stepdown (buck) switching converters are integral
to modern electronics. They can convert a voltage
source (typically 8 V to 25 V) into a lower regulated
voltage (typically 0.5 V to 5 V). Stepdown
converters transfer small packets of energy using a
switch, a diode, an inductor and several capacitors. Though
substantially larger and noisier than their linear-regulator
counterparts, buck converters offer higher effi ciency in
most cases.