Getting dual supplies from single supply

Hi,

Whats the easiest way of getting +-5v regulated from a +12v supply, a sort of potential divider circuit? the 12v supply is regulated and provides 500ma, so I guess I won't be drawing too much power, just some 4053 ICs and a Picaxe chip. Couldn't find anything obvious when searching the forums or google...

Thanks

why don u try resistors ? not the usual ones but their current rating shud be higher say 2A..

Use a 7810 to drop it to 10v, then use an inverter circuit like this to split it into +5v and -5v. Make sure you put a heatsink on U1.

Personally, I'd use a DC-DC converter, like this one from Mouser. It uses a 12vdc input and outputs +/-5vdc @100mA.
JB

Problem solved.