Boost Converter Calculator

Omni Calculator's boost converter calculator is here to help you find the duty cycle and inductance of your circuit, characterizing your boost converter.

Keep with us in this article to explore:

• What is a boost converter?
• How to make a boost converter?
• How do you choose the boost converter switching frequency?
• What is the difference between a boost converter and an inverter​?
• What is the difference between a buck and a boost converter?
• How do you calculate the switch-on period for a boost converter​​?

So, let us step up your voltage with the boost converter calculator.

The boost converter is an example of a DC-to-DC converter, which steps up the input DC voltage to a higher output DC voltage. It is also a class of the so-called switched-mode power supply (SMPS), which are electronic circuits that incorporate a switching regulator to convert electrical power efficiently.

They have several applications in battery-powered devices, power supplies, LED drivers, and electric vehicles.

A typical boost converter can be built using key components: an inductor, switch, diode, capacitors, and a control circuit. We can see an example of a standard boost converter in the circuit diagram below.

In this diagram, $C_{\mathrm{in}}$ and $C_{\mathrm{out}}$ are the input and the output capacitors, $L_1$ is the inductor, $D_1$ represents the diode, $Q_1$ is a transistor working as switch for the boost converter, and $V_{\mathrm{in}}$ and $V_{\mathrm{out}}$ are the input and the output voltages, respectively.

This DC-to-DC converter can be characterized by computing the duty cycle and the inductance. The duty cycle measures how long the switch stays on relative to the total switching period. It can be determined using the formulas below:

where:

• $V_{\mathrm{in}}$ — Maximum value of the input voltage;
• $V_{\mathrm{out}}$ — Output voltage measured at the end of the circuit;
• $T_{\mathrm{on}}$ — Period when the electronic switch is on; and
• $T_{\mathrm{sw}}$ — Period of the switching oscillatory cycle.

The duty cycle has a direct impact on the efficiency of the circuit. Basically, for low values of $D$, we have high efficiency with a cost of low boost ratio $(V_{\mathrm{out}}/V_{\mathrm{in}})$. If we have high values of $D$, then we have low efficiency due to high conduction and inductor losses. Therefore, the ideal scenario is to have moderate values of $D$, optimizing the balance between the efficiency and the boost ratio.

You can learn more about the duty cycle by accessing our duty cycle calculator.

Another relevant parameter to characterize the boost converter is the inductance, whose equation is

where:

• $f_s$ — Switching frequency or the rate of the power switch in the boost converter; and
• $I_{\mathrm{ripple}}$ — Maximum ripple current.

It is relevant to find a proper value for $L$ to keep the desired conduction mode and the stable operation of the boost converter.

We know that it was a lot to learn and understand. However, you do not need to be worried; our boost converter calculator is here to do all the hard work for you.

In this example, we will show how easy and intuitive using our boost converter calculator is. Thus, let us consider the following set of parameter to our DC-to-DC converter: $V_{\mathrm{in}} = 5.5\, \mathrm{V}$, $V_{\mathrm{out}} = 12\,\mathrm{V}$, $f_s = 100\,\mathrm{kHz}$, and $I_{\mathrm{ripple}} = 100\,\mathrm{mA}$.

By substituting them in our boost converter calculator, we can determine the respective values for the duty cycle and the inductance: $D = 54.17 \,\%$ and $L = 297.9\,\mathrm{\mu H}$.

You should always remember that our calculator works back and forward, so you can use a given duty cycle and the inductance to determine other parameters, such as the ripple current.

As you can see, we can characterize our boost converter in the blink of an eye.