3V to 12V Transistor Boost Converter Circuit

The following article will teach you how to build a simple transistorized boost converter circuit which will allow the user to acquire 12V from a 3V source very easily.

Introduction

If you have been wondering how to boost a small 3V battery voltage to a significantly large 12V output, then this article can be very useful for you, which you can build and use it for the mentioned purpose.

With this circuit you will be now able to apply a controlled boosted voltage and illuminate bigger LEDs rated to operate at 12V, with a 3V supply inputs.

How the Boost Converter Works

As can be seen the schematic below the proposed 3V to 12v boost converter circuit utilizes just a few transistors, an inductor and some capacitor to enable a full fledged 12V to be acquired from a minimal 3V supply input.

Within this tiny switching power supply, a Schmitt trigger oscillator is utilized to stimulate a switching transistor which supplies current into a compact inductor.

Power is trapped in the inductor as the transistor is switched on, and unveiled on the load circuit as soon as the transistor reboots.

Higher or lower voltages can be acquired through altering the voltage divider which feeds the zener diode. The performance is approximately 80% by using a higher Q inductor.

The output voltage will depend on the load resistance and is particularly restricted to a zener diode which puts a stop to the oscillator once the voltage gets to about 14 volts.