Discrete Voltage Regulator


Posted on Feb 6, 2014

The title of this article naturally raises the question of why we think that the generous selection of fully integrated voltage regulators needs to be extended with a version constructed using discrete components. In other words, what does this circuit offer that the well-known three-leggers` don`t have To start with, we can point out that this c


Discrete Voltage Regulator
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ircuit is refreshingly simple for a discrete version. Three semiconductors, three resistors, a capacitor and a diode are all it needs. Of course, that`s still more components than an integrated regulator, so what exactly are the advantages of this circuit They are to be found in three areas: voltage range, bandwidth and current rating. The last of these is the primary strength of this circuit, since the maximum current depends only on the specifications of the output transistor. With the BD680, as used here, a current of 4 A can be delivered at a collect-emitter voltage of 10 V with adequate cooling (Rth = 3. 12 K/W). The peak current is even 6 A. Try matching that with an integrated voltage regulator! The maximum input voltage is 30 V with the illustrated version of the circuit (UDSmax of T1), but this can easily be increased by using special high-voltage transistors. The same applies to the bandwidth, which can be extended as desired, without any modifications to the circuit, by using high-speed transistors. Generally speaking, wide bandwidth is also not one of the strong points of integrated voltage regulators. As noted, the circuit is basically very simple. A zener diode (D1) fed with a constant current of around 1mA by a JFET current source (T1) provides the reference potential. C1 is connected in parallel with D1 to provide well-behaved startup behaviour (soft start). This capacitor also provides additional buffering...




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