How to Design a Circuit for Constant Voltage Output with a Fluctuating Power Supply? SOLVED

Hello,

I’m working on a project where I need to design a circuit that provides a steady output voltage (e.g., 5V) despite variations in the input power supply. My power source can fluctuate anywhere between 9V and 15V, and I’d like to ensure that the output remains consistent for sensitive electronics.

I’m considering a voltage regulator but am unsure which type would be best for this range. Should I look at a linear regulator, or would a buck converter be more efficient given the input range? I’m also curious about any filtering components I might need to smooth out fluctuations.

by detailsizzling
6 days ago
Add comment...

Please sign in or create an account to comment.


1 Answer

Answer by vanderghast

A buck converter, while efficient in energy, may generate an unwanted ripple which can be detected with a scope handling a time scale in the 2ns range. (Place the trigger at a voltage a little bit higher than the intended steady voltage to capture the unwanted short "pulse"). That ripple may be excessively difficult to get rid of (even if you install a linear regulator later in series, the linear regulator, as most electronic filters, is just too slow to react adequately), but may be acceptable for your circuit. The voltage peak detected by your scope compared to the critical component data sheet would tell you more about it.

ACCEPTED +1 vote
by vanderghast
4 days, 11 hours ago

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!

by detailsizzling
3 days, 3 hours ago
Add comment...

Please sign in or create an account to comment.


Your Answer

You must log in or create an account (free!) to answer a question.

Log in Create an account


Go Ad-Free. Activate your CircuitLab membership. No more ads. Save unlimited circuits. Run unlimited simulations.

Search Questions & Answers


Ask a Question

Anyone can ask a question.

Did you already search (see above) to see if a similar question has already been answered? If you can't find the answer, you may ask a question.


About This Site

CircuitLab's Q&A site is a FREE questions and answers forum for electronics and electrical engineering students, hobbyists, and professionals.

We encourage you to use our built-in schematic & simulation software to add more detail to your questions and answers.

Acceptable Questions:

  • Concept or theory questions
  • Practical engineering questions
  • “Homework” questions
  • Software/hardware intersection
  • Best practices
  • Design choices & component selection
  • Troubleshooting

Unacceptable Questions:

  • Non-English language content
  • Non-question discussion
  • Non-electronics questions
  • Vendor-specific topics
  • Pure software questions
  • CircuitLab software support

Please respect that there are both seasoned experts and total newbies here: please be nice, be constructive, and be specific!

About CircuitLab

CircuitLab is an in-browser schematic capture and circuit simulation software tool to help you rapidly design and analyze analog and digital electronics systems.