Voltage Step Up For Mosfet Gate

[MD68]

I know there are step-up boards available, but I am wondering if there's a quick and dirty method of stepping up a voltage from say 12V to 24V? The reason I ask is because I have an application that currently uses a P-Channel power mosfet to supply current to a load @ 12V. The reason it has to be p-channel is because the load has to be connected to the ground rail (common earth). It seems to me that I could use cheaper and more powerful N-Channel mosfets with the load on the ground rail if I drove the gate at 24V but seeing as I only have a 12V supply that would mean using one of those step-up boards. Is there not some trick I can employ to get 24V from 12V, I don't need much current at all for a mosfet gate.

 

[m.naveed]

Google for "boost converter".

 

[MD68]

Google for "boost converter".

Thanks, seems to be the ticket.

 

[jpanhalt]

A simple "high-side" driver will also work.

John

 

[FvM]

A simple "high-side" driver will also work.

The OP doesn't say anything about the application (e.g. switch mode converter or static load switching), in so far you can't know if a "simple high-side driver" (bootstrap driver) does work.

A general solution that isn't restricted to a specific input voltage and duty cycle range would use a charge pump to provide a supply voltage relative to the source node, that is also able to swing above the input voltage.