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Dropping 1V from a Regulated 6V Wall Wart

  • Thread starter Watson A.Name - Watt Sun, Dark Remover
  • Start date
W

Watson A.Name - Watt Sun, Dark Remover

Jan 1, 1970
0
I needed to drop 1V from a 6VDC 200 mA regulated wall wart, so I tried
a 3 amp rectifier, but it varied by more than .2V over a range of
loads. So I tried this: (view with courier font)

+ From
wall
wart >--+
|
+---+------+
| |
| |
400 \ / 2SC2334 or TIP31
ohm / |/ NPN power TO-220
WW \<-----| Heatsink optional
pot / |\
| E\
| |
| |
+----+-----+
|
|
+------> +
output
to load
- >--------------> -
From wall wart

This has some advantages and disadvantages. It's simple and cheap,
and keeps the output at 5V within a tenth of a volt over a current
range. But it has a minimum current below which it loses regulation
and the output starts to go up to 6V, because the transistor is not
conducting and the current is being supplied thru the ww pot. This
circuit is sometimes used in the bias circuit for the output
transistors in high powered amplifiers. Also Win Hill showed us here
how to use a similar circuit to maintain the voltage steady for a
current regulator circuit used on four AA cell rechargeable batteries.

I'm thinking about putting a 5.1V zener on the output so that if the
voltage climbs above that, it just shunts the excess current. Oh,
yeah, I set the pot to various values to see what the output voltage
was with various loads. The two resistances were 120 ohms for the
upper and 280 ohms for the lower. I suppose the 400 ohms total could
be raised to a higher value, but the transistor needs enough base
current to do its job. There's only 1V available minus the .6V E-B
voltage, so even at 400 ohms, that's not a lot of current.


--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 <at> hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@
 
S

Spehro Pefhany

Jan 1, 1970
0
I needed to drop 1V from a 6VDC 200 mA regulated wall wart, so I tried
a 3 amp rectifier, but it varied by more than .2V over a range of
loads. So I tried this: (view with courier font)

+ From
wall
wart >--+
|
+---+------+
| |
| |
400 \ / 2SC2334 or TIP31
ohm / |/ NPN power TO-220
WW \<-----| Heatsink optional
pot / |\
| E\
| |
| |
+----+-----+
|
|
+------> +
output
to load
- >--------------> -
From wall wart

This has some advantages and disadvantages. It's simple and cheap,
and keeps the output at 5V within a tenth of a volt over a current
range. But it has a minimum current below which it loses regulation
and the output starts to go up to 6V, because the transistor is not
conducting and the current is being supplied thru the ww pot. This
circuit is sometimes used in the bias circuit for the output
transistors in high powered amplifiers. Also Win Hill showed us here
how to use a similar circuit to maintain the voltage steady for a
current regulator circuit used on four AA cell rechargeable batteries.

I'm thinking about putting a 5.1V zener on the output so that if the
voltage climbs above that, it just shunts the excess current. Oh,
yeah, I set the pot to various values to see what the output voltage
was with various loads. The two resistances were 120 ohms for the
upper and 280 ohms for the lower. I suppose the 400 ohms total could
be raised to a higher value, but the transistor needs enough base
current to do its job. There's only 1V available minus the .6V E-B
voltage, so even at 400 ohms, that's not a lot of current.

Or just hang a dummy load on the output.. 1K0 or a bit higher (<2K0)
ought to do it.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
 
R

Ross Mac

Jan 1, 1970
0
Watson A.Name - Watt Sun said:
I needed to drop 1V from a 6VDC 200 mA regulated wall wart, so I tried
a 3 amp rectifier, but it varied by more than .2V over a range of
loads. So I tried this: (view with courier font)

+ From
wall
wart >--+
|
+---+------+
| |
| |
400 \ / 2SC2334 or TIP31
ohm / |/ NPN power TO-220
WW \<-----| Heatsink optional
pot / |\
| E\
| |
| |
+----+-----+
|
|
+------> +
output
to load
- >--------------> -
From wall wart

This has some advantages and disadvantages. It's simple and cheap,
and keeps the output at 5V within a tenth of a volt over a current
range. But it has a minimum current below which it loses regulation
and the output starts to go up to 6V, because the transistor is not
conducting and the current is being supplied thru the ww pot. This
circuit is sometimes used in the bias circuit for the output
transistors in high powered amplifiers. Also Win Hill showed us here
how to use a similar circuit to maintain the voltage steady for a
current regulator circuit used on four AA cell rechargeable batteries.

