555 DC/DC Converter

It is all too often necessary to augment the power supply of an existing electronic circuit because exactly the voltage that you need is missing. The circuit presented here may provide a solution in a number of cases, since it can be used to convert a single-ended supply voltage into a balanced set of supply voltages. That’s not so remarkable by itself, but the special feature of this circuit is that this is accomplished without using difficult to obtain, exotic ICs. All of the components used in the circuit are ones that every electronics hobbyist is likely to have in a drawer somewhere.

The heart of the circuit is formed by an ‘old reliable’ 555 timer, which is wired here as a free-running oscillator with a frequency of approximately 160 kHz. The oscillator is followed by two voltage-doubling rectifiers, consisting of C1, D1, D2, C3 and C7, D3, D4, C5. They are followed in turn by two voltage regulators to stabilise the positive and negative voltages generated in this manner. The duty cycle of the 555 is set to approximately 50 percent using R1 and R2. The square-wave signal at the output of the timer IC has a DC offset, which is eliminated by C4 and R3.

555 DC/DC Converter Circuit Diagram

The amplitude of the output signal from the 555 is approximately equal to the supply voltage less 1.5 V, so with a 12-V input voltage, there will be a square-wave signal on pin 3 with an amplitude of approximately 10.5 Vpp. With respect to ground (across R3), this is this +5 V / –5 V. Although this yields a symmetric voltage, its positive and negative amplitudes are somewhat too small and it is not stabilised. In order to split the square-wave signal into sufficiently large positive and negative amplitudes, C1/D2 are added for the positive voltage, causing the positive half to be doubled in amplitude.

For the negative half, the same effect is achieved using C7/D3. Following this, the two signals are smoothed by D1/C3 and D4/C5, respectively. Both voltages are now high enough to be input to normal 5-V voltage regulators, yielding symmetric +5V and –5V supply voltages at the output. The input voltage does not have to be regulated, although it must lie between +11 V and +18 V. The maximum output current is ±50 mA with an input voltage of 12 V. This circuit is an excellent choice for generating auxiliary voltages, such as supply voltages for low-power opamps. Naturally, the fact that the converter can be powered from the in-vehicle voltage of a car is a rather attractive feature.

Author: L. de Hoo - Copyright: Elektor Electronics

Low-Drop 5V Regulator

A 4-cell pack is a convenient, popular battery size. Alkaline manganese batteries are sold in retail stores in packs of four, which usually provide sufficient energy to keep battery replacement frequency at a reasonable level. Generating 5 V from four batteries is, however, a bit tricky. A fresh set of four batteries has a terminal voltage of 6.4 V, but at the end of their life, this voltage is down to 3.2 V. Therefore, the voltage needs to be stepped up or down, depending on the state of the batteries. A flyback topology with a costly, custom designed transformer could be used, but the circuit in the diagram gets around the problem by using a flying capacitor together with a second inductor.

The circuit also isolates the input from the output, allowing the output to go to 0 V during shutdown. The circuit can be divided conceptually into boost and buck sections. Inductor L1 and switch IC1 comprise the boost or step-up section, and inductor L2, diode D1 and capacitor C3 form the buck or step-down section. Capacitor C2 is charged to the input voltage, Vin, and acts as a level shift between the two sections. The switch toggles between ground and Vin+Vout , while the junction of L2, C2 and D1 toggles between –Vin and Vout +Vd1. Efficiency is directly related to the quality of the capacitors and inductors used.

Better quality capacitors are more expensive. Better quality inductors need not cost more, but normally take up more space. The Sanyo capacitors used in the prototype (C1–C3) specify a maximum ESR (effective series resistance) of 0.045 ½ and a maximum ripple current rating of 2.1 A. The inductors used specify a maximum DCR (direct current resistance) of 0.058 ½. Worst-case r.m.s. current through capacitor C2 occurs at minimum input voltage, that is, 400 mA at full load with an input voltage of 3 V.

Dual Opamp Buffered Power Supply

There will be instances where the currents from each supply will be unequal. Where this is the case, the resistor divider is not sufficient, and the +ve and -ve voltages will be unequal. By using a cheap opamp (such as a uA741), a DC imbalance between supplies of up to about 15mA will not cause a problem. However, we can do better with a dual opamp (which will cost the same or less anyway), and increase the capability for up to about 30mA of difference between the two supplies.

