Multiple voltages off a single source

atmegalow-powerpower supply

I'm building a controller for project that has hobby servos. These typically need ~5V to run. The controller will be an ATmega 2560, running at 3.3V / 8MHz. Looking at the reference design for the Arduino board that uses the same ATmega chip, they're using a 1 amp LDO to regulate input voltage down to what they need.

The question has two parts:

  1. If I need both voltages available to me, I assume I should just use two voltage regulators, set for their respective output voltages. Is there a reason to daisy-chain them (feeding the 3.3V one from the 5.0 one?) or should I have them both pull from the battery (12V)?

  2. Given that I'll be running this off a battery source that'll be somewhere between 9 and 12.4 volts (a 3-cell LiPo battery), should I use an LDO, or a buck regulator (I'm a bit out of my depth when it comes to power management). For some reason I'm thinking that an LDO will not be as efficient as a buck regulator at what seems like a substantial voltage difference.

Best Answer

It's much better to use switching regulators than LDOs, especially with a in-out voltage difference that you will have, because of the heat dissipation.

However one of the problems with using switching regulators for the hobbyist is that almost all of them come in surface mount packages -- of the 20,592 switching regulators currently listed on Digi-Key, just 128 come in DIP packages.

If you can get by with a maximum current draw of 1.5A on either the 5v or 3.3v rails, then I recommend the MC34063, which comes in an 8-pin DIP and costs just 62 cents from Digi-Key. (Or use a switcher for the 5.0v rail, and a LDO for the 3.3v.)

One of the drawbacks of using switching regulators is that you do have to surround it with a number of components, some of which set the voltage and current for adjustable regulators like this one. But all of these components can be easily found as through-hole parts. Here is a configuration for a 25v to 5v 1/2A step-down converter. You'll want to get an inductor with twice the current rating as your output.

enter image description here

If you have surface mount capabilities, then I suggest using a dual regulator like the TPS54295 in your case. It has a capacity of 2A for each rail, and comes in a fairly friendly 16-TSSOP package. It is available from Digi-Key for $2.58. The extra components needed are similar to the schematic shown above, times 2.