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12V DC to 220V DC Boost Converter Circuit

Last Updated on January 18, 2025 by Swagatam 118 Comments

In this article I have explained a very simple method of acquiring 220V DC from a 12V DC source. The idea utilizes inductor/oscillator based boost topology with the help of the IC 555.

Circuit Operation

Referring to the circuit diagram below, we see that the entire idea is based upon the versatile, evergreen IC 555.

Here it's configured in its standard astable multivibrator mode for generating the required pulses at a frequency determined by the resistors 4k7, 1k and the capacitor 680pF.

The duty cycle may be appropriately adjusted by experimenting the 1K resistor.

The output is received at pin#3 of the IC, which is fed to the gate of an N-channel mosfet.

When power is switched ON, the positive pulses emanating from pin#3 switch ON the mosfet into full conduction.

During the above periods the 12V high current potential is pulled to ground via the coil by the mosfet.

As we all know inductors always try to oppose instant changes in current polarity through it, therefore during the negative pulses when the mosfet remains switched OFF, forces the coil to dump the stored potential in it in the form of high voltage EMF pulse into the output.

This voltage may be equal to 220V DC and gives rise to the required potential at the shown outlet of the circuit.

The above straightforward operation is repeated continuously at the given frequency providing  a sustained 220V DC at the output.

The BC547 and its base network is introduced for limiting the output voltage to the required degree.

For example if the required output is 220V, the 47K preset may be adjusted such that the220V mark never exceeds, irrespective of the coil back emf rate or the input voltage fluctuations.

The mosfet can be any 400V, 50 amp type, for example a NTD4302 may be used.

The coil wire should be thick enough to hold up to 30 or more amps.

Circuit Diagram

12V to 220V boost converter circuit diagram

NOTE: THE MOSFET IS MISTAKENLY SHOWN AS IRF540, WHICH IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THIS APPLICATION, SO PLEASE REPLACE IT WITH AN IRF740 MOSFET.

WARNING: THIS CIRCUIT INVOLVES HIGH VOLTAGE, EXTREME CAUTION IS ADVISED WHILE HANDLING THIS CIRCUIT.

IC 555 Pinout Details

IC 555

Mosfet IRF740 Pinout Details

Mosfet IRF740 Pinout Details

How to Calculate the Inductor

Let's assume the maximum output current required is 5 Amps.

Then the total power output will be 220 * 5 = 1,100 Watts approximately.

So the maximum input current must be 1,100/12 = 92 Amps approximately.

The formula for calculating the Inductor is:

L = (Vin * D * (1 - D)) / (fs * ΔIL)

Where Vin = Input Voltage = 12 V

D = Duty cycle. This can be calculated as follows:

D ≈ 1 - (Vin(min) + Vds + Vf) / Vout

Where:

  • D: Duty cycle
  • Vin(min): Minimum input voltage
  • Vds: Voltage drop across the MOSFET
  • Vf: Voltage drop across the diode
  • Vout: Output voltage

So, D ≈ 1 - (Vin(min) + Vds + Vf) / Vout

D ≈ 1 - [(12V + 0.5V + 0.7V)]/220V]

= 1 - 0.06 = 0.94

So, D = 0.94

fs = the 555 frequency at pin#3 or the MOSFET gate, let us assume the frequency to be around 300 kHz according to the R1, R2, C1 values for the IC 555 timing components.

ΔIL = Ripple current. Typically, the ripple current of 20-30% of the output current, so here it will be around 0.2 * 5 = 1 Amp

So, now let's plugin the above values in our Inductor formula:

L = (Vin * D * (1 - D)) / (fs * ΔIL)

= (12 * 0.94 * (1 - 0.94)) / (300000 * 1)

= 0.67 / 300000

= 0.0000022333 H or 2.2333 µH

So the value of the Inductor should be 2.2333 µH for getting 5 amp maximum output.

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Filed Under: Power Supply Circuits Tagged With: 12V, 220V, Boost, Converter, DC

About Swagatam

I am an electronics engineer and doing practical hands-on work from more than 15 years now. Building real circuits, testing them and also making PCB layouts by myself. I really love doing all these things like inventing something new, designing electronics and also helping other people like hobby guys who want to make their own cool circuits at home.

And that is the main reason why I started this website homemade-circuits.com, to share different types of circuit ideas..

If you are having any kind of doubt or question related to circuits then just write down your question in the comment box below, I am like always checking, so I guarantee I will reply you for sure!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Miracle says:
June 4, 2016 at 11:27 am

Thank you Manjumdar for sharing your ideas regarding this circuit built. It has been really helpful.

