DC/AC inverter

Sure, if Vout < Vin. OK, you can do a step-up inverter if you play games with switched capacitors, but for more than a watt or two, the transformer is probably cheaper if you want standard powerline frequencies.

There are designs that step the voltage up at high frequency, so that a smaller transformer will carry the power, then that high frequency is rectified to DC and re inverted to a low frequency output, with no voltage change, so no transformer.

thanks John.. do you know what is that method called? boost-buck ?

Sorry, I don't know the technical terminology for this configuration.

Damn! You almost got it set correctly!

Do you have an obsession with seeing your posts at the top of a new header pull or something?

'boost'