In this work a proof of concept for a step-down DC-DC converter used in a high voltage submarine application is presented. The purpose of the converter is to step down a 5000V-6000V input to a 24V output which can serve as an input to a submarine sensor. The completed system consists of two stages where the first stage is an unregulated switched capacitor converter to step down the initial input to a voltage range more appropriate for the selected second stage. The second stage is a regulated flyback converter topology which regulates the final output to the desired 24V. Performance evaluation of the proposed system are carried out using LTspice simulation software. Results of the simulation demonstrate that the proposed converter operates as anticipated with the first stage being able to reduce the initial input by a factor of 16 and the second stage producing a regulated 24V output. Additionally, the proposed converter reaches an efficiency of approximately 74.95% when tested under nominal input and full load conditions. With the same conditions, the converter yields an output voltage ripple of 1.525%, and line and load regulations of 0.0457% and 0.183% respectively.

Energy efficiency is a driving factor in modern electronic design particularly in power conversion where conversion losses directly set the upper limit of system efficiency. A wide variety of commercially available DC-DC conversion elements have inefficiencies in the 90-97% range. The efficiency range of most common commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) power supplies is 75-85%, highlighting the fact that COTS power supplies have not kept pace with efficiency improvements of modern conversion elements. Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) is an application where efficiency can be crucial in extending tight power budgets. In autonomous ground vehicles, geographic diversity with regard to sensor location is inherent because sensor orientation and placement are crucial to performance. Sensor power, therefore, is also distributed by nature of the devices being supplied. This thesis presents the design and evaluation of a smart power module used to implement a distributed power network in an autonomous ground vehicle. The module conversion element demonstrated an average efficiency of 96.7% for loads from 1-4A. Current monitoring and an adjustable output current limit were provided through a second circuit board within the same module enclosure. The module processing element sends periodic updates and receives commands over a CAN bus. The smart power modules successfully supply critical sensing and communication components in an operational autonomous ground vehicle. / Master of Science