Chapter 4

Voltage regulator
CHAPTER OUTLINE
 Zener diode regulator
 Linear regulator
 Non-linear (Switching) regulator
 IC regulator
INTRODUCTION
 Introduction
 Batteries are often shown on a schematic diagram
as the source of DC voltage but usually the actual
DC voltage source is a power supply.
 There are many types of power supply. Most are
designed to convert high voltage AC mains
electricity to a suitable low voltage supply for
electronics circuits and other devices.
 A more reliable method of obtaining DC power is to
transform, rectify, filter and regulate an AC line
voltage.
 A power supply can be divided into a series of
blocks, each of which performs a particular function.
 Power Supplies

Example of a 5V regulated supply:

240 V
AC Xformer Rectifier Smoothing
Mains

Regulated
Regulator
5 V DC

Block Diagram of a Regulated Power Supply System

 Power Supplies -Transformer
 Transformers convert AC electricity from one voltage to
another with little loss of power through inductively coupled
electrical conductors.
 Transformers work ONLY with AC voltage
 Step-up transformers increase voltage.
 Step-down transformers reduce voltage.
 Power Supplies - Rectifier

 Electrical device that converts alternating current

(AC) to direct current (DC) with a process known
as rectification (using diodes).

Full-wave bridge rectifier

 Power Supplies - Rectifier

A bridge rectifier can be constructed using

 Four (4) individual diodes
 Special packages containing the four diodes
required.
Power Supplies - Filter
 Power Supplies - Regulator

 Voltage regulator ICs are

available with fixed (typically
5, 12 and 15V) or variable
output voltages.
ZENER REGULATOR
 Zener Diode Regulator

 For low current power

supplies - a simple voltage
regulator can be made with
a resistor and a zener diode
connected in reverse as
shown in the figure.
 Zener diodes are rated by
their breakdown voltage, Vz
and maximum power, Pz
(typically 400mW or 1.3W).
 Voltage Regulation
 Line regulation is the maintenance of a nearly
constant output voltage when the input voltage varies.
 When the ac input (line) voltage of a power supply
changes, an electronic circuit called a regulator
maintains a nearly constant output voltage
 How well a regulator performs line regulation can be
determined by the formula below:
 Vout 
line regulation   100%
 Vin 

 VOUT 100%
 V 
 OUT 

VIN
 Voltage Regulation

 Load regulation is the maintenance of a nearly

constant output voltage when the load varies.
 The expression for the load regulation:

 VNL  VFL 
load regulation   100%
 VFL 
 Types of Regulator

The fundamental classes of voltage regulators are

linear regulator and switching regulators.
 Two basics types of linear regulator are:

1. Series Regulator

2. Shunt Regulator

 Types of switching regulator are:

1. Step-up Configuration

2. Step-down Configuration

3. Voltage-inverter Configuration
 LINEAR
REGULATORS
 Basic Linear: Series Regulator

 In series regulation the

Series
control element is in V IN
regulator
V OUT
series with the input and
output.

Vi Control Vo
element (regulated
(unregulated
input) Sampling output)
circuit
Reference Comparator
voltage circuit
Simple series voltage regulator and block diagram
 Basic Op-amp Series Regulator

V IN Q1 V OUT
R1 Control
V REF element

Error R2
D1 detector Sample
circuit
R3

 The control element is a transistor in series with the load, Q1.

 The output sample circuit senses a change in the output voltage.
 The error detector compares the sample voltage with the
reference voltage (Zener voltage, VZ).
 Control is achieved by controlling the voltage across Q1.
 Regulating Action
 The resistive voltage divider formed by R2 and R3 senses
any changes in the output voltage.
 When the output voltage tries to decrease, a proportional
voltage decrease is applied to the op-amp’s inverting
input by the voltage divider.

V IN Q1 V OUT
R1 Control
V REF element

Error R2
D1 detector Sample
circuit
R3
 Regulating Action
 Zener Diode sets the reference voltage for the non-
inverting input of the op-amp. Any changes in the output
are fed back to the inverting input of the op-amp.
 The difference voltage (error voltage), Vε is amplified and
the op-amp’s output voltage is increased.

V IN Q1 V OUT
R1 Control
V REF element
Vε
Error R2
D1 detector Sample
circuit
R3
 Regulating Action
 This increase is applied to the base of Q1 – causing the
emitter voltage to increase until the voltage to the
inverting input equals the reference voltage (at the non-
inverting input).

V IN Q1 V OUT
R1 Control
V REF element

Error R2
D1 detector Sample
circuit
R3
 The regulated output voltage of the series regulator is :

 R2 
Vout  1  VREF
 R3 
Short-circuit or overload protection
 Overload protection for a series regulator protects
the control element in the case of an excessive
amount of load current is drawn.
 The method known as constant-current limiting
(current limiter).
V IN Q1 R4 V OUT

R1
Q2
R2
Current
limiter

D1 R3
Short-circuit or overload protection
 The load current, IL through R4 produces a voltage from
base to emitter of Q2 (VBE2).