Circuit diagram:

Dual Opamp Buffered Power Supply Circuit Diagram

Author: ESP

RS232 Voltage Regulator

There are many small applications where it would be preferable to power a device directly from an RS232 (V.24) interface, avoiding a mains power supply. Most ICs require 5 V, and the interface can provide a current of around 8 mA, almost all of which would be consumed by a readily-available voltage regulator, leaving nothing for the actual circuit. Using just four transistors we can construct a voltage regulator with current limiting which will allow us to draw more than the permitted 8 mA from an RS232 interface without damaging it. The example circuit in is configured for an output voltage of 5 V from an input voltage of at least 8 V, and a short-circuit current of 19 mA.

The current drawn by the regulator itself is only 0.2 mA. The circuit appears very simple, but it is more cunning than it looks. Few people appreciate what a handy device the transistor is. To meet the requirements for the circuit, the gains of the transistors need to be controlled carefully. Here only B-class devices are used, which have a gain of between about 220 and 280. Diodes D1 to D3 extract the positive voltage from the serial interface. Current limiting is achieved via resistor R1 and transistor T1. As soon as the voltage across the resistor reaches 0.7 V (at 18 mA with R1 = 39 Ω) the transistor turns on and thus turns off the output voltage by turning off T2. The output voltage of 5 V is set by Zener diode D4.

RS232 Voltage Regulator Circuit Diagram

Note that the output voltage is only approximate: beware when using components which have narrow supply voltage tolerances. When the Zener diode voltage and the voltage across transistor T4 are added together, the total is 5.8 V. However, because of T3, the diode is operating at a low current and the actual threshold for T4 is 4.9 V. The main regulation loop is built around R2 and T2. The high value of R2 (1.5 MΩ) is important, since this limits the maximum current through T2. At the output we would like to be able to draw a maximum current of 19 mA. The base of T2 must therefore be supplied with exactly 1/220 (the gain of the transistor) of 19 mA, and likewise the current into the base of T3 should be just 1/220 of 80 µA. With an input voltage of 9 V the voltage drop across R2 will be 3.3V, and so a current of 2.2 µA will flow. Transistor T3 multiplies this current by 220 to 0.5 mA, which is also the minimum quiescent current of the circuit.

Author: M. Müller
Copyright: Elektor Electronics

USB 5V to 12V DC-DC Step-Up Converter by LT1618

This is a 5V to 12V DC-DC step-up (boost) converter circuitry that is especially ideal for the USB powered applications. First of all a USB port has two current supply modes. Before detecting the connected device, it supplies maximum 100mA to the load. After recognizing the device, it increases the output current up to 500mA. In this circuit, controller (LT1618) also provides two input current modes. 100mA and 500mA input modes can be selected by the user.


Output currents are limited due to the increased potential difference at the output. When the demand of the load increases, output voltage will start to decrease. For example, if the circuit operates in the 100 mA input mode, when the load is 35 mA, the output voltage will be kept at 12V. But if the load increases to 50 mA,output voltage will reduce to 8V to maintain the constant 100 mA input current.

Negative-Output Switching Regulator

There are only a limited number of switching regulators designed to generate negative output voltages. In many cases, it’s thus necessary to use a switching regulator that was actually designed for a positive voltage in a modified circuit configuration that makes it suitable for generating a negative output voltage. The circuit shown in Figure 1 uses the familiar LM2575 step-down regulator from National Semiconductor (www.national.com). This circuit converts a positive-voltage step-down regulator into a negative-voltage step-up regulator. It converts an input voltage between –5 V and –12 V into a regulated –12-V output voltage.

Note that the output capacitor must be larger than in the standard circuit for a positive output voltage. The switched current through the storage choke is also somewhat higher. Some examples of suitable storage chokes for this circuit are the PE-53113 from Pulse (www.pulseeng.com) and the DO3308P-153 from Coilcraft (www.coilcraft.com). The LM2575-xx is available in versions for output voltages of 3.3V, 5 V, 12 V and 15 V, so various negative output voltages are also possible. However, you must pay attention to the input voltage of the regulator circuit. If the input voltage is more negative than –12 V (i.e., Vin < –12 V), the output voltage will not be regulated and will be lower than the desired –12 V.

