Voltage regulatorA voltage regulator is a system designed to automatically maintain a constant voltage. It may use a simple feed-forward design or may include negative feedback. It may use an electromechanical mechanism or electronic components. Depending on the design, it may be used to regulate one or more AC or DC voltages. Electronic voltage regulators are found in devices such as computer power supplies, where they stabilize the DC voltages used by the processor and other elements.
78xx78xx (sometimes L78xx, LM78xx, MC78xx...) is a family of self-contained fixed linear voltage regulatorintegrated circuits. The 78xx family is commonly used in electronic circuits requiring a regulated power supply due to their ease-of-use and low cost. Nomenclature and packagingFor ICs within the 78xx family, the xx is replaced with two digits, indicating the output voltage (for example, the 7805 has a 5-volt output, while the 7812 produces 12 volts).
Zener diodeA Zener diode is a type of diode designed to exploit the Zener effect to affect electric current to flow against the normal direction from anode to cathode, when the voltage across its terminals exceeds a certain characteristic threshold, the Zener voltage. Zener diodes are manufactured with a variety of Zener voltages, including variable devices.
Voltage dividerIn electronics, a voltage divider (also known as a potential divider) is a passivelinear circuit that produces an output voltage (Vout) that is a fraction of its input voltage (Vin). Voltage division is the result of distributing the input voltage among the components of the divider.
Shunt (electrical)Device that routes electric current around a point in a circuit Shunt (electrical)A 50 A shunt resistor, with provision for four‑terminal sensingComponent typePassive electrical component / current‑carrying device A shunt is a device designed to provide a low-impedance path for an electrical current in a circuit. It is typically used to divert current away from a system or component in order to prevent overcurrent.Linear circuitA linear circuit is an electronic circuit which obeys the superposition principle.
Integrated circuitElectronic circuit formed on a small, flat piece of semiconductor materialA microscope image of an integrated circuit die used to control LCDs. The pinouts are the dark circles surrounding the integrated circuit.An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a compact assembly of electronic circuits formed from various electronic components, such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors, and their interconnections.
Vacuum tubeDevice that controls current between electrodesLater thermionic vacuum tubes, mostly miniature style, some with top cap connections for higher voltagesA vacuum tube, vac tube, electron tube, thermionicvalve (British usage), or tube (North America) is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied.
Electrical resistance and conductanceThe electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the flow of electric current. Its reciprocal quantity is electrical conductance, measuring the ease with which an electric current passes. Electrical resistance shares some conceptual parallels with mechanical friction. The SI unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (Ω), while electrical conductance is measured in siemens (S).
ElectronicsElectronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other electrically charged particles.
Waste heatWaste heat is heat that is produced by a machine, or other process that uses energy, as a byproduct of doing work. All such processes give off some waste heat as a fundamental result of the laws of thermodynamics. Waste heat has lower utility (or in thermodynamics lexicon a lower exergy or higher entropy) than the original energy source.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.