Reply
swapan byapari says:
June 2, 2016 at 3:45 am

I am trying to tell you that if 150 watt voltage booster inverter is connected to 150 watt battery,without any load or minimum wattage of load on inverter.Then,battery backup depends on inverter rating or load rating????

Reply
Swagatam says:
June 2, 2016 at 2:43 pm

it will obviously depend on the load, without a load the inverter will consume negligible amount of current.

Reply
SUDIP BEPARY says:
May 29, 2016 at 11:43 am

Sir, if I connect 15 watt cfl bulb to 150 watt inverter with 200 watt battery.Then, how much hours it will keep bright.

Reply
Swagatam says:
May 29, 2016 at 12:22 pm

Sudip, please calculate it here:

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/p/battery-calculator.html

Reply
andrei ruiz says:
March 21, 2016 at 7:31 am

sir how to get 24v in the circuit? and what is the frequency???

Reply
Swagatam says:
March 22, 2016 at 2:32 am

andrie, you will need to reduce the inductance of the inductor by some trial and error to get 24V at the output….for 24V you can remove the BJT and the zener diode stages which are shown at the output section of the circuit.

Reply
Unknown says:
November 3, 2015 at 4:12 pm

hello sir, please i want to make a transformerless inverter (no ferrite core transformer) with 12vdc input and 220vac as output, the wattage should be between 200watts and 500watts. is it possible?

Reply
gulsattar world says:
February 5, 2016 at 9:40 am

Sir which ic I used for Dc 12v to 220v Ac up to 20amp current

Reply
Swagatam says:
February 5, 2016 at 2:26 pm

I didn't understand what you are saying?

Reply
Swagatam says:
November 4, 2015 at 4:17 am

sorry that's impossible….

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 19, 2015 at 4:10 am

yes it should be also rated at above 300V…you can replace it with a IRF840

Reply
Raman says:
August 18, 2015 at 3:52 pm

In the schematic, the output 220 volts is connected across the drain – source terminals of the 30 v mosfet ??

Reply
jairam says:
February 2, 2015 at 7:38 am

hello sir
can i use this circuit for charging of a dc input fan?

wat is the case when the input given 12v battery is discharged?

can i giv a input to this circuit by 12v rechargeble battery?

which mosfet i hav to use to this circuit (say the mosfet number)?

Reply
Dipto says:
January 19, 2015 at 10:07 am

Sir you have mentioned that we can use TIP122 instead of NTD4302, then what should be the pin configuration of TIP122? I mean how should I connect the transistor into the circuit?

Reply
Dipto says:
January 20, 2015 at 11:41 am

Thank you sir for your reply I will be using TIP122 instead of NTD4302 since I couldn't find them in the shop.

Reply
Swagatam says:
January 20, 2015 at 3:04 am

Dipto, yes it's possible, join its base to pin3 of the IC via a 10K resistor, emitter to ground and collector to coil

Reply
JOSEMON SHAJI says:
December 20, 2014 at 10:27 am

can i use IRFZ44N mosfet

Reply
Krishnanand Intitute says:
December 17, 2014 at 2:07 am

Sir
I want to make a power inverter for 48v dc to 220v ac. Plz guide me…

Reply
Swagatam says:
December 17, 2014 at 5:43 am

Krishna, you can try the following:

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2014/11/48-v-inverter-circuit.html

Reply
Roney Renaissance says:
October 29, 2014 at 9:47 pm

Hi Swagatam !
May I ask if this circuit can be used to power a laptop charger ?
Thanks

Reply
Swagatam says:
October 30, 2014 at 4:08 am

Hi Roney, yes you can used it for charging a laptop from your car battery, the inductor will need to be dimensioned and tweaked appropriately until the required 19v is achieved…

Reply
Abu-Hafss says:
October 21, 2014 at 8:30 pm

You can get high voltage at high frequency (not 50Hz) but the current would be around 100mA. How much is your load?

Reply
ainsworth lynch says:
October 21, 2014 at 6:53 pm

ok I tried building this circuit on electronic work bench but only got 8v out,

Reply
Swagatam says:
October 22, 2014 at 5:46 am

keep the BC547 disconnected initially and then check…

Reply
ainsworth lynch says:
October 20, 2014 at 2:52 pm

Which coil would i use to get 110v at 50hz

Reply
Swagatam says:
October 21, 2014 at 5:49 am

you'll have to find it by experimenting with different number of turns.

