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John Errington's Tutorial On Power Supply Design: Suitable Transistors

This document provides suggestions for component selection and heat sinking for power supply design. It recommends using inexpensive, readily available, through-hole transistors such as the BC546B, BD139, TIP120, and BDX33C for various circuit roles. For operational amplifiers, CMOS op amps like the LMC662 or TS272 are better suited than 741-type op amps for single supply operation. The document also provides guidelines for calculating heat sink requirements to dissipate power and keep transistor junction temperatures below safe limits.

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138 views2 pages

John Errington's Tutorial On Power Supply Design: Suitable Transistors

This document provides suggestions for component selection and heat sinking for power supply design. It recommends using inexpensive, readily available, through-hole transistors such as the BC546B, BD139, TIP120, and BDX33C for various circuit roles. For operational amplifiers, CMOS op amps like the LMC662 or TS272 are better suited than 741-type op amps for single supply operation. The document also provides guidelines for calculating heat sink requirements to dissipate power and keep transistor junction temperatures below safe limits.

Uploaded by

Dai Ngo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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John Errington's tutorial on Power Supply Design

Voltage regulation: Conclusion

The previous pages give a thorough and detailed description allowing the design of a regulated
power supply.
I offer here some suggestions for component choice, and notes about heat sinking.
Introduction
Suitable transistors
Transformer
and rectifier
Type no Vceo/Vcbo Ic Pt Hfe deg C/W Type Package
Smoothing
BC546B 65V 100mA 0.6W 150 83 NS TO92
Ripple Current
BD139 80V 1.5A 12.5W 250 10 NS TO126
Load
TIP120 60V 5A 65W 1000 2.0 ND TO220
regulation
BDX33C 100V 10A 70W 750 1.8 ND TO220
Design
Example 1 MJE340 300V 0.5A 20W 240 6 NS TO126

TIP162 380V 10A 125W 200 1.0 ND TO3P


Voltage
Regulation PNP:

Voltage BD140 80V 1.5A 12.5W 40 10 PS TO126


References
MJE350 300V 0.5A 20W 30 6 PS TO126
Voltage
Regulation
Simple cct
The above range of transistors are chosen as being particularly well suited to the circuits
Voltage
described. In general they are: inexpensive, readily available, through hole mounting devices. In
Regulation and
the table above the type code is as follows;
analysis
NS = NPN single; ND = NPN Darlington; PS = PNP single.
Voltage
Power ratings (with the exception of the BC546B) assume the device is mounted on a suitable
Regulation
heat sink - see below.
precision
circuit Operational Amplifiers
Voltage
Most operational amplifiers may be used in the designs shown. However "741" and similar op
Regulation
amps have a problem; they cannot operate with input or output voltages close to their supply
Conclusion
rails. They are not intended nor ideally suited to single supply operation.

The purpose of the zener diode shown throughout these circuits (Fig
Current
1) is to ensure that when the output of the operational amplifier
sources
drops below a few volts the transistor TR2 will be in its off state. It
Constant also allows the output of the op amp to be "around" half the op
current amp's supply voltage in normal operation.

A better way is to use a CMOS op amp; this has the advantage of


Feedback allowing input and output voltages down to the negative (zero) rail.
CMOS Op amps are less common, but still widely available, (CPC,
High voltages
Mouser etc) and TI LMC662, or TS 272 will work well.

In this case the zener diode can be omitted (Fig 2) as the output will
Rules of
reach 0V and turn off TR2. This also allows variable outputs to be
thumb
controlled almost down to zero volts.
CMOS op amps are dsigned for single supply use at between 5V - 12V and the amplifier
inputs also must not exceed the value of the supply voltage.

Heat Sinks

Power transistors need to be mounted on a


suitable heat sink. First you must calculate
the maximum expected power dissipation.
Suppose your supply provides 20-30V at 2A
and has an unregulated source at 38V. The
Pmax = 38 - 20 = 18V * 2A = 36W.
Suppose we choose a TIP120.

The transistor junction must be maintained


at a temperature below about 120C (the
transistor will be destroyed at 150C).

Suppose ambient temperature is 20C. The TIP120 has a thermal resistance (junction - case) of 2
deg C per watt.
Mounted on a heat sink as shown here (which has a thermal resistance of 1.4C per watt) gives
Rth total = 2.0 + 1.4 = 3.4C per watt

and 3.4C per watt * 36W = 122C. Add on 20C ambient = 142C and the transistor is COOKED!

Clearly we need to reduce the thermal resistance.

We could:

use a TIP162. Rth total = 1.0 + 1.4 = 2.4C per watt * 36W = 86C + 20C = 106C -- which is
fine.
mount 2 * TIP120 on the same heat sink. Using two shares the power between them.
Use a bigger (more expensive) heat sink.
Use a fan to force-cool the heat sink.

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