DC/DC Converters for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

DC/DC converters are circuits that either step-up or step-down the incoming DC voltage. Electronic systems often have several sub-circuits, each with its own voltage level requirement that may be higher or lower than the main power supply. Step-up (boost) converters raise a voltage to a higher level, while step-down (buck) converters lower it. Some DC/DC converter types can raise or lower voltage, such as "buck-boost" converters. DC/DC converters may offer options such as multiple softstart levels, undervoltage lockout, protection against overvoltage and undervoltage, and programmable short-circuit protection. All of these devices are considered to be in the same category of integrated chips, typically categorized as power management devices.