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Home/Electricity & Magnetism/Boost Converter

Boost Converter

A boost converter raises a DC input by storing energy in an inductor while the MOSFET is on, then releasing that energy through the diode into the output capacitor and load. In ideal continuous-conduction mode the gain is Vout/Vin ≈ 1/(1-D), and the inductor current ripple is ΔIL = Vin D/(L fs). At light load or low inductance the inductor current reaches zero, so the converter enters discontinuous-conduction mode and the gain depends on load. This simulator shows MOSFET and diode intervals, CCM/DCM boundary inductance, DCM gain hint, average inductor current, output capacitor ripple, and a one-period current waveform.

Who it's for: Power electronics, embedded hardware, battery-powered devices, LED drivers, robotics, and introductory DC-DC converter design.

Key terms

  • Boost converter
  • Duty cycle
  • Inductor current
  • CCM
  • DCM
  • Output ripple

The model is an ideal asynchronous boost converter with a simple DCM estimate. It omits switch and diode drops, switching loss, reverse recovery, inductor saturation, right-half-plane-zero control effects, and transient load response.

Live graphs

Power stage

12 V
45 %
180 kHz
18 Ω

Inductor and output

47 µH
220 µF
40 mΩ

Measured values

Output voltage21.82V
Conversion gain M1.818
Average inductor current2.20A
Inductor ripple ΔIL0.638A p-p
CCM boundary Lcrit6.8µH
Conduction modeCCM

How it works

Boost converter simulator for Vout = Vin/(1-D), inductor current ripple, diode/MOSFET states, CCM/DCM boundary, and output capacitor ripple.

Key equations

CCM: Vout ≈ Vin/(1 − D), ΔIL = Vin·D/(L fs)
Boundary: Lcrit = D(1 − D)²R/(2fs), ΔVout ≈ Iout·D/(Cfs) + ΔIESR·ESR

Frequently asked questions

Why does a boost converter output more voltage than the input?
During the on interval the inductor stores energy from the input. During the off interval the inductor voltage adds to the input through the diode, charging the output capacitor above Vin.
Why limit the duty cycle slider below 100%?
The ideal CCM equation tends to infinity as D approaches 1, but real converters saturate, hit current limits, and lose diode transfer time. The simulator keeps the range educational rather than destructive.