Design of a Buck Converter for a Solar Charger

ECE5-ELEC4 2nd Term, A.Y. 2015 2016

Japhet Alfeo Nio D. Ang, Jasper T. Chua, Ronchester Sigfrid S. Mendoza, Katrina Ysabel M. Soriano
Section 5ECEF, Electronics Engineering (ECE) Department
Faculty of Engineering, University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila, Philippines
japhet.alfeoang@yahoo.com, jasperchua57@yahoo.com, ronchester.mendoza@gmail.com,
katrinaysabelsoriano@gmail.com
Abstract Buck converters are circuits designed to translate
an applied input DC voltage to a lower DC value as intended
for application purposes. These are commonly referred to stepdown converter circuits. This circuit will step down an input
voltage of 20-25V into approximately 5 V or 5.5V.

I. INTRODUCTION
The buck converter is a very simple type of DC-DC
converter that produces an output voltage that is less than its
input. The buck converter is so named because the inductor
always bucks or acts against the input voltage. The output
voltage of an ideal buck converter is equal to the product of
the switching duty cycle and the supply voltage.[1] A pulse
width modulator is used to drive the gate of the MOSFET
and is used to control the duty cycle of the circuit.
Compensation is needed for the system to be stable.
The Current Mode Control technique is used to regulate
the output voltage. This control technique involves a current
feedback and control signal that is used to regulate the peak
of the inductor current and maintain the inductor equal to a
preset current [2]. It creates a voltage-controlled ideal current
source which is programmed to produce a regulated voltage
at the output of the converter. In a situation wherein fixed
resistor load is adjusted and changed and, at the same time,
the same constant voltage it produces before is needed to be
obtained, the current level is then needed to compensate the
variation of the load resistance thus, it has to be changed.
The main technique of the current mode control derives
the Pulse Width Modulator by the addition of the second
loop feeding back the inductor current. The signal is routed
to one input of the comparator while on the other is the error
voltage. The feedback signal is composed of two parts which
are the AC-ripple current and the average value of the
inductor current.[3]
Current mode control has simpler over-load protection
and has a robust dynamic response in analog uses, thus,
making this controller technique suitable for regulation on
DC-DC converters whose input sources behave non-linearly.
Current mode control also has noise immunity and fewer
parts and is suitable for low-power applications [4]. Therefore,
the buck converter that implements the current mode control
technique is well-suited for solar chargers.
Buck converters are well-known for converting high
voltage to a low voltage with high efficiency. There are lots
of products built to charge a battery from a solar panel with a
higher voltage. Solar cells have outputs whose current-

voltage curves are non-linear. Thus, solar chargers make use

of the current mode control buck converter to draw the
maximum amount of power by varying the load current to
charge batteries in the shortest time possible.
II. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The current mode controlled buck converter constructed
here has an input voltage of 20-25 V and is expected to have
an output of 5V. The output voltage must also have a 1%
voltage ripple. A phase margin of 45 and a gain margin of
-10 dB is also expected at a crossover frequency of 1 kHz.
III. DESIGN OF POWER COMPONENTS
Assumptions:
Vin= 25 volts
Vout= 5 volts
Iload= 2 amperes
Fsw=83 kHz
D= Vout/Vin = 5/25=20%
Ripple
Ripple= Ripple Current= 0.3 x Iload
= Ripple Current= 0.3 x 2=0.6 A
Inductor
L=(Vin-Vout)((D/Fsw)/Iripple)
L=(25-5)((0.2/83kHz)/0.6)
L=80 H
Output Capacitance
Iripple= 0.6 A
ESR= 0.03 ?
ESL= 0
?T= 0.2/(83 kHz)=2.41 sec
Cout=((0.6 A x 2.41 sec))/(0.05 V-(0.6x 0.03))
=45.19 F (minimum)
Diode
Estimate Diode Current
ID= (1-0.2)x 2A
ID= 1.6 A
Max Diode Reverse Voltage= 25 volts (Minimum)
Select Schottky Rectifier with ID==1.6 A; VDRV=25 V
MOSFET Selection

