Reducing voltage from 9 to 5 volts

[grrr_arrghh]

Supposedly then if I want to attatch a heat sink I can attatch it via the Vout tab at the top which should conduct the heat into the heat sink?

pretty much... although I wouldn't say 'via' the tab, as connect it TO the tab - you need a reasonable contact between IC and heatsink

 

[Pallen33]

OK, cheers, I presume I just bolt the heat sink on with a small bolt.

Minor question, was does IC stand for Tim?

 

[grrr_arrghh]

IC = Integrated Circuit - usually used to refer to 'chips', but technicaly a regulator is an IC aswell

OK, cheers, I presume I just bolt the heat sink on with a small bolt.

yeah, I think you need an 'M3' sized bolt (although as long as it fits, I don't see what difference it makes...) Personnaly, I use an insulator (something like this **broken link removed**) so that the regulator is not connected (in an electrical way) to the heat sink, so if I use the same heat sink for other devices, they won't interfere with each other, but as you only have one IC, its entirely up to you.

So (to summarise) in this instance just bolt the heat sink on with a small bolt.

Tim

 

[dingo]

Pallen33,

If you want something real simple........

A doide drops voltage by 0.6 volts so if you stuck 7 of them end to end you would drop (7 x 0.6) 4.2V giving you 4.8v supply.

Join the doides so all the stripes face the same way connect one end to the battery and the other to what you need to power. If it doesn't work swap it around as it will only work one way.

Doides come in differrent current ratings
IN4001 is 1 amp
IN4004 is 4 amp etc

Just make sure you buy ones rated higher than what you need, it is ok to use 30 amp doides to run 1 amp stuff but not the other way round.

 

[mahinda jayasinghe]

How about a zener diode.

If the circuit does not draw more current ( few mili amps)
use a resistor to drop 9V by few volts and use zener (5V zener ) to produce 5V constant.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Pallen33]

Thanks Tim, only using the heat sink for one thing so will just bolt it on as you say because won't interfere with anything else.

Cheers for the suggestions about diodes Dingo and mahinda but I think I'm going to stick with the voltage regulator for the moment after a bit of a mission to get it working, and the added fact that the voltage may not be completely predictable. Nevertheless I will bear diodes in mind in the future because I'm enjoying learning about all these new components (when they work, not such a fan when they don't!! :? )

 

[panic mode]

IN4001 is 1 amp
IN4004 is 4 amp etc

Nope, 1N4001-1N4007 are all 1A diodes. The difference is
maximum votage (60V-1000V). Note that part number starts
with "one" not with "I".

 

[Timmymna]

Have I missed something here :? Why not use 3 AA / AAA to get 4.5V? No extra circuitry needed and longer battery life.

 

[dingo]

Pallen33,

Good stuff the reg is the better option although the diodes are a little more noob friendly :wink:

IN4001 is 1 amp
IN4004 is 4 amp etc

Nope, 1N4001-1N4007 are all 1A diodes. The difference is
maximum votage (60V-1000V). Note that part number starts
with "one" not with "I".

lol, panic mode
Getting a little picky arent you?

You cannot rate anything on voltage or amps alone it has to be both. As we know the voltages being used by Pallen I stand by 4001 = 1amp, 4004 = 4amp, etc makes it a little more noobie freindly.

As for the "one" not "I" if you want to be JEDEC compliant then I guess my mistake, on the other hand many retailers list them as "I", just google "IN4004 Diode" and you will see what I mean.

 

[Pallen33]

Timmymna, yeh, you have missed something unfortunately! This all started from wanting to get somewhere between 3 and 5 volts from a 9 volt source so using 3 AAA batteries doesn't really tackle the issue at hand...in terms of the specifics of diodes and what they're called, think I'm going to stay out of this one, there are going to be tears before bedtime the way things are heading....! :lol:

 

[panic mode]

I stand by 4001 = 1amp, 4004 = 4amp, etc makes it a little more noobie freindly.

As for the "one" not "I" if you want to be JEDEC compliant then I guess my mistake, on the other hand many retailers list them as "I", just google "IN4004 Diode" and you will see what I mean.

Using Google confirmed expectation:
1N4001 - 9600 hits
1N4004 - 6450 hits
1N4007 - 9880 hits

IN4001 - 600 hits
IN4004 - 711 hits
IN4007 - 855 hits

With ca 10% it's pretty close to number of people who
are literally challenged. If those suppliers prices are accurate
as their spelling, you might be getting a real bargain or
be seriously ripped off.

I fail to see how 1N4004 = 4A is going to help anybody.
Mention of 4A rating is wrong any way you look at it
an certainly is not going to help someone new if he
learns it the hard way. It also ruins the credibility
of this forum. Look in the datasheet:
https://www.fairchildsemi.com/cqpf/1N/1N4004.html

 

[grrr_arrghh]

drop it dingo, panics right.

If you wanna argue, you can PM each other, or start a new thread.

 

[ante]

Dingo,

Why don’t you run 7A through a 1N4007 and post the result so we will all know! A picture would be nice too!

Ante :roll:

 

[Pallen33]

make complex electronic circuits guys, not war...this is a peace loving thread

(changing the direction slightly...)
I've just had a horrible feeling that if I post any more messages I might move up a rank in terms of my electronics status which would be grossly misleading in terms of my knowledge about such things. Presumably you could become an expert by just asking lots of questions? or have I misunderstood the situation.
I'm a born novice.

 

[grrr_arrghh]

lol, yep, yout ranking depends entirely on how many posts you have made.

Notice, i'm down as an 'Electronics Expert', but I really don't know that much about electronics, I'm still just a begginer.

The ranking is meant as a rough guide, not to be taken as gospel.

so don't let it put you off asking as many questions as you like!

 

[Pallen33]

I may take you up on that Tim....I'm not quite over the hill with my invention yet
(side-ways glance to see if I've climbed to the dizzy height of extreme amateur yet :lol: , doesn't look promising...)