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12V to 5V Converter using LM7805 IC – Power

Supply
afzalrehmani 3 months ago

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So ever wondered how come some circuit takes a 12V input but is internally driving LED’s
Microcontrollers and other low voltage peripherals which are not even designed for such a high
voltage. For a newbie, the �rst thought might be making a voltage divider circuit and thus
supplying the desired voltage as such, but this is not how it’s done.

The losses in a voltage divider circuit and the uncertainty of a load that does not have a �xed
resistance makes this hardly the best possible way to tackle it. So that is where a regulator IC
comes in such as the infamous 7805.

The 7805 is used a lot in circuits with a minimum footprint required to convert their voltage from

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Hardware Required
LM7805 5V Voltage Regulator
10uF Capacitor (25V or more)
1uF Capacitor (25V or more)
12V Power Source (Battery, Power Supply, etc.)
Voltmeter (Optional: to Measure Output)
Heatsink

LM7805 Pinout

12v to 15v Converter Circuit

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Working Explanation

The 7805 totally works in heat dissipation of the extra energy it receives to reduce the voltage, so
it may not be ideal but gets the job done for most cases. So what’s happening is that on the input
side you give the 12V DC input and the IC regulates that voltage and gives an output of ideally 5V
(4.8V to 5.2V as per its datasheet).

The capacitors are there to smooth out certain spikes due to increased current requirements. The
energy again is lost in terms of heat, thus it is always advisable to attach a heatsink.

Applications & Uses

For hobby projects using a 12V Lead Acid Battery to power up microcontrollers and motors.
Making a DIY Power Supply with 5V and 12V Outputs.
Protection Circuitries
Current Regulator.

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Tags: lm7805, power supply, voltage regulator

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