Which device changes DC to DC?

Which device changes DC to DC?

• A. Rectifier
• B. Inverter
• C. Converter
• D. Transformer

Answer: (C)

The essential idea is DC-to-DC conversion: a device that takes one DC voltage and produces another DC voltage level. A converter does this by switching and storing energy in inductors or capacitors to step the voltage up or down while keeping it in the DC domain. This is how you supply lower-voltage logic or signaling circuits from a higher DC supply, or otherwise adjust voltage levels without converting to or from AC. Rectifiers convert AC to DC, so they don’t change DC to DC. Inverters convert DC to AC, not DC to DC. Transformers move AC voltage up or down and require AC input; applying DC would saturate the core and produce no useful output, so they can’t provide DC-to-DC conversion.

The essential idea is DC-to-DC conversion: a device that takes one DC voltage and produces another DC voltage level. A converter does this by switching and storing energy in inductors or capacitors to step the voltage up or down while keeping it in the DC domain. This is how you supply lower-voltage logic or signaling circuits from a higher DC supply, or otherwise adjust voltage levels without converting to or from AC.

Rectifiers convert AC to DC, so they don’t change DC to DC. Inverters convert DC to AC, not DC to DC. Transformers move AC voltage up or down and require AC input; applying DC would saturate the core and produce no useful output, so they can’t provide DC-to-DC conversion.