What You Need To Know Before Buying A Boost/Buck Converter

[@mikeyotero6566]

If you got a boost converter that could handle that 11.33 amps, how much amperage would be on the power supply. Like if the power supply were only rated for 6 amps would it burn up

[@Schematix]

In the scenario, you described yes the PSU would be overloaded. It's important to remember current or the voltage alone doesn't give a full picture. Let's run over a quick explanation. Let's say my power supply can deliver 10volts and 10 amps. And let's assume I have a load on my boost converter of 30volts at 5 amps. Since my load is only 5 amps, surly my power supply can handle this... Right? Well no, because the total power consumption in watts, far exceeds what my power supply can handle. My PSU can output 10volts x 10amp = 100watts. My load is 30volts x 5amps = 150watts. So my power supply is overloaded. I hope this helps :)

[@krlenjuska]

For example is you use PC power supply with 12V 15A - its 180W of power. These chinese buck converters have 65-70% efficiency (this is my opinion its not tested) so you will get about 120-130w of power on your output. example 24V 5 A or something like that.

[@LEO-xo9cz]

So if I want to run a 50W LED strip that is 24v I cant is a 12v 300w Watt psu?

[@krlenjuska]

@@LEO-xo9cz You can use that psu without problems - any 12v psu with 7-8 amps output will handle that without problems if psu is ok and if wires can handle that for long time. PC psu often have 2 12v lines with 10-20 amps. Use some quality psu if you have.

[@LEO-xo9cz]

@@krlenjuska Hi. Yes I have 2x 12v 18a lines. I was thinking of using two buck boosts and displays with voltage and current control so I can have two controllable outputs.

[@MrBanzoid]

I'm an amateur radio operator in the UK. My shack laptop charger (cheap Chinese replacement) was spewing rf harmonics up to 144 MHz. I replaced it with one of the first boost converters you showed to raise the 13.8V shack supply to 19V to run my laptop and all the rf interference disappeared. The laptop takes less than 5A to charge. I stuck the converter with suitable fuses in a die cast box with a small fan and it's been happily working for nearly a year now.

[@FijiLaw]

I am a highly certified electronic technician and i have to say that is a very nice shirt

[@WatchedZ01]

I don’t comment often, but this video was HUGELY helpful in understanding both types. Looking to power a dc laser pointer with a 4s Lipo battery and this is probably the only clear explanation as to what I could use to potentially accomplish this. Thank you!!

[@silversrayleigh8980]

dont use lipo, use li ion ... lipo is dangerous.

[@Hemigloopilop7890]

@@silversrayleigh8980 stop....li ion to us

[@Mailmartinviljoen]

Very good explanation thanks. The same principle applies to solar with inverter installations. 12v vs 24v vs 36v vs 48v . 12v setups are usually cheaper and easy to find but is limited do to high current draw. Where as 48v setups need less current and helps reducing cable thickness.

[@gmcjetpilot]

Thank you for the video. I know the principles but always nice to see the Demo. I just got a DC-DC boost converter in my life as a needed device. I bought solar panels to charge a portable power station (all in one battery, charge controller, inverter, USB ports and display). The Solar Panels full available output was not being accepted by Power Station (74 watts and should or could be double over 100-120 watts of panel). The boost took panel volts of 19.3 to 27.3 (adjustable). The power station is now taking 133 watts! The power station accepts up to 30 volts. It appears to charge efficiently or faster the Power stations likes 24 volts. With the supplied AC power brick to charge from wall outlet, it provides 24 volts and chargers at 118 volts. I tried this booster and was rewarded with more power than I can use. I need about 600 watts a day, to charge my 500 watt power station and keep a small 12v portable frig freezer running. The battery from 6pm to 8am uses about 36% of the power station (when there is low or no sun). Now I am fully charged by noon and it stays that way until sunset. I have sustabable power for the frig/freeze thanks to the boost converter. Before with 79% less charging rate I was in a deficit by about 35%. Excellent.

[@bobcatt2294]

The lesson illustrates that buck as the default and preferred method as for efficiency not boost. Thumbs up and subscribed.

[@gralnrath]

This video prevented me from buying the wrong converter! Thanks!

