groundvoltage-regulator
I am a bit confused right now.
I have 2 voltage regulation modules:
The 24V-12V has Vin+, Vin-, Vout+, Vout- while the 24V->5V only has Vin, Vout, GND.
Do I have to use a different ground for the Vin- than for the Vout- and if, which one should I choose for the second regulator? If not, why are there different Vin-/Vout- in the first place?
I agree with others that switchers are a better choice in terms of efficiency, but they can be somewhat complicated to deal with if you're inexperienced, and there can be lots of weird effects that aren't immediately obvious (precharge sinking, beat frequencies, etc.) that can make life difficult. Assuming you've figured out your power dissipation and know how much current each rail can deliver, if the linears will work for you, stick with them (at least for the first pass).
If you're trying to achieve a variable-amplitude square wave output on your adjustable rail, the chopping may introduce noise into the main 24V rail, which could show up on the other rails. You may want to have an LC filter between the main 24V rail and the regulator input to provide high-frequency isolation, and will probably need extra capacitance on the adjustable regulator output (bulk electrolytic as well as low-impedance ceramic) if you expect the square wave edges to be sharp.
1, 5) There are some dangers with your scheme.
Power dissipation in the linear regulators will be
\$(V_{out} - V_{in}) \cdot I_{out} \$
which is significant, especially for the lower output rails. 78xx-type regulators have built-in thermal protection around 125°C, and (without heatsinking) a junction-to-air thermal resistance of 65°C/W. Your thermal management will be challenging.
Another potential problem - if the series-pass element in any of your low-voltage regulators fails or gets bypassed (shorted), you'll present the full 24V input to the output. This could be catastrophic to low-voltage logic. You should protect your low-voltage rails with SCR crowbars that can sink enough current to put the DC/DC brick into current limit and collapse the 24V rail (they'll need big heatsinks too). Fuses are unlikely to be good protection since the 24V brick likely isn't stiff enough to generate the \$I^2 \cdot t\$ needed to blow a fuse.
2) Whatever floats your boat.
4) Meters aren't huge loads. Just use one of your rails.
3) Correct - all regulators have headroom requirements. If you want the maximum 24V out, you'll need a direct connection, and will have to rely on whatever intrinsic protections the brick will provide you.
If your ampere requirements are less than 300mA maybe this could work for you: -
It's 5V, low quiescent current and can be turned off/on with a control line.
Best Answer
The feature list on the first page of the datasheet for the 24->12 module states "Non-isolated Module". This indicates that the Vin- and Vout- leads are connected together in the module - the input and output have the same ground.