In Figure 1, the 5V linear regulator (U1) delivers as much as 150mA of load current when operating by itself. Operating with the external pass transistor shown (Q1), the circuit maintains 5V ...

This Design Idea is a two-wire current regulator that strikes a good balance between performance and parts count. Employing three transistors, three resistors, and one LED, it achieves good regulation ...

[Kevin Darrah] wanted to make a simple 3.3V regulator without using an integrated circuit. He wound up using two common NPN transistors and 4 1K resistors. The circuit isn’t going to beat out a cheap ...

Current-limiting regulators protect the circuits they feed but don't necessarily protect themselves against excessive dissipation. Here is an Idea For Design with a regulator that does both. A current ...

There are many cases where a power supply needs an internal current-limiter function, usually built using a current sensor, a control circuit, and a pass transistor. The current sensor itself can be a ...

In this lesson, students build two circuits and explore how transistors function. When Bell Labs introduced the transistor in June of 1948, a spokesman proudly announced "This cylindrical object . . .

This resource provides clear explanations of how switching regulators work and how voltage boosting is achieved efficiently ...

Transistors are tiny electronic components that act as switches and amplifiers, and they dwell at the heart of modern technology. In simple terms, a transistor can turn a flow of electricity on or off ...