[@expertssay3869]

Hello from the UK 👍 Thought you'd like this: I got a boost buck converter and 'tested' it on the multimeter and the onboard fuse popped!!! Poop! The fuse had no base/cup/saddle or whatever it was supposed to sit in....it was soldered directly into the board. It was okay to get at with some pin nose pliers but very busy and crammed with parts to see that I had to put my spectacles on 🤓 I pulled at the fuse and the blue plastic came off, leaving the metal behind. On closer inspection of the blue bit...there it was...the burn mark. So my best, after failing to release the legs from the board with the soldering iron I resorted to soldering a new fuse on top of the legs;bridging the gap again with another 15amp fuse. Yes I did that and I completed my project for my OWN use to power my laptop with a car battery.

[@jza61nick]

super helpful, I use an Inverter for work and it has always bothered me jumping from DC to AC back to DC for the sake of charging small batteries. looks like i can buy a few boost converters and let my 12v batteries do the charging directly. The converter in my laptop charger will especially appreciate this, it audibly hates the back and forth. I dont think amperage will be a problem in my case as the voltage jump will be minimal.

[@PetterBruland]

Thanks for a great video. It's people like yourself who makes KZbin such an amazing wealth of information. Subscribed.

[@RandallDibble]

You answered my questions about these devices in a very straight forward manner !

[@solosailorsv8065]

CAUTION ; ebat sellers have "Boost/Buck Converter" in the Description, but many ALSO say in the fine print boost only or buck only. Beware friends A Boost/Buck converter needs TWO coils, one for each function. Often you can see two separate coils, some use a double wound toroid, which is effectively two coils on one core

[@aayashkhadka]

I learned so much in a short period of time. Thank you for making such an informative video.

[@ErikPryor-z1n]

Appreciate the info. I converted my f150 blower motor to PWM and im trying to boost it to 19v. This helps a lot.

[@computerjantje]

I just ordered a few step-up converters for the first time becasue My microphone receiver needs 13 to 15 volts but my lead acid battery goes under that. I think the voltage getting low is the reason I get drop outs with my receiver so I like to experiment with stepping up a tiny bit. thank you very much for this really helping video.

[@Devin82m]

I totally did not consider the input/output amperage, thanks for point that out because I was going to buy a bunch of buck and up converters that were the wrong ratings.

[@Schematix]

I'm glad you found this video useful ;)

[@N0body247]

Wow.. where have i been.. i didnt even know theses existed until a week ago watching another youtuber use one.. im like what the hell is that. Thanks for the explanation..

[@HighestRank]

Raver Magik they didn’t hit the market until Dec.2019.

[@francoisguyot9770]

Nice compare and contrast between all 3 types of DC conversion. Thanks

[@TheHellfiremissile]

Thanks for the video. Very informative to me. Now realize I need to buy a buck boost for a bench power supply. Cheers from VK2KWW

[@shifter65]

Oh wow, thank you for the example! I'm planning on making the DIY ATX PSU and using one of these buck/boost converters on the 12V output to get variable voltage, and now have a better idea of exactly what it can and cannot do.

[@evil17]

Great vid / demo. I often find YTers only show volts or amps in their demos or experiments, and it is really good to see you show both input and output volts and amps simultaneously, I can't commend your teaching process more highly, as this is the best way to show the relationships between input and output. So many people trying to show overunity of a circuit or device, and only showing one reading at a time, which often portrays a total misconception of what is actually going on in the circuits. It's good to see people trying to defy the Laws of Physics with their experiments, but are only fooling themselves and others when they dont complete the power equation by showing input vs output. One more thing I will add is, that step up/ step down converters are great for solar setups I believe, as when the sun rises and sets the voltage output is reduced and a step up/down converter helps to take advantage of the lower voltages at these times so as to get a little more power from the solar array. Thanks for sharing, I love your thorough explanations in your vids, keep it up!

[@kk-nw2of]

Hail to Schematix. Very informative.

[@TimBrooks2009]

very helpful, I'm a noob when it comes to electronics so this really helped. Thank you and greets from the UK

[@Schematix]

You're welcome :)

[@kennmossman8701]

Some are asking about driving an inductive load like a drill or motor. Most converters are NOT designed for inductive loads.