VRATED=25 V ; IRATED=2 A
IV. DATA AND RESULTS
In this part of the paper, the data and results gathered
from the tests conducted are presented and discussed in
detail. There are three tests conducted. The first is the open
loop simulation of the designed buck converter, the second is
the closed loop simulation, and the last one are the values
gathered from the test of the actual circuit of the buck
converter. The circuit and simulations of the open loop and
closed loop systems of the buck converter are implemented
and conducted using SIMetrix-SIMPLIS software.
A. Open Loop Simulation
Shown below is the open loop circuit of a buck converter
system. The values used below are from the values from the
computations.

Figure 3. Bode Plot analysis of the Buck Converter System

B. Closed Loop Simulation

Displayed in Figure 4 is a closed loop buck
converter system. This system implements the current
mode control technique.

Figure 1. Open Loop Circuit of Buck Converter

In figure 2, voltage at the output or the resistor is

displayed. As we can see, the voltage regulates at a value
near 5V after a few oscillations.

Figure 4. Current Mode Control Buck Converter System

As seen in figure 5, the pulse width modulation that

drives the gate of the MOSFET. The voltage at the output of the
closed loop system is also displayed. The voltage regulates at
approximately 5.5V. The value is very close to the output of the
open loop system but the output of the closed loop system regulates
faster compared to that of the open loop.

Figure 2. Voltage at the output of the open loop Buck Converter System

Shown below is the bode plot of the above open

loop buck converter circuit. The crossover frequency is at
10kHz. The phase margin is at 45 and the gain margin is at
-10 dB.

Figure 5. PWM and voltage at the output of the closed loop Buck
Converter System

C. Actual Circuit Test

In the circuit testing of the hardware, the value of the
voltage where the output is regulated is at 4.8V. This value
is very similar and close to both open and closed loop
simulations.

V. CONCLUSION
In this study, the design of an open loop and closed loop
buck converter is constructed and simulated using SIMetrixSIMPLIS software.
From the simulations conducted, it is observed that the
open loop buck converter can produce an output of 4.8 volts
when the input of the converter is between the values of 20
to 25 volts at a 46.60% value of duty cycle and at a
switching frequency of 54.6795. In the simulation of the
hardware or the output, the buck converter system gives out
an output of 5.5V. The voltage is also regulated at the said
voltage.
Furthermore, it is perceived that implementing a closed
loop buck converter with the use of a current mode control
can improve the systems output and stability. The closed
loop buck converter also generates an output of 5.5 volts
when the input is between the values of 20 to 25 volts,
almost similar to the value gathered from the open loop buck
converter. Through utilizing the current mode control, the
output voltage ripple became smaller, the system became
faster in responding to the variations in the input voltages,
and can compensate to the error rapidly.

Since typical values of the output voltage of solar cells

range from 20 volts and higher, the designed buck converter
is applicable for the implementation of a solar cell as
charger.
REFERENCES
[1] Buck DC/DC Converters. (n.d.). Retrieved May 08,
2016,
from
http://www.mouser.ph/applications/powersupply-topology-buck/
[2] Midya, P., Greuel, M., & Krein, P.T. (1997). Sensorless
current mode control-an observer-based technique for DCDC converters, Power Electronics Specialists Conference,
PESC'97 Record., 28th Annual IEEE, 197-202.
[3] S. Keeping, "Voltage- and Current-Mode Control for
PWM Signal Generation in DC-to-DC Switching Regulators
DigiKey", Digikey.com, 2014. [Online]. Available:
http://www.digikey.com/en/articles/techzone/2014/oct/volta
ge-and-current-mode-control-for-pwm-signal-generation-indc-to-dc-switching-regulators. [Accessed: 20- Apr- 2016]
[4] Trescases, O., Lukic, Z., Wai-Tung, N., & Prodic, A.
(2006). A low-power mixed-signal current-mode DC-DC
converter using a one-bit and Delta; and Sigma; DAC in
Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition,
APEC '06. Twenty-First Annual IEEE, 5.