Buck/Boost Output Voltage Ripple Calculator
Predict output voltage ripple for DC-DC switching converters from inductor ripple current and the capacitor's ESR and capacitance.
Converter Specifications
V
V
kHz
μH
μF
mΩ
A
Ripple Analysis Summary
Duty Cycle (D)41.7 %
Inductor Ripple Current (ΔIL)0.583A
Capacitive Ripple (ΔVc)6.630mV
ESR Ripple (ΔVesr)8.750mV
Total Ripple (Vp-p)15.38mV
Output Voltage Ripple Waveform (Simulated)
Enter specifications to visualize the waveform.
Output Voltage Ripple and Circuit Stability
Switching regulators periodically turn a high-side transistor on and off to store and release energy, which inevitably injects high-frequency noise — voltage ripple — onto the output node. Excessive ripple can cause analog distortion on downstream MCUs, ADCs, and RF receivers, or trigger spurious resets.
Two Sources of Output Ripple
- Capacitive Ripple (ΔVc): Voltage variation from charge flowing into and out of the output capacitor during each switching cycle. Decreases as switching frequency and capacitance increase.
- ESR Ripple (ΔVesr): Voltage drop caused by the inductor ripple current flowing through the capacitor's internal series resistance (ESR). This is often the dominant ripple component — use low-ESR MLCCs in parallel to minimize it.