[@squidben5780]

Very informative and to the point, well explained.

[@siliv653]

Very nice explanation, I was bit confused when I thought to buy, thanks for the video sharing

[@josephriffle124]

I was able to follow you every step of the way, very informative. Thanks!

[@peterowens290]

Thanks, a good, simple & clear explanation that covered some issues I had not before considered.

[@sksdiy]

I ordered a buck converter 5A. and im happy after watching this video 😊

[@JackMeadows6322]

Awesome video, great explanation fella!

[@riobravo2267]

Very helpful, great explanation 👍 but I was wondering if you also could regulate / optimize the power output from a solar panel with a boost-buck mppt power supply module. I've installed 2 dc 500W 48V 10Amp heating rods in my 120 liter water heater. They both have their own 550W 44V 13Amp solar panel directly connected to them. On a sunny day (Oktober) between 10:00-16:00 (6 hours total) it increases the temperature with 20C°. So nothing else in between. Just a solar panel, 2 wires and a heating rod. In my case, would a boost-buck mppt module improve the overall performance? Thanks, greetings John, Netherlands

[@Zaikar]

That is a nice information you provided! Thanks for pointing out those facts they might sound "basic" but for sure it's something that people who plan to use these items has to know. As I said, thanks sir!

[@Schematix]

You're welcome, glad you found the video informative :)

[@guymee]

Absolutely crucial to my understanding, thank you

[@xaviertaylor759]

Great to see these things being demonstrated.

[@RahulGupta-lu6lj]

Excellent explaination..with clear demo

[@peterjackson2632]

Thanks, you sorted out my confusion. I'll now buy a Buck converter

[@Schematix]

Happy I could help

[@MAKAWELI187]

Great video, simple and strait forward, even I got it, so thx.

[@Schematix]

You're welcome :)

[@321CatboxWA]

@8:59 Veritable Volt Power Supply , much superior the Desultory Volt Power Supply. :) I like your teaching style. thanks for posting. 73's

[@Schematix]

You're welcome

[@curtchase3730]

Old video, but 3 things. 1-very few of these things have the outputs isolated from the input, and 2-have no reverse voltage protection. You could charge a small battery, but if the supply power is cut, battery will slowly feed back into the power supply. I fix that problem with a simple mechanical relay. Another is these things are all toys. Nobody makes a serious high power device that could handle higher currents in the order of 20-50 amps.

[@swlee9289]

Nice demonstration. Clear and useful.Thank you very much!

[@ThatJay283]

thanks! i just made a boost converter, it easily steps up 5.5v to 125v, but can't really do much more than lighting an led 😅

[@Dansk55]

13:45 VERY TRUE THAT. lol. Raised my boost converter voltage and pooped the output capacitor. Definitely be careful when upping the voltage with these. Or make a case.

[@dp0813]

Great video, thanks for posting! Clarified the power & current dependencies & FET sensitivity to those for me! 👍👍👍

[@wiradharma7030]

So, buck converter behave mostly like linear regulator with slightly more noise. How about boost converter, do with fluctuating voltage we got fixed output voltage or the output voltage fixed to some ratio relative to input voltage? Like in situation where you use car 12v lighter socket while the engine run. The lighter socket voltage fluctuate between 13ish volt to 14.4v. Do we have stable output voltage with boost converter?

[@kek7778]

yes

[@kennmossman8701]

Input wattage x efficiency = output wattage efficiency is usually around 75 to 85% but I will use 0.8 [80%] here Say you have a 12 Volt 2 Amp power supply, which is 24 Watts. Multiply by 0.8 and you get about 19 Watts as the maximum output. If you wanted a 5V output then the max current is 19/5 - using a buck If you wanted a 24V output then the max current is 19/24 - using a boost Or if you wanted 60 Watts output, then 60/0.8 Watts is the needed input. For example, you want 12 Volts at 5A, then the power on the input side must be at least 75 Watts - if a 24 Volt power supply is input then it has to supply at least 75/24 Amps

[@brianbassett4379]

I use a pair of 58V 30Ah lithium packs for ebike touring. Charging them with a Grin Satiator and/or a SunCapture 300W folding solar panel. Most of the electronics I travel with are charged by USB but have a couple other devices that have their own ac to dc converters. Can I use the packs with a single dc to dc converter (hoping to save weight) to charge multiple items at different voltages? Maybe have specific connectors for each item and general USB voltage. Being able to charge the packs and then be able to charge everything else off of them with the minimal amount if weight.

