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Ideal Buck Converter Duty Cycle and Ripple Inductance

Calculate ideal buck converter duty cycle and ripple inductance using known measurements, selectable units and clear physical assumptions.

Formula & worked example
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How to use this calculator

Enter the known values in the units shown. Results update as you type.
Where results are editable, change one to solve backwards. Lock a value to hold it fixed.
Use the worked example to check the method. Reset restores the starting fields.

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Formula and method

For ideal 12-to-6 V conversion, 100 kHz switching and 0.5 A peak-to-peak ripple, duty cycle is 50% and inductance is 60 µH.

D = Vout/Vin; L = (Vin−Vout)D/(f ΔI)

Worked example

Enter these known values and leave the other values blank.

Input voltage: 12 V
Output voltage: 6 V
Switching frequency: 100 kHz
Peak-to-peak ripple current: 500 mA

Duty cycle (D): 50 %
Inductance (L): 60 μH

Assumptions and limitations

This is an ideal steady-state buck model in continuous conduction. Output voltage is positive and below input voltage. The entered ripple is the peak-to-peak inductor-current change; switching losses and component limits are outside the model.
Enter mutually consistent measurements and clear a quantity before inferring it. Calculations use 64 significant digits; the displayed result is rounded separately.

Common questions

Which frequency and current units should I enter?

The initial controls use kHz and mA. For 100 kHz and 0.5 A, enter 100 in kHz and 500 in mA, or select Hz and A and enter 100000 and 0.5.

References

Calculation definition and unit reference

The calculation equations, inverse formulas, units, and input rules were imported from this source. Bookify provides the interface and equation solver.

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