I'm thinking about putting a 5.1V zener on the output so that if the
voltage climbs above that, it just shunts the excess current. Oh,
yeah, I set the pot to various values to see what the output voltage
was with various loads. The two resistances were 120 ohms for the
upper and 280 ohms for the lower. I suppose the 400 ohms total could
be raised to a higher value, but the transistor needs enough base
current to do its job. There's only 1V available minus the .6V E-B
voltage, so even at 400 ohms, that's not a lot of current.


--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 <at> hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@

Why not a 5volt zener and a resistor?....Just a thought...
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
I needed to drop 1V from a 6VDC 200 mA regulated wall wart, so I tried
a 3 amp rectifier, but it varied by more than .2V over a range of
loads. So I tried this: (view with courier font)

+ From
wall
wart >--+
|
+---+------+
| |
| |
400 \ / 2SC2334 or TIP31
ohm / |/ NPN power TO-220
WW \<-----| Heatsink optional
pot / |\
| E\
| |
| |
+----+-----+
|
|
+------> +
output
to load
- >--------------> -
From wall wart

This has some advantages and disadvantages. It's simple and cheap,
and keeps the output at 5V within a tenth of a volt over a current
range. But it has a minimum current below which it loses regulation
and the output starts to go up to 6V, because the transistor is not
conducting and the current is being supplied thru the ww pot. This
circuit is sometimes used in the bias circuit for the output
transistors in high powered amplifiers. Also Win Hill showed us here
how to use a similar circuit to maintain the voltage steady for a
current regulator circuit used on four AA cell rechargeable batteries.

I'm thinking about putting a 5.1V zener on the output so that if the
voltage climbs above that, it just shunts the excess current. Oh,
yeah, I set the pot to various values to see what the output voltage
was with various loads. The two resistances were 120 ohms for the
upper and 280 ohms for the lower. I suppose the 400 ohms total could
be raised to a higher value, but the transistor needs enough base
current to do its job. There's only 1V available minus the .6V E-B
voltage, so even at 400 ohms, that's not a lot of current.

Try this...

+ From
wall
wart >--+
|
+---+------+
| |
\ |
/ |
20 \ / 2SC2334 or TIP31
ohm | |/ NPN power TO-220
o------| Heatsink optional
| |\
| E\
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| o-----> +
| | output
| / to load
| \
| / 2.2K
__|___/ |
/ /\ |
/ \--------o
/ \ |
-------- |
| TL430 /
| \ 2.7K
| /
| |
| |
| |
- >--o----------o------> -

You may need a compensation cap between cathode and control pin.

...Jim Thompson
 
J

John Fields

Jan 1, 1970
0
I needed to drop 1V from a 6VDC 200 mA regulated wall wart,

....


6VDC>------+-----------------+
| |
[R1] |
| |
+-----|+\ C
| | >------B
| +--| / E
| | |
| +----+---------+
| |+ |
[R2] [C1] [RL]
| | |
GND>-------+-------+---------+

R1/R2 = 5

C1 = Whatever you need to keep the thing from oscillating; 100µF is
probably a good guess.
 
J

John Woodgate

Jan 1, 1970
0
I read in sci.electronics.design that John Fields <jfields@austininstrum
Not always. (;-)
 
J

John Woodgate

Jan 1, 1970
0
I read in sci.electronics.design that John Fields <jfields@austininstrum
OK, let's go on in the same vein. R2 is not always 5R1; it might be 5R6
or even 47K. (;-)
 
B

Bob Parker

Jan 1, 1970
0
What about using a 5V low-dropout voltage regulator?

Bob
 
A

Active8

Jan 1, 1970
0
NEver mind. I tried to cancel this but Gravity thinks I didn't post
this.

Still at TARFU level, I guess.

OK 5.6V zener, solly.
 
A

Active8

Jan 1, 1970
0
I read in sci.electronics.design that John Fields <jfields@austininstrum

OK, let's go on in the same vein. R2 is not always 5R1; it might be 5R6
or even 47K. (;-)
But Mr. Wizard, this *package* says 502 and this one's on
psychedelics.