The LM2575 IC will not be damaged by such operating conditions as long as its maximum rated input voltage of 40 V is not exceeded. High voltage (HV) types that can withstand up to 60 V are also available. Although the standard LM2575 application circuit includes circuit limiting, in this circuit the output current flows via the diode and choke if the output is shorted, so the circuit is not short-circuit proof.

 This can be remedied by using a Multifuse (PTC) or a normal fuse. There is also an adjustable version of the regulator with the type designation LM2575-ADJ (Figure 2). This version lacks the internal voltage divider of the fixed-voltage versions, so an external voltage divider must be connected to the feedback (FB) pin. The voltage divider must be dimensioned to produce a voltage of 1.23 V at the FB pin with the desired output voltage. The formula for calculating the output voltage is:

V out = 1.23 V × (1 + [R1 ÷ R2])

The electrolytic capacitors at the input and output must be rated for the voltages present at these locations.

Adjustable Symmetrical Power Supply Using LM317 and LM337

The circuit was designed to provide an adjustment with a power supply that is symmetrically designed while providing a voltage range of 1.25V to 30V at 1A current. LM317 – an adjustable 3-terminal positive voltage regulator capable of supplying in excess of 1.5A over an output voltage range of 1.2V to 37V and requires only two external resistors to set the output voltage due to its internal current limiting, thermal shutdown and safe area compensation, making it essentially blow-out proof LM337 – an adjustable 3-terminal positive voltage regulator capable of supplying in excess of 5A used as battery chargers, constant current regulators, and adjustable power supplies due to its features such as protected output from short circuit, product enhancement tested, current limit constant with temperature, guaranteed thermal regulation, adjustable output down to 1.2V, guaranteed 5A, and guaranteed 7A peak output current.

The circuit will serve as a voltage converter with an input voltage of 35 V to produce an output voltage of 1.25 V to 30 V. The positive voltage is being handled by LM317 IC while the negative voltage is handled by LM337. The circuit can provide an output current of 1 A. During the production of 1 A current, the regulator is dissipating too much heat and without the presence of a heatsink, the regulator may get damaged.

Using these types of regulators provide features such as low noise and low price in the market. It can be made operational even with few components used. The only disadvantage that it will impose is the poor conversion efficiency. With the output of 35 V to 5 V, the efficient ratio of the output power with the input power is less than 42%. This is the reason why the switching regulator became cheap recently although the number of external components to be connected is minimally increased.

These regulators will work with better efficiency when used in case where current is more than 1A for more than 15 V and 0.4 A for less than 15 V from the power supply. Each regulator is adjusted for single positive and negative voltage output using the 10K ohms potentiometers RV1 & RV2. For dual outputs, a dual connected potentiometer RV3 is made to operate by switch S1. The visual indication on the voltmeter V1 is shown using the switch S2.

• R1-2=270ohms
• R3-4=2.2Kohms
• R5-6=10Kohms
• C1-5=100uF/63V
• C2-4=100nF/100V
• C3-8=10uF/25V
• C6-10=100uF/63V
• C7-9=100nF/100V
• RV1-2=10Kohms Lin.
• RV3=2X10Kohms Lin.
• IC 1=LM 317T
• IC 2=LM 337T
• D1-2=1N4001
• D3-4=1N4001
• L1-2=LED 3mm
• F1-2=1A slow Blow Fuse
• S1-2=2X ON-ON SW
• V1=0-30V DC Voltmeter

The adjustable symmetrical power supply is suitable to be used in audio amplifiers, microphone amplifiers, op-amp applications, impedance converters and other devices that require regulated positive and negative DC supply, since the output current is 1 A.

Switch-Mode Power Supply

National Semiconductor has been producing and designing ICs for use in switch-mode power supplies for many years. The application of these devices is normally straightforward, helped by the excellent documentation that is available. A typical example of a switch-mode power supply is that based on the LM2671 or LM2674. The components for it are available for outputs of 3.3 V, 5 V and 12 V. There is also a version providing a presettable output voltage. Within the specified application, the supplies can deliver currents of up to 500 mA. Note-worthy is the high switching frequency of 260 kHz.