[@darryltelting2517]

Thank you so much for the nice explanation

[@diegoalves8043]

That was a fantastic explanation.

[@Jacques.krause]

Wow these things are so useful and this video is very helpful.

[@cw3372]

Wow, this is one of the best videos I've watched so far on this topic! Thanks for the detailed explanation!

[@UniProductions]

i actually looking for buck converter for a projects (tethered drone) the idea is sending Ac/DC 200-300v (adjustable) through a 100meter tethered cable to the drone (buck converter) we tested we need 24v/800w to keep the drone operational. so basiclly we looking all around the internet we can't find DC step down 200v to 24v .. in my hand we already have the AC/DC 0-300v 1.5a adjustable power supply. and a buckconverter brought from ebay (70v to 24v 30amp) we do try sending 70v from ground and stepdown to drone buck converter( 24v 30amp) it seems like the buck converter never reach 30amp) so my guess i need to supply greater voltages to the buck converter.. any advices would be highly appricated

[@tkelly3866]

Thanks, well explained

[@ChaoticaExtreme]

T. Kelly. yes it was. If I may. In regard to the first boost converter description and 6 amps. The likely XL6009 onboard, is rated at 5 Amps. I doubt the unit will sustain that level with the converter as is. The heatsink seems too small, and a fan may be needed.

[@andreamitchell4758]

what if my power supply is 24v @ 4 amps and i use a buck converter to drop the voltage to 12v , then will i be able to have a load that draws more than 4 amps, if the buck converter is rated at say 8 or 10 amps? in other words does it give you a current gain as you step down the voltage? could i draw more than 4 amps from my 24v power supply using the buck converter set at 12v ? i have a bunch of old 24v laptop chargers/adapters lying around that are 24v @ around 3.4A or 4A and i i want to know if i can use a buck converter with them(since i can pick them up cheap like little over $2 on aliexpresss) to power some 12v RGBW 300 LED strips which i will be using with 12-24 controllers

[@gravelydon7072]

ChaoticaExtreme, The data sheet info on them currently say that above 100 watt, it needs added cooling such as a fan.

[@fivespeed3026]

Thank you for this easy to understand video.

[@JackAstor365]

VERY USEFUL & CLEAR, THNKS

[@pdrfrzpdrfrz8107]

Many thanks for this explanation. I was about to buy boost instead of a buck one!

[@VishalSanghi]

Great Vedio and very well explained. Just one question I have 19v 4amps laptop charger and want to run 775 motor at 12v 5 amps will it run is the amps in power supply shud always be greater than amps needed or buck converter will give me more amps even if supply less amps please help

[@theinnovati0nlab782]

Great video! 👍👍

[@skysurferuk]

Useful, thanks for posting.

[@MrInfectedsmoker]

just thx man! this is just great for me! i wish you al the best!

[@Doviruses.existbaileyonodysee]

Odd Qeustion. . . I've a little 18650 pack that runs my 12v esky. I'm wondering if something like these could be put inbetween the solar blankets charge controller and the battery to limit the charging current? but maybe also allow for full current output back into the controller.

[@CollinBaillie]

Always interested to know how things work when use doesn't matched designed intention. Eg if I want to output 16v from a boost converter but it's supplied from a battery which can be 16.8v fully charged, will it simply output battery voltage until the charge is low enough to require actual boosting? Will this have any detrimental affect on the boost converter? 99% of the time it (battery voltage) will probably be below the desired 16v output but there may be times when it's higher.

[@alohahoward1]

Great explanation, thanks.

[@dtwistrewind7361]

If that 10w led can take 34v at 4 amps I'll be amazed, but great explanations given.

[@jamest.5001]

I look at these as voltage to current converters, in buck, and current to voltage converter in boost converters, it takes more current to boost the voltage!

[@wwabete2009]

Thanks a lot! That was quite helpful!!!

