LM323 Positive Voltage Regulator – 5V/3A

2 April 2019 - 0 Comments

LM323 Positive Voltage Regulator

LM323 Pinout

The LM323 is a linear voltage regulator which could provide constant 5V output voltage with current ranging upto to 3A.

Pin Configuration

Pin Number	Pin Name	Description
1	Input Voltage (Vin)	The input voltage which has to be regulated is given to this pin
2	Ground	Connect to the ground of the system
3	Output Voltage (Vout)	The regulated output voltage set by the adjust pin can be obtained from this pin

Features

Positive Voltage Regulator
Output Voltage: 5V (Fixed)
Output Current: 3A
Input Voltage: 7.2V to 20V
Maximum output Current: 15A (With Series Pass transistor)
Voltage Tolerance: 2%
Operating junction temperature is 125°C (maximum)
Available in To-220 and Metal Can Package

Note: Complete Technical Details can be found at the LM323 datasheet given at the end of this page.

LM323 Equivalents

LM317, LM7805

Alternative Voltage Regulators

LM1117, LM7806, LM7809, LM7812, LM7905, LM7912, LM117V33, XC6206P332MR.

LM323 Description

The LM323 regulator comes in slandered TO-220 package and metal can package as well from On Semi-conductor and Texas Instrument for high current applications. Even with the capability to handle high currents, the regulator does not require heavy heat sinks making in suitable for compact requirements. The regulator also has built-in Thermal Overload Protection and Short-circuit Protection.

The output current of the regulator can be further increased upto 15A by using a series pass transistor to vary the reference voltage of the Regulator IC. Apart from this the regulator also has a very low output voltage tolerance of only 2%. So, if you are looking for a high current 5V Regulator then LM323 might be the right choice for you.

LM323 Application Tips

Using a LM323 as voltage regulator is pretty simple, just connect an input filter capacitor of value of 0.33uF or more and output filter capacitor of 0.1uFormore based on the output current and you will get a regulated +5V on the output pin. Just keep in mind that the input voltage should be 7.5V minimum.

Apart from a fixed voltage regulator the LM323 can also act as a Constant current source provider when used with a resistor. Also can act as a variable voltage regulator when used with an Op-Amp, making it a suitable for many applications. The details on how to use it as a current regulator or variable regulator can be found in the datasheet.