This has the advantage that only low-value inductor and capacitors are needed, and this results in excellent efficiency and small dimensions. In normal circumstances, the efficiency is 90% and may even go up to 96%. Both ICs provide protection against current and temperature overloads. The LM2671 has a number of additional facilities such as soft start and the option to work with an external clock. The latter enables several supplies to be synchronized so as to give better control of any EMC (ElectroMagnetic Compatibility). The application shown in the diagram provides an output voltage of 5 V and an output current of up to 500 mA. Diode D1 is a Schottky type  (Uco≥ 45 V and Imax≥ 3 A).

Transformerless Power Supply

This circuit will supply up to about 20ma at 12 volts. It uses capacitive reactance instead of resistance; and it doesn't generate very much heat.The circuit draws about 30ma AC. Always use a fuse and/or a fusible resistor to be on the safe side. The values given are only a guide. There should be more than enough power available for timers, light operated switches, temperature controllers etc, provided that you use an optical isolator as your circuit's output device. (E.g. MOC 3010/3020) If a relay is unavoidable, use one with a mains voltage coil and switch the coil using the optical isolator.C1 should be of the 'suppressor type'; made to be connected directly across the incoming Mains Supply.

They are generally covered with the logos of several different Safety Standards Authorities. If you need more current, use a larger value capacitor; or put two in parallel; but be careful of what you are doing to the Watts. The low voltage 'AC' is supplied by ZD1 and ZD2. The bridge rectifier can be any of the small 'Round', 'In-line', or 'DIL' types; or you could use four separate diodes. If you want to, you can replace R2 and ZD3 with a 78 Series regulator. The full sized ones will work; but if space is tight, there are some small 100ma versions available in TO 92 type cases. They look like a BC 547. It is also worth noting that many small circuits will work with an unregulated supply.

Circuit diagram:

Transformerless Power Supply Circuit Diagram

You can, of course, alter any or all of the Zenner diodes in order to produce a different output voltage. As for the mains voltage, the suggestion regarding the 110v version is just that, a suggestion. I haven't built it, so be prepared to experiment a little. I get a lot of emails asking if this power supply can be modified to provide currents of anything up to 50 amps. It cannot. The circuit was designed to provide a cheap compact power supply for Cmos logic circuits that require only a few milliamps. The logic circuits were then used to control mains equipment (fans, lights, heaters etc.) through an optically isolated triac.

If more than 20mA is required it is possible to increase C1 to 0.68uF or 1uF and thus obtain a current of up to about 40mA. But 'suppressor type' capacitors are relatively big and more expensive than regular capacitors; and increasing the current means that higher wattage resistors and zener diodes are required. If you try to produce more than about 40mA the circuit will no longer be cheap and compact, and it simply makes more sense to use a transformer. The Transformerless Power Supply Support Material provides a complete circuit description including all the calculations.

Web-masters Note:
I have had several requests for a power supply project without using a power supply. This can save the expense of buying a transformer, but presents potentially lethal voltages at the output terminals. Under no circumstances should a beginner attempt to build such a project.

Important Notice:
Electric Shock Hazard. In the UK,the neutral wire is connected to earth at the power station. If you touch the "Live" wire, then depending on how well earthed you are, you form a conductive path between Live and Neutral. DO NOT TOUCH the output of this power supply. Whilst the output of this circuit sits innocently at 12V with respect to (wrt) the other terminal, it is also 12V above earth potential. Should a component fail then either terminal will become a potential shock hazard.

MAINS ELECTRICITY IS VERY DANGEROUS.

If you are not experienced in dealing with it, then leave this project alone. Although Mains equipment can itself consume a lot of current, the circuits we build to control it, usually only require a few milliamps. Yet the low voltage power supply is frequently the largest part of the construction and a sizeable portion of the cost.

Negative Auxiliary Voltage

Some circuits need a negative supply voltage that only has to supply a small current. Providing a separate transformer winding for this (possibly even with a rectifier and filter capacitor) would be a rather extravagant solution. It can also be done using a few gates and several passive components. The combination of gate IC1a and the other three gates (wired in parallel) forms a square-wave generator. D1 and D2 convert the ac voltage into a dc voltage. As a CMOS IC is used here, the load on the negative output is limited to a few milliampères, depending on the positive supply voltage (see chart), despite the fact that three gates are connected in parallel.