Why won't this magnet pick up this floppy disk?
 
J

John Fields

Jan 1, 1970
0
I read in sci.electronics.design that John Fields <jfields@austininstrum

OK, let's go on in the same vein. R2 is not always 5R1; it might be 5R6
or even 47K. (;-)

<GROANNNN...>

OK, it arteried: "In order to assure a voltage of 5VDC across Rl the
resistance of R2 should be five times the resistance of R1." ?^)
 
F

Fred Bloggs

Jan 1, 1970
0
I needed to drop 1V from a 6VDC 200 mA regulated wall wart, so I tried
a 3 amp rectifier, but it varied by more than .2V over a range of
loads. So I tried this: (view with courier font)

+ From
wall
wart >--+
|
+---+------+
| |
| |
400 \ / 2SC2334 or TIP31
ohm / |/ NPN power TO-220
WW \<-----| Heatsink optional
pot / |\
| E\
| |
| |
+----+-----+
|
|
+------> +
output
to load
- >--------------> -
From wall wart

This has some advantages and disadvantages. It's simple and cheap,
and keeps the output at 5V within a tenth of a volt over a current
range. But it has a minimum current below which it loses regulation
and the output starts to go up to 6V, because the transistor is not
conducting and the current is being supplied thru the ww pot. This
circuit is sometimes used in the bias circuit for the output
transistors in high powered amplifiers. Also Win Hill showed us here
how to use a similar circuit to maintain the voltage steady for a
current regulator circuit used on four AA cell rechargeable batteries.

I'm thinking about putting a 5.1V zener on the output so that if the
voltage climbs above that, it just shunts the excess current. Oh,
yeah, I set the pot to various values to see what the output voltage
was with various loads. The two resistances were 120 ohms for the
upper and 280 ohms for the lower. I suppose the 400 ohms total could
be raised to a higher value, but the transistor needs enough base
current to do its job. There's only 1V available minus the .6V E-B
voltage, so even at 400 ohms, that's not a lot of current.

You almost had it- put the Vbe multiplier inside the feedback loop and
buffer like so:

Please view in a fixed-width font such as Courier.


6V >---+------+---------+
| | |
| / |
| 22 |
| / |
| \ c
| | |/
| +-------| TIP31
| | |\
| | e----+--> 5V
| | |
=== | +----+
| c | |
| \| / |
| |-----> \ |
| /| / ===
| e \ 1000U
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
GND>--+------+---------+----+--> GND
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
I needed to drop 1V from a 6VDC 200 mA regulated wall wart, so I tried
a 3 amp rectifier, but it varied by more than .2V over a range of
loads. So I tried this: (view with courier font)
[snip]

See also "4V-Regulator.pdf" on the S.E.D/Schematics Page of my
website, for a similar application.

...Jim Thompson
 
J

John Fields

Jan 1, 1970
0
But Mr. Wizard, this *package* says 502 and this one's on
psychedelics.

Why won't this magnet pick up this floppy disk?
 
F

Fred Bloggs

Jan 1, 1970
0
Fred said:
You almost had it- put the Vbe multiplier inside the feedback loop and
buffer like so:

Please view in a fixed-width font such as Courier.


6V >---+------+---------+
| | |
| / |
| 22 |
| / |
| \ c
| | |/
| +-------| TIP31
| | |\
| | e----+--> 5V
| | |
=== | +----+
| c | |
| \| / |
| |-----> \ |
| /| / ===
| e \ 1000U
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
GND>--+------+---------+----+--> GND

Then you can work a common 5.1V zener into the equation like so:
Use a 2N3906 for the pnp for Vbe,max=6V rating.

Please view in a fixed-width font such as Courier.





6V >---+--------+----------+-------------+
| | | |
| / / |
| 22 51 |
| / / |
| \ \ c
| | | |/
| +----------|-----------| TIP31
| | | |\
| | | e----+--> 5V
| c | |
| \| | pnp |
| npn |--+-----|-------- c e---+
| /| | | \ / |
| e | | ---- |
=== | | | 180 | |
| | | +----/\/\---+ |
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
| | / _/ / ===
| | 1K /^ 5.1v 1.2K 1000U
| | / - / |
| | \ | \ |
| | | | | |
GND>--+--------+----+-----+-----------+------+--> GND
 
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