Voltage regulator tutorial & USB gadget charger circuit

This video covers the basics of linear voltage regulators - what they do, how to wire them up, and where to find them. Then I give a basic example of how to build a 5V supply that can be used to power USB powered gadgets. Don't forget to subscribe!

This video builds on material covered in my tutorial on building unregulated power supplies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyhzpF...

• Category

  Science & Technology

[TheDerekMoore]

So If I have a solar panel that outputs about 20v on a VoC circuit (It's a 100w panel), but I want to dumb down the power to handle two USB ports (lets say for an iPad and iPhone), I would need a direct line in, and a 24v Linear Voltage Regulator, and get it to 12v per USB, with appropriate resistors...?

[Afrotechmods]

That's a really bad way to do it. What you want is a 5V switching regulator solution. Search for R-78B5.0-1.0 mouser and element14 have them in stock.

[tax deduction]

Great info!!

[ksw33n3y]

Wait. So why the capacitors? You didn't explain. Do i have to use them or are they just a extra failsafe?

[badWithComputer]

Would this be a soft charge on a USB device or a full charge? (i mean charge in slow mode or full speed mode)

[Bryan Bonvallet]

A common misconception is that electronics are exactly like water particles flowing through pipes. The analogy is helpful, bu there's a point at which electrons aren't as important as electromagnetic fields when it comes to understanding electronics. As for capacitors: they have resistance. Putting any load with resistance "across" a battery (that means in parallel) does not short it, but introduces a parallel circuit. Look up parallel circuits.

[quaxk]

voltage regulators are on their way out, I don't use them anymore thanks to cheap and more efficient DC-DC converters

[starlite2991]

Bigger ? How big does it have to be? 

[Lightning Pony]

I always forget this thing!!!

[Νικόλας Σπανοβαγκελωδημήτρης]

DURASMELL !

[anigamor]

You can use any method. You could solder wires individually if you wanted. He's using a prototyping board which makes it's simple to swap components out on the fly. For practical usage you could using wires with heatshrink insulation, or if you wanted to get fancy, you could create your own circuit board. There are all kinds of hobbyist products dedicated to this, ranging from stuff similar to the breadboard that you can solder to for permanent connections or chemicals to etch traces.

[td2010ify]

OK, can someone please explain to me about capacitors, they baffle me, people say "we are going to feed the signal from the microphone through a capacitor" so electricity flows THROUGH a capacitor? really? then there is the famous move of putting a capacitor "accross the battery" so your going to short out your battery now? how the heck do these things work? then there are tank circuit animations that describe the capacitors as having plates that are independent and discharge when full...help me