However, as the figure shows, the negative voltage has almost the same magnitude as the positive input voltage, but with the opposite sign. If a clock signal in the range of 10–50 kHz is available, it can be connected to the input of IC1a, and R1 and C1 can then be omitted.

Author: Ludwig Libertin - Copyright: Elektor Electronics

Rugged PSU For Ham Radio Transceivers

This rugged power supply is based on the popular LM338 3-pin voltage regulator. The LM338 is capable of supplying 5 A over an output voltage range of 1.2 V to 32 V with all standard protections like overload, thermal shutdown, over-current, internal limit, etc., built in. In this power supply, some extra protections have been added to make it particularly suitable for use with low to medium-power portable and mobile VHF/UHF (ham) and 27 MHz transceivers. Diodes D4 and D5 provide a discharge path for capacitors C1 and C2. Diode D8 protects the supply against reverse polarity being applied to the output terminals. Capacitor C1 assists in RF decoupling and also increases the ripple rejection from 60 dB to about 86 dB.

If junction R1-R2 is not grounded by switch S1A, transistor T2 starts to conduct, causing the regulator to switch to zener diode D7 for its reference voltage (13 V). The PSU output voltage will then be 12.3 V. Normally, T2 will be off, however, and the PSU output voltage is then about 8.8 V. The high/low switch is useful to control the RF power level of modern VHF/UHF handhelds. Transistor T1, a p-n-p type BC557, acts as a blown-fuse sensor. When fuse F1 melts, T1 starts to conduct, causing LED D6 to light. If, for whatever reason, the PSU output voltage exceeds about 15 V, thyristor THR1 is triggered (typically in less than a microsecond).

Such a high-speed ‘crowbar’ may look like a drastic measure, but remember that this kind of protection is required by digital ICs that will not stand much overvoltage. The crowbar, when actuated, will faithfully destroy fuse F1 rather than allow the PSU to destroy expensive ICs. The two LEDs on the S1B contacts not only act as ‘high/low’ indicators but also as power-on indicators which are turned off when the mains voltage drops below about 160 V. If you envisage ‘heavy-duty’ use of the PSU, then voltage regulator IC1 should be mounted on as large a heatsink as you can get. The minimum we’d say is an SK129 heatsink from Fischer (Dau Components).

Triple Power Supply

Inexpensive miniature transformers normally provide one or two secondary voltages, which is sufficient for generating a set of positive and negative supply voltages, such as are needed for operational amplifier circuits. But what can you do if you need an additional voltage that is higher than either of the supply voltages (such as a tuning voltage for a receiver?). This circuit shows a simple solution to this problem, and it certainly can be extended to suit other applications. Using a 2×15-V transformer, it generates positive 24-V and 12-V supply voltages and a negative 12-V supply voltage. The little trick for generating the +24-V output consists of using IC1 to create a virtual ground.

This is based on a well-known circuit with a voltage divider formed by two equal-valued resistors, which divide the voltage Ub across the rectifier from approximately 40 V down to 20 V. This Ub/2 potential is buffered by an opamp, which allows this virtual ground to drive a load. The present circuit uses the same principle, but instead of being divided by a factor of 2, the voltage across the rectifier (approximately 40 V) is divided unequally by R1 and R2. The resulting potential, which is buffered by the opamp and the subsequent transistor output stage, lies approximately 15 V above the lower potential, and thus around 25 V below the upper potential.

The three voltages are stabilised using standard 100-mA voltage regulators, as shown in the schematic. The supply voltages for the opamp are also asymmetric. Thanks to the low current consumption, this can be managed using two Zener diodes. You must bear in mind that the secondary voltage generated by an unloaded miniature transformer is significantly higher than its rated secondary voltage. The following results were obtained in a test circuit using a 1.6-VA transformer with two 15-V secondary windings: the positive and negative 12-V outputs could be loaded at around 10 mA each, and the 24-V output could be loaded with approximately 20 mA, all without any drop in any of the output voltages. For small circuits such as a 0(4)–20-mA instrumentation loop, this is fully adequate. For more complex circuits or switched loads, additional compensation may be necessary.

