One of the topics that interested me that I chose to research is the IC voltage regulator. A voltage regulator is one of the most widely used circuitry in electronic devices today. The idea of a voltage regulator is to take the unregulated voltage from a circuit input and regulate the output voltage of the circuit to it is constant. IC voltage regulators are classified in different ways. The first is based off their design such as a 3 terminal voltage regulator or a 5 or multiport regulator. The other way to classify them is by function such as linear or switch voltage regulator. Switching regulators allow for step up or step down of their voltage. Linear regulators allow for an automatic change based off the resistance in the circuit. There are also fixed and adjustable voltage regulators. Having so many options is what makes this a popular setup for circuit designs. Some of the best well known uses for these use for converting AC to DC or stepping up or down voltages. An example would be a Phone charger, laptop or TV all have IC voltage regulators. These regulators are essential in the use of electronics in todays world.
Author unknown (2014, July 1) Basic Electronics, “IC Voltage Regulators”