NAME :________________________

ADM. NO. : _____________________

DC-DC Choppers
I. AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT:

A. To observe ratio of Buck converter Vo/ Vin to the duty cycle of the gate pulse at different frequencies.
B. To observe ratio of Boost converter Vo/ Vin to the duty cycle of the gate pulse at different frequencies.

II. APPARATUS REQUIRED:

Sl. Name of the Instrument Specifications Model No / Serial Make Quantity

No. no of the
Instrument

III. CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS:

Power Electronics Lab, Electrical Engg. Dept., IIT(ISM) Dhanbad

 NAME :________________________
ADM. NO. : _____________________

Fig. 1: Buck Converter Circuit Diagram

IV. THEORY:
DC-DC converters are also known as Choppers. A chopper is basically a dc to dc converter whose
main function/usage is to create adjustable dc voltage from fixed dc voltage sources through the use
of semiconductors.
Buck Converter: A buck converter as shown in Fig. 1 (step-down converter) is a DC-to-DC power
converter which steps down voltage (while stepping up current) from its input (supply) to its output
(load). It is a class of switched-mode power supply (SMPS) typically containing at least two
semiconductors (a diode and a transistor). The input voltage source is connected to a controllable
solid state device which operates as a switch. The solid state device can be a Power MOSFET or
IGBT. Thyristors are not used generally for DC-DC converters because to turn off a Thyristor in a
DC-DC circuit requires another commutation which involves using another Thyristor, whereas a

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Power MOSFET can be turned off by simply having the voltage between its GATE and SOURCE
terminals. The second switch used is a diode. The switch and the diode are connected to a low-pass
LC filter which is appropriately designed to reduce the current and voltage ripples. The load is a
purely resistive load.

Boost Converter: A boost converter (step-up converter) is a DC-to-DC power converter that steps
up voltage (while stepping down current) from its input (supply) to its output (load). It is also a class
of switched-mode power supply (SMPS) containing at least two semiconductors (a diode and a
transistor) and at least one energy storage element. The input voltage source is connected to an
inductor. The solid-state device which operates as a switch is connected across the source. The
second switch used is a diode. The diode is connected to a capacitor, and the load and the two are
connected in parallel as shown in Fig. 2. The inductor connected to input source leads to a constant
input current, and thus the Boost converter is seen as the constant current input source. And the load
can be seen as a constant voltage source.
Switch Operation:
The controlled switch in both Buck and Boost Converters is turned on and off by using Pulse Width
Modulation (PWM). PWM can be time based or frequency based. Frequency based modulation has
disadvantages like a wide range of frequencies to achieve the desired control of the switch which in
turn will give the desired output voltage. This leads to a complicated design for the low-pass LC
filter which would be required to handle a large range of frequencies.
Time based Modulation is mostly used for DC-DC converters. It is simple to construct and use. The
T ON
frequency remains constant in this type of PWM modulation. Duty Cycle (D)=
T ON + T OFF

V. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP:

Power Electronics Lab, Electrical Engg. Dept., IIT(ISM) Dhanbad

 NAME :________________________
ADM. NO. : _____________________

Fig. 3: DC-DC Chopper Experimental Setup

VI. CONNECTION PROCEDURE:

1) Before making connections make sure that the supply switch is in OFF position.
2) Connect the kit power cord to the single phase 230V AC supply. Do not switch on the DC-DC Chopper
kit switch.
3) Keep the knobs to their minimum values.
4) Connect the Oscilloscope probes across the MOSFET Driver Circuit to observe the PWM pulses.
5) The dotted lines in the main circuit indicate that the indicated device needs to be connected externally to
that position.

