Connect with us

lm7805 getting really, really hot

Reply to Thread

Discussion in 'General Electronics Discussion' started by rickselectricalprojects, Oct 3, 2015.

Scroll to continue with content
  1. Oct 3, 2015 #1
    rickselectricalprojects

    rickselectricalprojects

    118
    12
    Feb 1, 2015
    hi everyone
    i made a 5v power supply using a 7805 regulator that i salvaged from an old tv. i have an input voltage of 12v and when i connected it to a dc motor which draws 0.8a the regulator got over 110 Celsius (or 230f for americans) and i have a heatsink on the regulator. i know that linear voltage regulators are very inefficient but should they get that hot?
    upload_2015-10-3_16-15-27.jpeg
    there is a 10uf cap on the input and a 10uf cap and a 0.1uf ceramic cap on the output.
     
  2. Oct 3, 2015 #2
    Colin Mitchell

    Colin Mitchell

    1,417
    313
    Aug 31, 2014
    7 x .8 = 5.6watts. Anything over 3 watts takes a lot of heatsink to keep the regulator cool.
     
    rickselectricalprojects likes this.
  3. Oct 3, 2015 #3
    duke37

    duke37

    5,364
    769
    Jan 9, 2011
    Nothing to do with your problem but the 0.1μF capacitor should be close to the regulator, not spaced away from it.
     
    rickselectricalprojects likes this.
  4. Oct 3, 2015 #4
    (*steve*)

    (*steve*) ¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd Moderator

    25,482
    2,830
    Jan 21, 2010
    the temperature depends on the amount of heat generated and the rate at which it can escape (the temperature rises until the two are equal).

    In your case, the heat comes from the voltage difference multiplied by the current.

    Either:

    a) use a larrger heatsink
    b) reduce your input voltage to 8 volts or so
    c) use a switchmode regulator.
     
    Arouse1973 and rickselectricalprojects like this.
  5. Oct 3, 2015 #5
    rickselectricalprojects

    rickselectricalprojects

    118
    12
    Feb 1, 2015
    why is that? will is help make the regulator more stable?
    thanks for your help
     
  6. Oct 3, 2015 #6
    rickselectricalprojects

    rickselectricalprojects

    118
    12
    Feb 1, 2015
    thank you for your help, i will try using a bigger heatsink.
     
  7. Oct 3, 2015 #7
    duke37

    duke37

    5,364
    769
    Jan 9, 2011
    The 0.1μF capacitor, together with its leads forms a tuned circuit. The regulator consists of a reference and a very high gain amplifier. If the tuned circuit is at a low enough frequency where the amplifier gain is high, then instability can occur.

    Saying that, I have never encountered instability.
     
    rickselectricalprojects and Arouse1973 like this.
Ask a Question
Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?
You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments (here). After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.
Similar Threads

  1. Diodes failing after getting really hot. Attached to UPS system.

  2. Really dumb question

  3. Really new noob

  4. Is solder really dangerous?

  5. diode getting hot

  6. Capacitor getting hot

  7. I'l tell you what I want (what I really, really, want)

  8. LM7805

Loading...
Electronics Point Logo
Continue to site
Quote of the day

“”

-