A Novel Cascaded-Clamping Technique for Reliable High-Gain Discrete Boost Converters
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59097/jasae.v4i2.90Keywords:
Discrete Boost Regulator, High-Gain Voltage Converter, Cascaded Switching, Voltage Clamping, Astable Multivibrator, Zener Regulation, Discrete Power Electronics, Voltage Boosting TechniquesAbstract
Discrete boost converters are still very important for power applications that need to be cheap, easy to change, and educational. However, it has a big problem when trying to get high voltage gain from low input sources. Conventional designs often don't work well below 5V because of IC oscillator thresholds, and single-transistor switching stages are not very efficient and put a lot of stress on the circuit. This work fills in these gaps by creating a new architecture that focuses on reliability and includes a discrete astable multivibrator, a cascaded BJT driver network, and an active Zener clamping-regulation circuit. The proposed converter clearly works well with an input voltage as low as 1V, has a voltage gain of more than 2.5, and reaches a peak efficiency of 94.6%, all while keeping great line/load regulation and transient response. These important results, which were confirmed by simulation and experimental prototyping, show that the design is better than most IC-based converters in terms of input range and light-load efficiency. The study presents a thoroughly characterized, reproducible framework that revitalizes the practical application of discrete BJT-based power electronics, presenting a resilient alternative for low-voltage energy harvesting, prototyping, and educational initiatives.
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