VII. CIRCUIT OPERATION:

A. Buck Converter
1) Follow the procedures in Section VI.
2) Connect the Drain “D”, Gate “G” and Source “S” terminals of the MOSFET to the “P15”, “P16” and
“P17” terminals of the Buck Converter Circuit.
3) Connect the inductor terminals “L1” and “L2” to the terminals “P17” and “P19” of the Buck
Converter circuit.
4) Connect the Voltage Feedback terminals of the MOSFET driver circuit to the Feedback points on the
Buck Converter Circuit with appropriate polarity.
5) Connect the load terminals “P20” and “P21” to the DC INPUT terminals provided in kit or to an
ammeter to measure the Output Voltage.
6) Now use the switch “S1” to operate the Converter in Open loop and Closed loop mode.
7) Switch ON the Trainer Kit.
8) Vary the Duty Cycle knob to change the duty cycle in open loop mode and note down the observed
value of the duty cycle from the Oscilloscope.
9) Vary the Frequency adjuster knob i.e. the knob at the output of the PWM isolator to change the

Power Electronics Lab, Electrical Engg. Dept., IIT(ISM) Dhanbad

 NAME :________________________
ADM. NO. : _____________________

Frequency of the PWM signals and note down the value of PWM frequency from the oscilloscope.

B. Boost Converter
1) Follow the procedures in Section VI.
2) Connect the Drain “D”, Gate “G” and Source “S” terminals of the MOSFET to the “P8”, “P9” and
“P10” terminals of the Boost Converter Circuit.
3) Connect the inductor terminals “L1” and “L2” to the terminals “P7” and “P8” of the Boost Converter
circuit.
4) Connect the Voltage Feedback terminals of the MOSFET driver circuit to the Feedback points on the
Boost Converter Circuit with appropriate polarity.
5) Connect the load terminals “P11” and “P12” to the DC INPUT terminals provided in kit or to an
ammeter to measure the Output Voltage.
6) Now use the switch “S1” to operate the Converter in Open loop and Closed loop mode.
7) Switch ON the Trainer Kit.
8) Vary the Duty Cycle knob to change the duty cycle in open loop mode and note down the observed
value of the duty cycle from the Oscilloscope.
9) Vary the Frequency adjuster knob i.e. the knob at the output of the PWM isolator to change the
Frequency of the PWM signals and note down the value of PWM frequency from the oscilloscope.

VIII. OBSERVATIONS:

A. Buck Converter
Vin Vo DTheoretical DObserved %Error in D

B. Boost Converter

Vin Vo DTheoretical DObserved %Error in D

IX. CALCULATIONS:

Buck Converter Duty Ratio ( DBK ) =D

1
Boost Converter Duty Ratio ( D BS )=
1−D

Power Electronics Lab, Electrical Engg. Dept., IIT(ISM) Dhanbad

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ADM. NO. : _____________________

%Error ∈ D=¿ DTheoretical −DObserved∨ ¿ ∗100 ¿

DTheoretical

2
V out
Pout =
R

Pout
%Efficiency ( ƞ )= ∗100
P¿
Where
D= Duty Ratio
DTheoretical=Theoretical value of Duty Cycle taken
DObserved =Actual /Practical Value of Duty cycle found out from the oscilloscope
Pout =Output Power of the Chopper
R= Output/Load Resistance
P¿= Vin*Iin= Input Power

X. RESULT:

Average of Duty Cycle Variation=

The Minimum and Maximum efficiency over the observed frequency range is:

XI. PRECAUTIONS:
1) All the connections are to be made with the main supply turned OFF.
2) Do not short-circuit the load terminals.
3) Connect only one Triggering/Driver circuit at a time.
4) Avoid any loose connection.
5) Ensure that the fuse is in good condition before turning ON the supply.
XII. DISCUSSIONS:
Q1. What is the role of capacitor at the output terminals in a DC-DC converter?
Q2. Draw the Gain vs Duty ratio plot for Buck and Boost Converters.
Q3. What is the function of diode in Buck and Boost Converters?
Q4. Mention some applications of Buck and Boost Converters.

Power Electronics Lab, Electrical Engg. Dept., IIT(ISM) Dhanbad