 When IL reaches a predetermined maximum value of Q1,

the voltage drop across R4 is sufficient to forward biased
the base–emitter junction of Q2, causing Q2 to conduct.
where in this condition VBE2 = IL x R4.
V IN Q1 R 4 IL V OUT

R1
Q2
R2
Current
limiter

D1 R3
 Thus, Q2 will diverts current from the base of Q1,
IB1 , reducing the load current through Q1 and
preventing any additional of load current through
it.
V IN Q1 R4 V OUT

R1
Q2
R2
Current
limiter

D1 R3
Regulator with Fold-Back Current Limiting

 Fold-back current limiting allows operation up to peak

load current (high current regulator)
 With a shorted output the current is dropped to a lower
value (folded back) to prevent the overheating the
device.

V IN Q1 R4 V OUT

R1 R5

Q2
R6 R2

D1 R3
Regulator with Fold-Back Current Limiting

 The voltage drop developed across R4 by the load

current must not only overcome the base-emitter
voltage, but VR5 + VBE must be overcome before Q2
conducts to limit current.
V IN Q1 R4 V OUT

R1 R5

Q2
VR5 +VBE = VR4
R6 R2

D1 R3
 END OF
1 SESSION
ST
 SHUNT
REGULATORS
Basic Linear Shunt Regulator
V IN R1 V OUT
 In shunt regulation the
Shunt
control element is in parallel regulator
with input and output.

R1
VIN VOUT

Control
Reference Error element
voltage detector (shunt)

Sample
circuit

Simple shunt voltage regulator and block diagram

 The control element is a transistor, Q1 parallel (shunt)
with the load and a resistor R1 in series with the load.
 The operation same as series, except that regulation is
achieved by controlling the current through Q1.~

Basic op-amp shunt regulator with load resistor

 Regulating Action
 When the output voltage tries to decrease due to a
change in input voltage or load current, the
attempted decrease is sense by R3 and R4 - applied
to the op-amp’s non-inverting input.
 The difference voltage increases the op-amp’s
output voltage - and increasing the collector
voltage, Vc – keeping the output nearly constant.
SWITCHING
REGULATOR
 Basic Switching Regulator

 The switching regulator is more efficient than the

linear series or shunt type.
 This type regulator is ideal for high current applications
since less power is dissipated.
 Basically, a switching regulator passes voltage to the load
pulses, which are then filtered to provide a smooth dc
voltage.
 With switching regulators 90% efficiencies can be
achieved.
 Step-down Configuration
 With the step-down (output voltage is less than the input
voltage) configuration the control element Q1 is pulsed on and
off at variable rate based on the load current.
 The pulsations are filtered out by the LC filter.
 Since Q1 is either on or off, the power lost in the control
element is relatively small.

Basic step – down switching regulator

  When the on-time is
increased, capacitor
charges more –
increasing the output
voltage.
 When the on-time is
decreased, the capacitor
discharges more –
decreasing the output
voltage.
 The inductor smoothes
the fluctuations of the
output voltage caused
by the charging and
discharging.
Switching regulator waveform
 Step-up Configuration
 The step-up configuration works much the same as the
step-down.
 The difference is in the placement of the inductor and the
fact that Q1 is shunt configured.
 During the time when Q1 is off the VL adds to VC stepping
the voltage up by some amount.
Voltage-Inverter Configuration
 With the voltage-inverter configuration the output voltage
output is of opposite polarity of the input.
 This is achieved by VL forward-biasing reverse-biased diode
during the off times producing current and charging the
capacitor for voltage production during the off times.
 With switching regulators 90% efficiencies can be achieved.

Basic inverting switching regulator

 END OF
2 SESSION
ND
INTEGRATED CIRCUIT
(IC) REGULATOR
 IC Regulator
 Regulation circuits in integrated circuit form are widely used.
 Their operation is no different but they are treated as a single
device with associated components.
 These are generally three terminal devices that provide a
positive or negative output.
 Some types have variable voltage outputs.

Connection of a three-terminal voltage regulator IC to a load

 A typical 78XX series of IC regulators – three-terminal
devices that provide a fixed positive output voltage.
 A typical 79XX series of IC regulators – three-terminal
devices that provide a fixed negative output voltage
 Almost all applications of regulators require the device be
secured to a heat sink to prevent thermal overload.
 The capacitors act as line filtration.
Adjustable Positive Linear Voltage Regulator
 Adjustable IC regulators are available with either positive or
negative output.
 They can be set to produce a specific voltage by way of an
external reference voltage divider network.
 Vout can be varied from 1.2V to 37V depending on the
resistor values.

The LM317 three-terminal adjustable positive voltage regulator

The External Pass Transistor
 To increase the current capability of an IC regulator an
external pass transistor can be used in order to
prevent thermal load condition.
Iext

Iint

A 78XX-series three-terminal regulator with an external pass

transistor
 Additional Current Limiting
 The external transistor must be protected from excessive
current.
 An additional current limiting circuit (Qlim and Rlim ) – to
protect Qext from excessive current and possible burn out.
Iext

Iint

Regulator with current limiting

 SUMMARY
 Voltage regulators keep a constant dc output despite
input voltage or load changes.

 The two basic categories of voltage regulators are linear

and switching.

 The two types of linear voltage regulators are series and

shunt.

 The three types of switching are step-up, step-down,

and inverting.

 Switching regulators are more efficient than linear making

them ideal for low voltage high current applications.
 IC regulators are available with fixed positive or negative
output voltages or variable negative or positive output
voltages.

 Both linear and switching type regulators are available

in IC form.

 Current capacity of a voltage regulator can be increased

with an external pass transistor.
Final in __

DAYs?