Boost DC-DC Converters

A boost DC-DC converter steps voltage up. It takes a lower DC voltage and delivers a higher one, which is the opposite job from the buck category and the job that arises whenever a system has only a low-voltage source but needs a higher-voltage load. A 12 volt vehicle system that must feed 48 volt equipment, or a 12 volt battery that must drive a 24 volt subsystem, both need a boost converter, and the category on this site lists six conversion options for those jobs.

The six options are: 12 volts to 19 volts, 12 volts to 24 volts, 12 volts to 28 volts, 12 volts to 36 volts, 12 volts to 48 volts, and 24 volts to 48 volts. Those conversions are category-level listings: the voltage pairs are stated, and no current ratings, power ratings, or dimensions are claimed for them here. The 12 volt to 48 volt option is the widest step in the category, a fourfold rise, and it is the option where confirming the current rating matters most, because the input current at 12 volts is necessarily much larger than the output current at 48 volts for the same power.

The 19 volt option is worth a specific note, because 19 volts is the supply voltage of a large family of laptop and portable computing equipment. A boost converter delivering 19 volts from a 12 volt source therefore suits mobile computing power, field equipment, and vehicle-mounted workstations. The 28 volt and 36 volt options suit industrial and communications equipment that runs on those intermediate voltages, while the 24 volt and 48 volt options suit the standard bus voltages of industrial and telecom systems.

Boost conversion carries a practical constraint that buyers should understand before specifying. Because power is conserved, stepping voltage up means the input current is higher than the output current, and the input wiring, fusing, and source must be sized for that higher current. A boost converter that is correctly sized on the output side but starved on the input side will not deliver its rated output. That sizing question belongs in the inquiry, together with the load current and the source capacity, so the answer is based on the real system rather than on a catalogue line.

As with every category-level listing on this site, the remaining figures for a specific boost option, including current, power, and dimensions, are confirmed during the inquiry, and quantity, price and delivery time are confirmed before ordering. Certificates are available upon request.