09/10/2024 5:11 am
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hi everyone,
What is the difference between linear and switching voltage regulators? Which one would be a good choice?
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14/10/2024 4:53 am
Linear regulators (like the 7805) simply drop the excess voltage as heat. If you have 12V input and need 5V output, the difference (7V) is turned into heat. Hence, it is not very efficient, especially when there's a big gap between input and output voltage. The more voltage you drop, the more energy is wasted. But they are super easy to use—just a few capacitors and you're good to go. Perfect for quick projects where you don’t need high efficiency.
Switching regulators (like the LM2596) switch the input voltage on and off at high speeds, and use inductors/capacitors to store and release energy efficiently. Because of this, they are highly efficient—usually 80% or better. This makes them a great choice for battery-powered projects or situations where you need to drop a lot of voltage without wasting power. But they’re a bit more complicated to set up—more components like inductors and diodes are needed, and you’ll need to account for noise in your circuit design.
LogicLab Topic starter
19/10/2024 5:03 am
@ankunegi I didn’t realize linear regulators were so inefficient when there’s a big voltage drop. No wonder some of my projects got pretty hot! Switching regulators do sound more efficient, especially for something like a 12V to 5V drop. The only thing that worries me is the extra complexity with the inductors and noise.