Author: Bernd Schädler - Copyright: Elektor Electronics

3V Supply Splitter

Many modern circuits tend to work from a single supply voltage of 3V. But often they need a virtual earth at half the supply voltage for efficient operation. The splitter shown in the diagram bisects the supply voltage with a high-resistance potential divider, R1-R2, and buffers the resulting 1.5 V line with an op amp. Since the op amp used is not a fast type, the output is decoupled by capacitive divider C2-C3. This ensures that the impedance of the virtual earth point remains low over a wide frequency band. Because the potential at the junction C2-C3-R3 is fed back to the inverting input of IC1, the circuit becomes a standard voltage follower.

Resistor R3 ensures that the regulation remains stable. The circuit can regulate ±2mA without any difficulties. Because of the low current drawn by IC1, and the high resistance of R1 and R2, the overall current drain is low. In the absence of a load, it was 13µA in the prototype, of which 1.5µA flows through R1-R2. Finally, since IC1 can operate from a voltage as low as 1.6V, the splitter will remain fully operational when the battery nears the end of its charge or life.

Logic PSU With Over-Voltage Protection

A simple 5 Volt regulated PSU featuring overvoltage protection. The 5 volt regulated power supply for TTL and 74LS series integrated circuits, has to be very precise and tolerant of voltage transients. These IC's are easily damaged by short voltage spikes. A fuse will blow when its current rating is exceeded, but requires several hundred milliseconds to respond. This circuit will react in a few microseconds, triggered when the output voltage exceeds the limit of the zener diode. This circuit uses the crowbar method, where a thyristor is employed and short circuits the supply, causing the fuse to blow. This will take place in a few microseconds or less, and so offers much greater protection than an ordinary fuse.

Circuit diagram:

Logic PSU With Over-Voltage Protection Circuit Diagram

If the output voltage exceed 5.6Volt, then the zener diode will conduct, switching on the thyristor (all in a few microseconds), the output voltage is therefore reduced to 0 volts and sensitive logic IC's will be saved. The fuse will still take a few hundred milliseconds to blow but this is not important now because the supply to the circuit is already at zero volts and no damage can be done. The dc input to the regulator needs to be a few volts higher than the regulator voltage. In the case of a 5v regulator, I would recommend a transformer with secondary voltage of 8-10volts ac. By choosing a different regulator and zener diode, you can build an over voltag trip at any value.

Thrifty Voltage Regulator

One of the drawbacks of a three-pin voltage regulator is that the input voltage needs to be 2.5–3 V higher than the output voltage. This makes these integrated regulators unsuitable for battery power supplies. If, for instance, the output voltage is 5 V, a 9 V battery could be discharged to 7.5 V or thereabouts only.

On top of this, most of these regulators draw a current of about 2 mA. Special low-drop versions sometimes offer a solution, but they are not ideal either. The regulator described here is rather thriftier: it draws a current of only 300 µA and the difference between its input and output is only 100–200 mV In the circuit diagram, T1 is arranged as a series regulator, which means that the difference between input voltage and output voltage is limited to the transistor’s saturation potential.

Therefore, a 9 V battery can be discharged to about 5 V, which is quite an improvement on the situation with an integrated regulator. Diodes D1-D2-D3, or a suitable zener diode (D4), in conjunction with R5 and P1, form a variable reference voltage source, which is used as the (output-dependent) base potential of T3. If the output voltage drops below a desired level, the base potential of T3 also drops. The transistor then conducts less hard and its collector voltage rises. The base voltage of T2 also rises, so that T1 is driven harder. This results in the near-instantaneous restoration of the output voltage.

The design of the reference voltage source is clearly of paramount importance. The current through the LEDs or the zener diode is of the order of only 100 µA. This means that thedrop across a 5.1 V zener diode is only 4.3 V and across each LED, only about 1.43 V. For a wanted output voltage of 4.8 V, the three LEDs proved very effective, whereas the zener did not. It may well be necessary, if a zener diode is used, to try one rated at 4.7 V. If, however, an output voltage of 5 V is wanted, it will be necessary to carefully select a zener diode. When the battery voltage has dropped to a level where it is only marginally higher than the wanted output voltage, T1 and T2 conduct hard.

