A battery powered electronic device can include a battery to power one or more loads, a first DC-DC converter having an input coupled to the battery and an output, and a second DC-DC converter cascaded with the first DC-DC converter and coupled to a second load subject to pulsed operation. The first and second converters may be configured so as to isolate the one or more loads from transients associated with the pulsed operation of the second load. The second converter may have an input coupled to the output of the first converter and an output coupled to the second load. Alternatively, the second converter may be a bidirectional converter having first terminals coupled to the output of the first converter and second terminals coupled to an energy storage device.