[@jarrellestes1793]

Very good. Helped y understanding

[@rizwanrafiq497]

Excellent Video i need your help please reply 1 Input Adaptor Volt 12 and 4.16 Amps as per your calculations it is 42.5 watts 2. required output is volt 14.4 and 4 amps as per your calculations it is 2.95 amps it is still low as per my needs 14.4V / 4A My Questions 1. So i need a 12v and 6amp adaptor for take 14.4v and 4.25 amps from buck converter ? 2. still i am good if i am taking out with my old adaptor 12v 4.16A from buck converter 14.4v and 2.9A ? 3.is that ok/possible take higher voltage from buck converter by multiplying input adaptors volts and amps like input buck 12v 6a out from buck 14.4v 4.25a ? Thank you in Advance

[@reedman0780]

Im trying to find cheap boost converters to make pocket taser. The cylindrical ones are not available in my country and is just simply unavailble and would be a hassle to get, but you have shown one in the thumbnail thats what is available. I was hoping it works just the same, havent watched yet

[@kac3514]

Can i wire a 12v power source to 300w boost converter and boost the voltage to 30v and wire the output to the 150w buck converter to adjust voltage and current for my diy adjustable bench power supply. I am going for this idea as I couldn’t get the buck boost converter.

[@louisdesipio3343]

very good explanation.

[@downundergarage6968]

Can you aybe do a video on howto set cc using these particular bost buck converters and some more that you had on a table? Some aliexpress sellers state that shotring should not be used. On a bench psu you just short the leads and set max current. I have a boost converter and i can set the cv ie max output but when i plug meter at 10a dc seting and effectively short it i cant get a reliable current reading and turning the pot does not make any difference. Does it depend on what controller the device has? Thx

[@AlexandreSantanaRBG]

Great vídeo!!! Thanks for posting...

[@mrsheikhusify]

Very informative, simple explanation

[@grindererrofficial3755]

if i have to be honest i have not much from video, coz i was hypnotized by your great shirt. Man i realy likes it :) Need to by same or atleast similiar. btw best wishes for new year :)

[@marox3G]

Greeting! Good video! With which converter could it get 5V and 10A so that it can work longer without overheating and shutting down? Thank you

[@spacial2]

As others say, Thanks clear and informative.

[@frederickstoffyn4757]

hi there , i was wondering if i could charge my 60v 20 amp battery with such boost converter .. what if i use a simple laptop charger + the boost = maximum amp output

[@RobertDickens2002]

I see this is a very old video but let me just say this is the best video ive seen on these what converter do you recommended to run a 100 watt class d amp board in a car environment which would be 14.4v

[@scotthenderson4376]

Finally found your channel looking to make a bench charger that needs to go between 60v and 3v for lithium cell/pack charging would a 24v 16amp power supply work for this with a converter

[@kennmossman8701]

you are confusing a CHARGER with a converter/power supply

[@dan2800]

6:13 its max 10A input current out cur. is 6A max

[@kingwsk2]

Do they make current limiting boost converts that can do say 48v input --> 360-400v output? Ideally with 100-500A input. Yes, I'm trying to charge my EV battery from my 24kwh 48v trailer battery using a DC-DC converter for efficiency reasons stead of going 48v DC --> 240v AC inverter (95% efficient) --> 360-400v DC (90% efficient), which totals around 85% efficient. Boost converters I've seen usually run around 97-98%, so that's one of the main reasons I'm trying to do this.

[@kennmossman8701]

FORGET IT. That is NOT a DIY project

[@MikeAustin2012]

Thank you sooo much. I have that 2nd last one on my bench. I was going to use a PC supply and this dc-dc buck converter to build a variable bench supply. I was ill for a while and forgot that I bought 1 and how I was going to use it. I was going to remove the multi turn pots and extend them to the case. I may get back to this since I also have a DC-V a DC_A digital meter but I am considering using the newer meter/converter package, abt $30 usd? Do you have any info or videos on that, THANKS!

[@TassyDeval]

Is it possible to mod the buck/boost trimpots to external rotary trimpots that are easier access outside a power supply case to make it adjustable variable

[@robertfaney4148]

Thank you , great video. Do you know any boost that can give me an output of 5V and min 2A with 3.7v 18650 standard 2600mAh battery?

