Does the MC7805CT-BP need capacitors

7805capacitorvoltage-regulator

As far as I know, you have to put capacitors on most voltage regulators. However, the data sheet for this one specifically says "No external components required" and furthermore goes on to state "electrical characteristics" being "Vi=10V, Io=500mA, Ci=0.33uF, Co=0.1uF, Unless Otherwise Specified."

I'm fairly new to electrical engineering and I don't know what to think of this. Is it saying I should put a 0.33uF on the Vin and 0.1uF on Vout, or does it mean that it already has capacity equivalent to those values built into the IC?

As a bonus, It'd be helpful to know what it means by Vi=10V and Io=500mA because it specifically states that the output is 1A and the minimum input is 7V (dropout 2V, output 5V).

I'm thoroughly confused.

Here's a link to the datasheet: MC7805CT(TO-220)-480029.pdf

Best Answer

7805 does require external capacitors. The capacitances mentioned in the datasheet are external.

7805s are produced by many manufacturers. The one that you have chosen have a particularly dismal short datasheet. 7805 with better datasheet. 7805 with very thorough datasheet.

related thread: Capacitor Sizes for 7805 Regulator