Reply
Kiran King says:
September 4, 2014 at 1:55 pm

hi iam doing a project in which i need to convert 6v DC to 230v AC . after converting can i use any electrical appliances from the output of 230v AC

Reply
Swagatam says:
September 5, 2014 at 6:14 am

search for any IC 4047 inverter circuit and you can use it for your application

Reply
franco rossi says:
May 3, 2014 at 1:44 pm

hi swagatam majumdar,
is possible with this circuit to fed an solenoid water valve (7w) as valve of washing machine or an little motor (4w) as flat of wave oven?
maybe is better to think an inverter circuit more complex as that you have posted in other pages?
thank you so much
regards
andrea

Reply
Swagatam says:
May 4, 2014 at 4:31 am

Hi Andrea, for a DC application, the above circuit could be used, but for AC devices an inverter would be more preferable.

Reply
nitin gondliya says:
January 23, 2014 at 9:07 am

220v ac 2amp load

Reply
Swagatam says:
January 24, 2014 at 6:39 am

you will need a 400 watt inveter for that, the above circuit will not work

Reply
nitin gondliya says:
January 22, 2014 at 7:12 am

plz reply i m waiting

Reply
Swagatam says:
January 23, 2014 at 4:30 am

hello nitin,
please tell me all the technical details of your project, only then i would be able to suggest regarding the above circuit integration.

Reply
nitin gondliya says:
January 22, 2014 at 6:47 am

hello sir nice work…i m planing electrick go kart powerd by sewing machine motor can i use this circuit??
i have 30ah battery ..sorry for bad english…reply fast..thank u sir….u r genius,

Reply
Abu-Hafss says:
December 25, 2013 at 7:51 pm

Hi Swagatam

I am working to use this circuit (excluding the transistor network) as a simple laptop charger from car battery.

1) One option needs a mosfet with following properties:

25V, 5A and RDS(on) 3.5 Ohms

I am not sure if such mosfet is available because such RDS(on) value is for small current mosfets.

2) The second option is to reduce the input voltage to 6V but, that needs high current regulator.

Which of these two options is more practical?

Reply
Swagatam says:
December 27, 2013 at 5:57 am

it's 44 milliohms which is a lot better than 3.5ohms, meaning the ON resistance of the drain to source will be just 44 milliohms.

Reply
Abu-Hafss says:
December 26, 2013 at 4:54 pm

But that is 44mOhms whereas I need 3.5Ohms!

Reply
Swagatam says:
December 26, 2013 at 6:56 am

Hi Abu-Hafss,

The first option looks fine, you can use a higher rated mosfet such as IRF540 etc. it would also work as good and fulfill the results.

Reply
Abu-Hafss says:
November 6, 2013 at 8:33 pm

Hi Swagatam

Can this circuit be used to power a 30-40W soldering iron?
If yes, would 12V-5A input be enough?

Reply
Swagatam says:
November 8, 2013 at 4:09 am

Hi Abu-Hafss,

yes it can be used, 12v/5amp would be just enough for that.

Reply
Abu-Hafss says:
October 25, 2013 at 8:49 pm

Hi Swagatam

I am considering to use this transformerless circuit to provide high voltage in CDI. Any comments/modifications?

Reply
Swagatam says:
October 27, 2013 at 12:24 pm

Hi Abu-Hafss,

Just connect a couple of 10uF250V(in parallel) across the output, no diodes are needed.

Reply
Abu-Hafss says:
October 27, 2013 at 10:22 am

Hi Swagatam

The out put is sort triangular waves of AC 230V (fluctuating between 0-230V not between 230 and -230 at 510Hz. How do we convert it to DC??? Single rectifier or bridge rectifier is not working, the output remains the same.

Maybe, the simulator is experiencing some difficulties in performing the rectification. Based on your experience, if you simulate in your mind, do you think the rectifier/capacitor should work to give a smooth DC output?

Reply
Swagatam says:
October 27, 2013 at 5:15 am

Hi Abu-Hafss,

You can experiment with the number of turns of the inductor for getting different voltage levels at the output, because that's the only component that is directly related with voltage boosting.

Reply
Abu-Hafss says:
October 26, 2013 at 9:23 pm

Hi Swagatam

As per my usual practice, I have simulated this circuit and got following findings;

The frequency is 510Hz. If it is decreased to 50-100Hz, the output becomes more than 1kV.

The inductor is 250µH. The capacitor is 10µF.

