Electrical · Power Electronics
DC-DC Buck Converter (12V to 5V)
Intermediate 4 weeks 30-40 hours
Design and build efficient buck converter. Measure efficiency at various loads. Show voltage regulation performance and component stress analysis.
Major
Electrical
Focus area
Power Electronics
Total hours
30-40 hours
What you'll need
- IRF540N N-channel power MOSFET transistor
- power inductor assortment kit
- Schottky diode assortment kit 1N5822
- 12V 2A DC power supply adapter
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Steps
- Calculate duty cycle, inductor size, and output capacitor for a 12V to 5V design at your target current.
- Build the circuit with the MOSFET, inductor, Schottky diode, and a PWM gate signal source.
- Verify that the output settles at 5V with no load before adding any load.
- Measure input and output power at several load levels and calculate efficiency.
- Test voltage regulation as the load changes and check how hot the MOSFET and diode get.
- Plot efficiency vs. load and document the design and results for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Oscilloscope waveforms
- efficiency curves
- thermal imaging
- PCB layout
- component ratings
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Designed and built a DC-DC buck converter using Power electronics, circuit design, oscilloscope
Applied efficiency measurement to implement, test, and validate the system end-to-end
Skills you'll show off
Power electronicscircuit designoscilloscopeefficiency measurement