ENGG5024-1985

Electronic Systems
Lab report 1

Title:

DC-DC Converter Experiment

Aim:
• Provide practical experience in the construction of DC-DC converters
• Evaluate the properties of practical circuits using non-ideal components

Introduction:

Although DC-DC converters can be designed to work over a wide range of voltages and to
deliver a wide range of currents, the basic principles remain the same: a switching device
controls the flow of current into an inductor which results in a voltage developing acrosss the
load that is either higher or lower relative to the power supply voltage.
In this experiment, the principles of DC-DC conversion using low power devices and
relatively low voltages. the bench function generators will be used to create the switching
waveform. Multimeters and oscilloscope will be used to verify the correct operation of the
DC-DC converters and any deviations from ideal theoretical behaviour.

Materials:
- Breadboard x1
- BC107 NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor x1
- BC177 PNP Bipolar Junction Transistor x1
- 1N4148 Diode x1
- 4700µH Inductor x1

Procedure:
1. Generating a Switching Waveform
Rectangle/square waveform with the following specification is generated
• Maximum value = 5V
• Minimum value = 0V
• Frequency = 10 kHz
• Duty cycle ≈ 0.55 (i.e. waveform is 5V for 55µs)

Photo 1: Photos of the waveform and the DC supply

2. Create a Boost Converter
2.1 Measure output voltage resulting from a range of duty cycles
between 20% to 80%
2.2 Measure the supply current and output voltage

Figure 1 The boost converter circuit

Photo 2: Photo on the actual boost converter circuit during experiment

3. Create a Buck Converter

3.1 Measure output voltage resulting from a range of duty cycles
between 20% to 80%
3.2 Measure the supply current and output voltage

Figure 2 The buck converter circuit

Results:
For boost converter:

Equation involved:

1.

2.

3.

4.

The result is tabled as follows:

Duty cycle
80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20%
Output Voltage
(Vout,V) 12.84 12.11 10.3 9.46 8.21 7.01 5.98

Ideal Output Voltage

(Vout, V) 25 16.7 12.5 10 8.33 7.14 6.25
Measured Input Current
(Iin,mA) 56.1 37 27.46 22.61 18.24 14.7 9.17
Input Power
(Pin, W) 0.281 0.185 0.137 0.113 0.091 0.074 0.046
Output Power
(Pout, W) 0.165 0.147 0.106 0.089 0.067 0.049 0.036
Efficiency
(ղ,) 59% 79% 77% 79% 74% 67% 78%

Table 1: Relationship between Voltage, Current, Power and Duty cycle (Boost converter)
 26 25
24
22
20
18 16.7
16
Voltage, V 14 12.5
12 10
10 8.33 12.11 12.84
7.14 10.3
8 6.25 9.46
6 8.21
7.01
4 5.98
2
0
0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80
Duty cycle,D

Vout Videal

Figure 3: Output Voltage vs Duty cycle (Boost converter)

When Vs =5V & Vout =10V

Measured Input Output
Frequency Current Input Power Power Efficiency
(kHz) (Iin,mA) (Pin, W) (Pout, W) (ղ,%)
10 24.8 0.124 0.1 80.65
20 24.8 0.124 0.1 80.65
50 24.6 0.123 0.1 81.30
100 24.5 0.123 0.1 81.63
200 96.8 0.484 0.1 20.66
90.00
400 80.65 80.65not available
81.30 not available
80.00
Table 2: Relationship 81.63
between efficiency and frequency (Boost converter)
70.00
60.00
Efficiency (ղ,%)

50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00 20.66
10.00
0.00
10 Frequency Title 100
Efficiency
(ղ,%)

Figure 4: Efficiency vs Frequency (Boost converter)

For buck converter

 Equation involved:

1.

2.

3.

4.

The result is tabled as follows:

Duty cycle
80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20%
Output Voltage
(Vout,V) 4.3 3.36 3.08 2.25 1.74 1.3 0.91

Ideal Output Voltage

(Vout, V) 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1
Measured Input Current
(Iin,mA) 5.53 12.15 11.99 14.34 13.37 11.8 8.49
Input Power
(Pin, mW) 27.65 60.75 59.95 71.70 66.85 59.00 42.45
Output Power
(Pout, mW) 84.05 51.32 43.12 23.01 13.76 7.68 3.76
Efficiency
(ղ,) 304% 84% 72% 32% 21% 13% 9%
Table 3: Relationship between Voltage, Current, Power and Duty cycle (Buck converter)
 4.3

4
3.5
4
3
3.36
Voltage, V 2.5 3.08
2
2 2.25
1.5
1 1.74
1.3
0.91

0
0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80
Duty cycle,D

Vout Videal

Figure 5: Output Voltage vs Duty cycle (Buck converter)

Photo 3: 3.3V happened at duty cycle at 35%

Unable to find out the relationship between frequency and efficiency due to lack to time.
Conclusions:
For Boost:
-Output voltage increased as duty cycle increases. Yet, the actual out voltage
deviated from the theoretical out voltage as the duty cycle increase. It could be
caused by 1) the loss due the switching. 2) loss at the diode 3, inductor resistance
etc.
-The efficiency of the boost converter was around 80% until the frequency above
100kHz. It could be due to higher transistor switching frequency between “on” and
“off”, therefore a higher power loss.

Figure 6: Boost Converter used to compare ideal case and actual case.

For Buck:
-The output voltage increased with duty cycle with a linear relationship. (The first
point of experience should be wrong as the output voltage of a buck converter shall
never be higher than the input voltage.
-The relationship between efficiency and frequency was not tested due to lack of
time of experiment.

Figure 7: Buck Converter used to compare ideal case and actual case.

-END-