Balanced capacitor power converter

A power device comprising:

• a plurality of capacitors connected in series with each other and configured to be connected in parallel with a direct current (DC) power source;
• a first converter directly connected to terminals of the plurality of capacitors and configured to actively balance voltages across the plurality of capacitors using a closed loop control;
• and
• a second converter comprising:
• at least three input conductors each directly connected to a respective one of the terminals of one of the plurality of capacitors;
• at least two output conductors configured to provide an output voltage;
• and
• a switching circuit connected between the at least three input conductors and the at least two output conductors, wherein the switching circuit comprises at least two diodes or at least two switches, and wherein the at least two diodes or the at least two switches are configured to direct a current from at least one of the plurality of capacitors to the at least two output conductors,
• wherein the second converter is configured to:
• operate the switching circuit;
• generate the output voltage based on the voltages across the plurality of capacitors;
• and
• passively balance the voltages across the plurality of capacitors using an open loop control, wherein the open loop control comprises a fixed frequency and a fixed duty cycle.