Buck Converter (DC-DC)

Step 1: Gather the Materials!

So with any prototyping project this really shouldnā€™t be the first stepā€¦ But weā€™re gonna go ahead and do it cuz itā€™s just so darn fun! Just a little disclosure, weā€™ll be using the ACT4088 picked because itā€™s cheap and has an adjustable VOut along with a max of 1.5A out. Of course if you need different characteristics chances are, thereā€™s a chip out there for you! The circuit weā€™ll build is taken straight from the ICā€™s datasheet and works very well!

List of parts:

Buck Converter (DC-DC)Notes: Alright, now to address some design notes.

  1. All parts are surface mount for two reasons. 1: Our project will take up much less space once completed. 2: SMD parts are generally cheaper nowadays. šŸ˜›
  2. The inductor listed is shielded as speced in the datasheet however I got an unshielded one and the circuit works just as well and itā€™s about $0.20 cheaper.
  3. The two resistors listed are speced for a 3.3V out however you are more than welcomed to change them to whatever values you want! The resistor selection is how you change VOut to whatever is desired. The datasheet recommends keeping the 49.9 kā„¦ resistor and changing the 16.2 kā„¦ resistor. This being said with a little imagining you can see how a potentiometer can be used to make your very own $2 variable power supply! Which I have done and will show you at the end of this instructable.

Step 2: Design the Layout

Alright, so now letā€™s design the layout for the circuit weā€™ll be using for the Buck Converter! Donā€™t worry, itā€™s a very simple circuit and weā€™ll be getting the design straight from the datasheet. This is ā€œv1.0ā€ of my design and have thoughts for a ā€œv1.1ā€ Iā€™ll share at the end! My goal when designing the layout was to fit it within a 1 square in. board which it does easily!

I use a software called DipTrace. For me itā€™s easy to use and has a very large library to choose parts from! Though if you do have a part thatā€™s not listed (as I encountered when placing a WT32 bluetooth module) you can easily add it to the user library. For this circuit even though the ACT4088 doesnā€™t have a part listed it does use a standard footprint layout that is included in the DipTrace library, so thatā€™s what I used and it fits perfectly! If you would rather use some other layout program such as EagleCAD or other software you can absolutely use it, I just donā€™t have any project files for any other program besides DipTrace.

Step 3: Order Your Boards!

Alright so now that we have our board layout design letā€™s upload them to a manufacturing company! For this project I used OSH Park. They do a fantastic job and offer some great services at some really great prices! They are particularly suitable for small board orders and they are run out of the US too!. the boards cost me around $1.30 a board and had to order in muliples of 3ā€¦ so I got 9. lol. Another fantastic feature is that they gold plate all the contacts, pads, and holes making it ideal to solder to and gives the board an excellent finish. Also the dark purple they use for their solder mask is sick looking!

https://oshpark.com/

The order took about a week and a half to get to me with no delays, free shipping, and usps so no need to be there to sign! (the signing for packages thing may be one of my soap-boxes that I will save for another time)

 

For mroe detail: Buck Converter (DC-DC)

About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

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