Following is the wave pattern:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20969135/230V%20output.gif

There is one issue i.e. how do we convert it to 230VDC? The CDI capacitor needs HV DC for charging which is provided thru a diode (half wave rectification) but, this output cannot be rectified, neither thru half wave rectification nor full wave.

If the capacitor value is increased, the output decreases.

Reply
Swagatam says:
October 26, 2013 at 1:50 pm

Hi Abu-Hafss,

Yes, it's worth trying.

Reply
devendra kumar says:
October 25, 2013 at 3:55 pm

sir can i use the polyester fluorescent ballast for inductor…

Reply
Swagatam says:
October 26, 2013 at 1:47 pm

It will depend on the output voltage requirement, if the inductor is able to produce it then it would be fine.

Reply
Rashid Ansari says:
September 27, 2013 at 10:10 am

Thank you sir for your reply, I'll try it.
Rashid

Reply
Rashid Ansari says:
September 25, 2013 at 5:43 pm

Hello Sir,

How can i modify this circuit to run a 150 or 100W fan.

Thank you in advance.

Rashid

Reply
Swagatam says:
September 26, 2013 at 3:07 pm

Hello Rashid,

you will have to modify the coil by experimenting a little with the no of turns and wire gauge until it satisfies the conditions.

Reply
usmanium says:
September 10, 2013 at 2:40 pm

Obaid just take out 220V AC, add a step down transformer that makes it 24V and then add a bridge rectifier and two filter capacitors electrolytic 10uF 25V and a 7812 IC, u'll get 12V

Reply
Unknown says:
August 27, 2013 at 2:20 pm

okay sure i will try that and see what is the result, Thanks again sir.

Reply
Unknown says:
August 27, 2013 at 9:09 am

Thank you sir, I had tried joule before but the problem is the current supply is not high enough.I need at least 100mA. Can I know how to increase the current or is there any way to do it?

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 27, 2013 at 2:14 pm

Use parallel wire winding, meaning use two or three wires together and then wind them as per the data, this will increase the current of the transformer,also you will have to use more number of cells in parallel for supplying the required amount of current.

Reply
Unknown says:
August 25, 2013 at 6:32 am

Hi Sir, sorry to ask this question here as I could not find a dc to dc step up circuit in your forum. I am thinking is it possible to modify this circuit to step up 2vdc to 12vdc? Thank you.

Reply
Swagatam says:
September 23, 2013 at 3:55 am

Dear Jayanta,

You can try the second circuit shown in this link, but I am not sure about the transformer details you may have experiment with its size and wire gauge:

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/high-current-10-to-20-amp-automatic/

Reply
Jayanta Roy says:
September 22, 2013 at 7:41 pm

Dear sir ,
I have a battery 12v 32ah sf sonic jet , how can i charge by home made circuit ,I would like to use it as 200 Watt CFL inverter, kindly help me to making a 3 amp constant current battery charger,
thanking you,
Jayanta Roy

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 26, 2013 at 4:52 am

Hi Unknown,

the above circuit will require a minimum of 4V to operate correctly, I think you should try the following circuit, might just work:

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2012/10/1-watt-led-driver-using-joule-thief.html

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 5, 2013 at 4:28 am

you can use the square wave symbol range for checking the frequency operation of the circuit…..

if it's not working with a mosfet you can try a transistor instead, try a TIP122.

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 3, 2013 at 1:37 pm

Your DMM should have a frequency measuring option, normally indicated with "kHz" symbol, otherwise it won't help.

In response to the 555 frequency triggering, when the mosfet is in the ON state, the inductor stores the specified amount of electrical energy in it and during the mosfet OFF state reverts it to the output. This back emf from the coil constitutes the 220V at the ouput…

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 3, 2013 at 7:51 am

It would be dangerous to use the above type of configuration for your requirement, you may try the following design:

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/06/0-300v-variable-voltage-current.html

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 3, 2013 at 7:47 am

Please refer to this post, it has all the details:

https://www.homemade-circuits.com/2013/05/55v-110a-n-channel-mosfet-irf3205.html

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 2, 2013 at 3:57 pm

Yes you can use a DMM which has a frequency feature in it.

Reply
Obaid Rehman says:
August 2, 2013 at 3:45 pm

hello again,
i need to make a just opposite project converting 220v AC to 12v/24v DC help me please or please give me link of the same 🙂

Reply
Swagatam says:
August 2, 2013 at 3:28 am

It will be difficult for me to identify exactly how you fixed the mosfet, I hope you've put it correctly.

What kind of inductor did you use and is your IC generating the required high frequency?? these two factors determine the correct operating conditions for the circuit.

Reply
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