Pololu 12V, 600mA Step-Down Voltage Regulator D24V6F12
by Pololu

The compact (0.4″ × 0.5″) D24V6F12 switching step-down (or buck) voltage regulator takes an input voltage between 15 V and 42 V and efficiently reduces it to 12 V while allowing for a maximum output current of 600 mA. The pins have a 0.1″ spacing, making this board compatible with standard solderless breadboards and perfboards.

Overview

These buck (step-down) voltage regulators generate lower output voltages from input voltages as high as 42 V. They are switching regulators (also called switched-mode power supplies (SMPS) or DC-to-DC converters) and have a typical efficiency between 80% to 90%, which is much more efficient than linear voltage regulators, especially when the difference between the input and output voltage is large. This regulator is available with a fixed 3.3 V, 5 V, 9 V, or 12 V output, and two versions are available for each voltage, one with a 300 mA maximum output current (D24V3Fx) and one with a 600 mA maximum output current (D24V6Fx):

Features

• Input voltage: [output voltage + dropout voltage] to 42 V (see below for more information on dropout voltage)
• Fixed 3.3 V, 5 V, 9 V, or 12 V output (depending on regulator version) with 4% accuracy
• Maximum output current: 300 mA or 600 mA (depending on regulator version)
• 1.25 MHz switching frequency
• 2 mA typical no-load quiescent current (20 μA typical quiescent current with SHDN = LOW)
• Integrated over-temperature and over-current shutoff
• Small size: 0.5″ × 0.4″ × 0.1″ (13 mm × 10 mm × 3 mm)

Using the Regulator

Connections

The buck regulator has four connections: shutdown (SHDN), input voltage (VIN), ground (GND), and output voltage (VOUT).

The SHDN pin can be driven low (under 0.3 V) to turn off the output and put the board into a low-power state that typically draws 20 μA, and it can be driven high (above 2.3 V) to enable the board. If you do not need to use the shutdown feature, the SHDN pin can be directly connected to VIN to permanently enable the board. You should not leave this pin disconnected as this can result in unpredictable behavior.

The input voltage, VIN, should exceed VOUT by at least the regulator’s dropout voltage (see below for graphs of dropout voltages as a function of the load), and you must ensure that noise on your input does not exceed the 42 V maximum. Additionally, please be wary of destructive LC spikes (see below for more information).

The output voltage, VOUT, is fixed and depends on the regulator version: the D24VxF3 version outputs 3.3 V, the D24VxF5 version outputs 5 V, the D24VxF9 version outputs 9 V, and the D24VxF12 version outputs 12 V.

The four connections are labeled on the back side of the PCB, and they are arranged with a 0.1″ spacing along the edge of the board for compatibility with solderless breadboards, connectors, and other prototyping arrangements that use a 0.1″ grid. You can solder wires directly to the board or solder in either the 4×1 straight male header strip or the 4×1 right-angle male header strip that is included.