A further drop in the battery voltage will cause the collector potential of T2 to drop rapidly to 0 V, since T2 tries to make T1 conduct hard. The large drop in the collector potential of T2 may be used to drive a BATT-LOW indicator. This may be done in three ways as shown in Figure 2. When network a is connected between terminals A and B, transistor T4 will normally be held cut off by divider R6-R7a. If then the voltage at B drops suddenly, T4 conducts, where-upon D5 indicates that the battery is nearly flat. The network in b is similar to that in a, but is intended for a liquid-crystal display of BATT-LOW.

The collector of T4 is linked to the IC that drives the decimal point and the BAT-LOW segment of the display. Network c may be used if there is an unused inverter or gate in the circuit to be powered. The high value of resistor R7b prevents the internal protection diodes of the IC being damaged. When the regulator has been built, connect it to a variable power supply via a multimeter set to the mA range and set P1 roughly at its mid-position. Turn P1 slowly until the desired output voltage is obtained.

If with an output voltage of 4.8 V the regulator draws a current of more than 250–300 µA, the three LEDs or zener diode must be replaced. The regulator can provide a current of up to about 25 mA. With a fresh 9 V battery, the dissipation of T1 does not exceed 100 mW. If the input voltage is higher, it may be necessary to mount the transistor on a suitable heat sink or replace it by a power transistor, for instance, a Type BD138.

Low-Power Voltage Reference

The present reference is a special application of current source IC Type LM334. It has a tiny temperature coefficient and draws only a minute current: at room temperature, only 10 µA, which increases with large rises in temperature by only a few µA. The circuit is basically a bandgap reference, because the positive temperature coefficient of the LM334 is combined with the negative temperature coefficient of the base-emitter junction of a transistor (which ensures good thermal coupling).

To obtain a temperature coefficient of zero, or very nearly so, the output voltage of the circuit is adjusted to exactly 1.253 V with P1. It is, therefore, advisable to measure the set value of P1 accurately after it has been adjusted and to replace the combination of R1+P1 by a fixed resistor of the precise value.

Use a 1% metal-oxide film type from the E96 series. Since current source IC1 is tapped at the control input, a reference source with a negative output resistance of about 3.8 kΩ ensues. Resistor R3 ensures that the ultimate output resistance is about 400 Ω. The load current is then limited to not more than 5 µA. The performance of the reference is good: when the input voltage is increased from 5 V to 30 V, the output voltage varies by only 0.6 µV (from 1,2530 V to 1.2536 V). The temperature coefficient stays below 50 ppm °C–1, and, with careful adjustment, may even come down to 5 ppm °C–1. The current drawn by the prototype is 9.8 µA at an ambient temperature of 22 °C.

Ultra Low-Power 5V Regulator

The current drain of the regulator is minute compared with that of, say, a 78L05: at an input voltage of 9 V and open-circuit output, it is just under 50 µA. The circuit consists of a straightforward bandgap reference based on T1 and IC1, followed by an amplifier formed by IC2 and T1. The reference voltage is about 1.22 V, which is raised by IC2 to 5 V. The output voltage can be set to exactly 5 V with P1. The input voltage may lie between 6.5 V and 30 V. The maximum output current with the present configuration and component values as specified is about 10 mA.

For optimum performance, T1a and T1b need to be identical, which is why a dual transtor Type MAT02 is used. Other types that may be used are the MAT01, SSM2210 or LM394. In principle, two standard BC transistors may be used, provided they are selected for identical threshold voltage. Circuits IC1 and IC2 are programmable op amps Type OP22. In the case of IC2 this has the benefit that the peak output current can be set readily by altering the supply current to the op amp with R9. The level of the current may be between 500 nA and 400 µA.

Bear in mind that a larger output current requires the use of a more highly rated output transistor. Filter R6-C1 prevents any spurious pulses reaching the input of IC2. Capacitor C2 improves the stability of the regulator, particularly with maximum pulse loading. Note that the circuit has a high resistance, so that it is advisable to house it in a screened enclosure to prevent undesired magnetic and electromagnetic interference being coupled to the circuit. The regulator was tested with a direct load current of 1 mA on which was superimposed a square-wave current of 10 mA. The test results are summarized in the table, in which Ig represents the current drawn by the circuit.