Advanced DC–DC Converters

• SEPIC

• Ćuk

• Flyback

• Forward converter

• Push-pull converter

• Half-bridge converter

• Full-bridge converter

Major practical: Design and simulate a regulated DC–DC converter.

LEVEL 5 — AC–DC Converter Simulation

Module 15: AC–DC Conversion

• AC voltage and current

• Rectification principles

• Single-phase rectifiers

• Full-wave bridge rectifier

• DC-link capacitor

• Ripple voltage

• Ripple current

• Diode stresses

Module 16: Controlled Rectifiers

• Thyristor/SCR concepts

• Firing angle

• Controlled rectification

• Half-controlled bridge

• Fully controlled bridge

• Output-voltage control

Module 17: Power-Factor Correction

• Power factor

• Harmonics

• Input-current waveform

• Passive PFC

• Active boost PFC

• PFC control concepts

Practical: Simulate an AC–DC power supply with a PFC stage.

Module 18: Three-Phase AC–DC Conversion

• Three-phase systems

• Three-phase diode bridge

• Six-pulse rectifier

• DC-link voltage

• Input-current waveforms

• Harmonic analysis

LEVEL 6 — DC–AC Inverter Simulation

Module 19: Inverter Fundamentals

• DC–AC conversion

• Half-bridge inverter

• Full-bridge inverter

• Switching states

• Complementary gate signals

• Dead time

• Load behaviour

Module 20: PWM Inverters

• Sinusoidal PWM

• Modulation index

• Switching frequency

• Carrier waveform

• Reference waveform

• Output waveform

• Harmonics

Module 21: Single-Phase Inverters

• Half-bridge inverter

• Full-bridge inverter

• R load

• RL load

• LC output filter

• Output-voltage regulation

Practical: Simulate a DC-to-AC inverter with filtered sinusoidal output.

Module 22: Three-Phase Inverters

• Six-switch inverter

• Three-phase PWM

• Phase voltages

• Line voltages

• Three-phase loads

• Motor-drive fundamentals

Practical: Design and simulate a three-phase inverter.

LEVEL 7 — Resonant & Advanced Power Converters

Module 23: Resonance Fundamentals

• Resonance in RLC circuits

• Series resonance

• Parallel resonance

• Resonant frequency

• Q-factor

• Frequency response

• Energy transfer

Module 24: Resonant Converters

• Why resonant converters are used

• Resonant tanks

• Series resonant converter

• Parallel resonant converter

• Resonant frequency

• Switching frequency

• Converter gain

Module 25: Soft-Switching Techniques

• Hard switching

• Switching losses

• Zero-voltage switching (ZVS)

• Zero-current switching (ZCS)

• Soft-switching waveforms

• Semiconductor stress

Module 26: LLC Resonant Converter

• LLC topology

• Resonant capacitor

• Resonant inductance

• Magnetising inductance

• Operating regions

• Frequency control

• Voltage gain

• ZVS operation

• Load variation

Advanced LTspice project: Design and simulate an LLC resonant converter and analyse its switching behaviour, gain, stresses and efficiency.

LEVEL 8 — Closed-Loop Control & Advanced Simulation

Module 27: Converter Control

• Open-loop versus closed-loop control

• Feedback systems

• Voltage feedback

• Current feedback

• Error amplifiers

• PWM control

• PI controllers

• Reference generation

Module 28: Transient and Dynamic Performance

• Startup behaviour

• Load-step response

• Line-step response

• Overshoot

• Settling time

• Stability concepts

• Output regulation

Module 29: Parameter Sweeps and Optimisation

• .param

• .step

• .meas

• Temperature analysis

• Component tolerance

• Load sweeps

• Frequency sweeps

• Duty-cycle sweeps

• Automated measurements

• Design optimisation

Module 30: Advanced LTspice Modelling

• Subcircuits

• Device models

• Manufacturer models

• Custom components

• Transformer models

• Parasitic components

• ESR and ESL

• Non-ideal components

• Real-world device behaviour

LEVEL 9 — Complete Power-Electronic Systems

Module 31: AC–DC–DC Power Supply

AC input → Rectifier → DC link → DC–DC converter → Load

Students analyse:

• Rectification

• DC-link ripple

• Switching behaviour

• Regulation

• Efficiency

• Semiconductor stresses

Module 32: DC–AC Power System

DC source → DC link → inverter → filter → AC load

Students analyse:

• PWM

• Switching frequency

• Output waveform

• Harmonics

• Filtering

• Efficiency

Module 33: AC–DC–AC System

AC source → rectifier → DC link → three-phase inverter → load

Students explore the architecture used in industrial power-conversion systems and motor drives.

Module 34: Battery and Renewable-Energy Converter Systems

• Battery modelling

• Battery charging

• DC–DC conversion

• Solar/PV converter concepts

• MPPT concepts

• DC-link systems

• Grid-interface concepts

• Inverter systems

LEVEL 10 — Advanced Engineering Projects

Learners complete increasingly complex projects using LTspice.

Project 1-Analogue Electronics

Design and simulate a multi-stage transistor amplifier.

Project 2-Digital Electronics

Design a PWM-based digital control circuit and verify its timing behaviour.

Project 3-DC–DC Converter

Design a regulated buck or boost converter and investigate efficiency, ripple and semiconductor stresses.

Project 4-AC–DC Converter

Design a single-phase AC–DC power supply including rectification and filtering.

Project 5 — DC–AC Inverter

Design a single-phase PWM inverter with an LC output filter.

Project 6-Resonant Converter

Design and analyse a series resonant or LLC converter.

Final Capstone Project

Students select a complete electronic or power-electronic system and take it through:

Specification → Theory → Circuit Design → LTspice Simulation → Testing → Parameter Sweep → Optimisation → Performance Analysis → Engineering Report

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of the NextGenBright LTspice Simulation Course, learners will be able to:

• Understand fundamental electrical and electronic circuits.

• Use LTspice confidently from beginner to advanced level.

• Simulate and analyse analogue circuits.

• Simulate digital and switching circuits.

• Design and analyse amplifiers, filters and op-amp circuits.

• Understand semiconductor switching behaviour.

• Design and simulate DC–DC converters.

• Design and simulate AC–DC converters.

• Design and simulate DC–AC inverters.

• Understand and simulate resonant converters.

• Analyse PWM and closed-loop converter control.

• Measure voltage, current, power, ripple and efficiency.

• Perform parameter sweeps and automated measurements.

• Identify and troubleshoot simulation problems.

• Compare theoretical calculations with simulation results.

• Build complete power-electronic systems in LTspice.

• Produce professional simulation results and engineering reports.