Hardware & Implementation DCDC

DCDC Converter

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An on-chip DC-DC switching regulator that improves power efficiency compared to an LDO regulator, extending battery life.

    


    
    
    

      다른 명칭:
      
      Buck Converter
      
      Switching Regulator
      
    

    
  


  




  
  

    
DCDC Converter


A DCDC converter (also called a buck converter or switching regulator) is an on-chip or external power regulation circuit that converts a higher input voltage to the lower operating voltage required by a BLE SoC. Using a DCDC converter instead of an LDO (Low Dropout) regulator significantly improves power efficiency and extends battery life in BLE products.


Why DCDC Matters for BLE


BLE SoCs typically operate at 1.8V internally while being powered by batteries ranging from 1.5V (AAA) to 3.7V (LiPo). An LDO regulator dissipates the voltage difference as heat, wasting energy proportionally to (V_in - V_out) / V_in. For a 3.0V coin cell powering a 1.8V SoC, LDO efficiency is only 60%.


A DCDC switching converter achieves 80-95% efficiency by using an inductor and capacitor to step down voltage with minimal energy loss. For a BLE sensor transmitting at 5 mA peak current from a CR2032 coin cell, switching from LDO to DCDC can extend battery life by 30-50%.


On-Chip vs External DCDC


Most modern BLE SoCs include an on-chip DCDC converter:






Chip
DCDC Type
External Components
Efficiency






nRF52840
On-chip buck
10 uH inductor + 1 uF cap
80-95%




nRF52832
On-chip buck
10 uH inductor + 1 uF cap
80-94%




nRF5340
Dual on-chip buck
10 uH + 15 uH inductors
85-95%




ESP32-C3
External required
Application-specific
Varies




CC2642R
On-chip buck
2.2 uH inductor
80-93%






The on-chip DCDC requires only a small external inductor (10 uH typical) and decoupling capacitor, keeping PCB area impact minimal.


Configuration and Tradeoffs


Enabling the DCDC converter involves:


    

  1. Hardware: Adding the inductor and capacitor per the SoC datasheet. The inductor must meet DC resistance (DCR) and saturation current specs
    2. 

  2. Firmware: Setting the DCDC enable register in the power management configuration. In the nRF Connect SDK, this is CONFIG_DCDC_NRF52X=y
    3. 

  3. Tradeoff: DCDC switching generates electromagnetic noise at the switching frequency (typically 2-4 MHz). For RSSI-sensitive applications or designs near regulatory emission limits, the LDO mode may be preferred during radio activity
    4. 



Power Mode Integration


Advanced BLE SoCs integrate the DCDC converter with their power management unit (PMU), automatically switching between DCDC and LDO modes based on the operating state. During deep sleep (sub-uA current), the DCDC is bypassed because its quiescent current exceeds the total sleep current. During active radio TX/RX, the DCDC provides efficient voltage conversion for the high-current radio subsystem.


Design Recommendations


For any battery-powered BLE product, always enable the DCDC converter. The additional BOM cost (one inductor, ~$0.05) is negligible compared to the 30-50% improvement in battery life. Only disable DCDC for products powered by a regulated 1.8V supply rail where voltage conversion is unnecessary.

  

  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

    
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Our glossary covers 90+ BLE technical terms organized by category. Each term includes a definition, related terms, and links to relevant chips and guides.