Voltage regulator

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Revision as of 18:46, 30 June 2008 by Mchua (talk | contribs) (→‎Output)
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Why

  • power into xo without frying

Requirements

Input

Under construction. Need to find...

  • maximum voltage spikes from a variety of power inputs - how much would the max spike be
  • ditto above for maximum steady voltage from the same variety of power inputs
  • ditto above for amperage

Output

  • (single) XO power input - ideal is 18V at 0.944A. (Laptop can accept 17W maximum, 11-25V and 2Amax but lower current = lower resistance losses.)
  • "overflow" wattage should get switched out to another place - by default some sort of dissipator (whonkin' power resistors with a big heatsink?) that's easily bypassed in favor of something useful like a battery.

Parts

Current recommended

The current recommended voltage regulator is a L200.

Benefits

  • can handle up to 60V, which is around the surge you'd expect when you start up a human-powered source (for instance, the spike from a bike-power generator when you start to pedal)

Open questions

  • what is its behavior at spikes over 60V? constant input?