Duty Cycle Calculator
Calculate duty cycle from pulse width and period, or from average and peak power, with duty factor and pulse energy.
What Is Duty Cycle?
Duty cycle is the fraction of time a periodic signal stays on during one period. It appears in PWM circuits, radar pulses, welding equipment, and air compressor runtime limits.
Duty Cycle Formulas
$$D = \frac{PW}{T} \times 100\%$$ $$d_f = \frac{PW}{T}$$ $$D = \frac{\overline{P}}{P_p} \times 100\%$$ $$E_p = P_p \times PW$$Where $PW$ is pulse width, $T$ is period, $\overline{P}$ is average power, $P_p$ is peak power, and $E_p$ is pulse energy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a 50% duty cycle mean?
The signal is on for half the period and off for the other half. In power terms, average power equals half of peak power when waveform shape is constant.
How do I calculate duty cycle from pulse width?
Divide pulse width by period, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage. Both values must use the same time units, such as seconds or milliseconds.
What is duty factor?
Duty factor is the on-time fraction as a decimal between 0 and 1. A 22.5% duty cycle has a duty factor of 0.225.
How is duty cycle used in PWM?
Varying duty cycle changes average voltage or power delivered to a load. Microcontrollers use PWM to control motor speed, LED brightness, and analog signal approximation.
Can I find duty cycle from power readings?
Yes. When peak power and average power are known, duty cycle equals average divided by peak, expressed as a percentage.
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