[@johncoops6897]

There are literally hundreds available that do that job. Just search eBay, AliExpress, Banggood, etc for "powerbank modules". They incorporate the charging circuitry, battery level meter, as well as the USB connectors for output and charging too.

[@chrisvanrooyen8982]

Very insightful, thank you very much!

[@kennmossman8701]

Were two points missed? Efficiency and waveform. The efficiency does vary - don't be fooled by the "UP TO 95%" claim. That only applies to a specific voltage and current. You need to adjust the input wattage by the efficiency to get the output wattage. The output waveform can be 'messy' with spikes, ramping and noise. This can affect sensitive loads.

[@Jwalk-v9k]

can it affect leds?

[@juniorwhite1671]

Thanks for your update, I want you to help me with this problem. I have a 12v inverter and I want to connect it to 36v batteries connected in series how can I do it

[@kennmossman8701]

what? that makes no sense. put the 12V batteries in parallel - not series

[@12vLife]

Can these things help in a configs where we don't want to install a solar charge controller? I want to charge a 48v battery with a BMS using a 250Watt 24v solar panel directly. I need 55v @ 3a. Should I trust the BMS like this?

[@jarrellestes1793]

Very helpful. THANK YOU

[@ojsquidold6250]

I have a question! Say I have a buck converter that reduces 48V to 12V. If I were to change the input voltage to 24V without touching the board, would it then output 6V? Thanks so much for your help!

[@jaimeenvadoliya7663]

No it would not happen bcoz of flyback function

[@MykTAOfficial]

Im planning to use a buck converter for DIY charging. From 24v 4A to 21v 3.4A. Do we need to add a little headroom so the buck converter wont dropout? for example: 21.1v 3.5A

[@kennmossman8701]

use power diodes to drop the voltage. you are dropping 3V so you need 3V/.65V diodes -say 4. I'd use 10A diodes at least 50PIV. Two 10A bridge rectifiers would also work - these are cheap

[@MrI8igmac]

Im testing 4 motors 8520 i think the peak current is 1.8amps, so four will need 7.2 amps with my esp32 im looking for 8 amps. I have a few mt3608 buck boosters. But im not confident these can provide enough. If you have suggestions i appreciate your comment

[@Robjud-u2x]

I have a 20v ac transformer that i will rectify to roughly 28v when loaded this will sag slightly. I want to use one of these units in your video to boost this to 36v for an amplifier. Which ine would you suggest? Output current needed would be between 5 to 8amps. Thanks

[@bradjohnson3600]

you missed the best one from Drock that can busk and boost and has a line chart built in

[@ferozkhatri8565]

that is awesome excellent i have a question : i have this buck converter xl4015 5v to 30v and 5A (4A Load without Heatsink) Example: i have input 12 volt and 3.34 amps it is 65w adaptor smps , my required output is 14.4 volt and 4 amps = 55 watts ( is that possible ) Thank you

[@MrJkosta]

Great video mate :) I´m making a power supply with PC psu and want to know how you know which 12v lines put out what amperage?

[@kennmossman8701]

the ratings are on the PSU. Google for the wiring

[@Antizmannen]

Here is a question that seems problematic for most people to answer. I currently have auxiliary LED light on my car that have both full light and parking light feature. There are three cables 12v feed for full light, 12v feed for parking light and ground. The parking LED lights are too bright and I need to dim them. As it is in my car, the space is minimal. I would like to lower the light output by lowering the voltage feed to the parking LED with 9V, however this can only be done on the 12V feed wire, meaning I can´t use the negative wire as the negative wire is the same for both the parking LED and the full LED light. Can I use a buck converter and only take the output + feed from it and connect it to the parking light feed wire so it will only feed 9V? or do I have to connect both + feed and - feed from the converter to get 9V feed to the LED?

[@johancoetzee7079]

Great video thanks. Can I charge a laptop (20V - 3.5A) on a daily basis with the boost/buck converter? (off grid?). The unit will be charged with a 100 watt solar panel hooked to a 12v deep cycle battery

[@mayuresh1704]

How to change it from constant voltage to constant current mode? How to adjust the output current using the screw?