Demo: A Programmable High-Throughput Duplex DC-PLC Testbed for Power and Data Integration

Interest in Direct Current Power Line Communication (DC-PLC) is growing as industries seek to reduce wiring complexity and cost by combining power and data over a single medium. A programmable DC-PLC testbed is developed to enable power transfer and bidirectional communication over a shared DC power line bus. The system employs a master–slave scheme in half-duplex mode under a flexible MAC protocol, using Voltage Polarity Modulation (VPM) for downlink and Current Amplitude Modulation (CAM) for uplink. Implemented with low-cost microcontrollers, the master and slave are designed as modular units for easy connection and expansion. The platform achieves approximately 100 kbps throughput in both directions and demonstrates reliable operation with a simple polling-based MAC protocol, highlighting its potential for future DC-PLC research and applications.