• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Homemade Circuit Projects

Get free circuit help 24/7

New Projects | Privacy Policy | About us | Contact | Disclaimer | Copyright | Videos | Circuits for Beginners | Basic Circuits | Hobby Projects | Transistor Circuits | LED Drivers 

You are here: Home / Electronic Components / Transistor Zener Diode Circuit for Handling High Current Stabilization

Transistor Zener Diode Circuit for Handling High Current Stabilization

Last Updated on May 3, 2019 by Swagatam 21 Comments

caution electricity can be dangerous

The high power "zener diode" circuit using transistor shunt regulator presented here can be used for obtaining a highly accurate, temperature and voltage stabilized outputs from high current sources, safely.

Normal Zener Limitation

The low power zener diodes that we normally use in electronic circuits are specified to work with low currents, and therefore cannot be used for shunting or stabilizing high current supplies.

Although higher rated zener diodes are available, these could be relatively expensive. Nonetheless, it is actually possible to make a customizable high power zener diode using a power transistors and a shunt regulator IC as shown below:

Circuit Diagram

Using a Shunt Regulator

Looking at the figure we can see the involvement of a specialized shunt regulator IC in the form of LM431 or TL431, which is basically a low power adjustable zener diode.

Apart from the variable voltage attribute, the device also includes the feature of producing a temperature stabilized output, meaning ambient temperature conditions is not going to influence the performance of this device, which is not possible with the ordinary diodes.

But as far as power handling capacity is concerned the TL431 device is no better than the conventional zener diode counterpart.

However when it is combined with a power transistor such as the shown TIP147, the unit gets transformed into a highly versatile high power zener diode unit, capable of shunting and stabilizing high current sources without getting damaged.

Example Application

A classic application example of this circuit can be visualized in this motorcycle shunt regulator circuit where the design is employed for shunting and safeguarding the motorcycle alternator from the high reverse EMFs.

The design can be also tried in high current capacitive power supplies for acquiring surge free stabilized output from these rather unsafe but compact transformerless power supplies.

Other suitable applications of this versatile circuit could be for controlling windmill outputs and as electronic load controller for regulating hydro-generators outputs.

Without the TIP147 integration, the LM431 stage looks pretty vulnerable, and also the regulation being developed only across the anode/cathode of the device rather than across the main supply terminals.

High Power Control

With the power transistor integrated the scenario changes completely and now the transistor simulates the shunt regulator's results, shunting the high current from the input to the correct levels, as specified by the LM431 configurations.

The potential divider made by using the 3k3 and the 4k7 resistors at the reference input of the IC essentially determine the triggering threshold for the IC, typically the upper resistor can be tweaked for getting any desired zener stabilized voltage output from the transistor circuit.

The detailed calculations for the resistors may be learned from this TL431 shunt regulator datasheet

Note: The TIP147 must be mounted on a substantially big finned type heatsink for enabling a proper and an optimal functioning of the circuit.

You'll also like:

  • 1.  High Current MOSFET IRFP2907 Datasheet
  • 2.  High Current Transistor TIP36 – Datasheet, Application Note
  • 3.  Types of Switches, Working and Internal Details
  • 4.  BJT 2N2222, 2N2222A Datasheet and Application Notes
  • 5.  Build Simple Transistor Circuits
  • 6.  Transistor 2N3904 – Pinout and Specifications

About Swagatam

I am an electronic engineer (dipIETE ), hobbyist, inventor, schematic/PCB designer, manufacturer. I am also the founder of the website: https://www.homemade-circuits.com/, where I love sharing my innovative circuit ideas and tutorials.
If you have any circuit related query, you may interact through comments, I'll be most happy to help!

Have Questions? Please Comment below to Solve your Queries! Comments must be Related to the above Topic!!

Subscribe
Notify of
21 Comments
Newest
Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Calculators

  • 3-Phase Power (15)
  • 324 IC Circuits (19)
  • 4017 IC Circuits (52)
  • 4060 IC Circuits (25)
  • 555 IC Circuits (98)
  • 741 IC Circuits (19)
  • Arduino Engineering Projects (83)
  • Audio and Amplifier Projects (114)
  • Battery Chargers (82)
  • Car and Motorcycle (94)
  • Datasheets (46)
  • Decorative Lighting (Diwali, Christmas) (33)
  • Electronic Components (100)
  • Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (36)
  • Electronics Tutorial (116)
  • Fish Aquarium (5)
  • Free Energy (34)
  • Fun Projects (13)
  • GSM Projects (9)
  • Health Related (20)
  • Heater Controllers (29)
  • Home Electrical Circuits (102)
  • How to Articles (20)
  • Incubator Related (6)
  • Industrial Electronics (28)
  • Infrared (IR) (40)
  • Inverter Circuits (98)
  • Laser Projects (12)
  • LED and Light Effect (93)
  • LM317/LM338 (21)
  • LM3915 IC (25)
  • Meters and Testers (65)
  • Mini Projects (148)
  • Motor Controller (67)
  • MPPT (7)
  • Oscillator Circuits (26)
  • PIR (Passive Infrared) (8)
  • Power Electronics (34)
  • Power Supply Circuits (77)
  • Radio Circuits (10)
  • Remote Control (48)
  • Security and Alarm (61)
  • Sensors and Detectors (120)
  • SG3525 IC (5)
  • Simple Circuits (75)
  • SMPS (29)
  • Solar Controllers (60)
  • Timer and Delay Relay (53)
  • TL494 IC (5)
  • Transformerless Power Supply (8)
  • Transmitter Circuits (40)
  • Ultrasonic Projects (16)
  • Water Level Controller (45)

Calculators

  • AWG to Millimeter Converter
  • Battery Back up Time Calculator
  • Capacitance Reactance Calculator
  • IC 555 Astable Calculator
  • IC 555 Monostable Calculator
  • Inductance Calculator
  • LC Resonance Calculator
  • LM317, LM338, LM396 Calculator
  • Ohm’s Law Calculator
  • Phase Angle Phase Shift Calculator
  • Power Factor (PF) Calculator
  • Reactance Calculator
  • Small Signal Transistor(BJT) and Diode Quick Datasheet
  • Transistor Astable Calculator
  • Transistor base Resistor Calculator
  • Voltage Divider Calculator
  • Wire Current Calculator
  • Zener Diode Calculator

© 2023 · Swagatam Innovations

wpDiscuz