A low-cost 32-bit digital signal processor, TMS320F2808, based dc-dc interleaved boost converter is proposed for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) power applications. To reduce the current ripples of the input current and the output current, the boost converter is designed with interleaved boundary-mode control technique. Thus, soft-switching operation and lower RMS current values can be achieved. Due to decreasing switching loss and conduction loss, higher converter efficiency can be obtained. Using the digital signal processor (DSP) as the system control core, the power management between the secondary battery and load is also optimized to extend the lifetime of the secondary battery and the hardware implementation can be designed more flexibly with higher system reliability and lower cost. To demonstrate the feasibility of the system, an 8-16 V DMFC with stack voltage 18 V and 40 W output power for notebook computer is built and tested. A maximum 97.2% is measured under high-line and 40% load condition.