LM138,LM338
LM138/LM338 5-Amp Adjustable Regulators
Literature Number: SNVS771A
LM138/LM338 5-Amp Adjustable Regulators
General Description
The LM138 series of adjustable 3-terminal positive voltage regulators is capable of supplying in excess of 5A over a 1.2V to 32V output range. They are exceptionally easy to use and require only 2 resistors to set the output voltage. Careful circuit design has resulted in outstanding load and line regulation comparable to many commercial power supplies. The LM138 family is supplied in a standard 3-lead transistor package.
A unique feature of the LM138 family is time-dependent current limiting. The current limit circuitry allows peak cur- rents of up to 12A to be drawn from the regulator for short periods of time. This allows the LM138 to be used with heavy transient loads and speeds start-up under full-load condi- tions. Under sustained loading conditions, the current limit decreases to a safe value protecting the regulator. Also included on the chip are thermal overload protection and safe area protection for the power transistor. Overload pro- tection remains functional even if the adjustment pin is acci- dentally disconnected.
Normally, no capacitors are needed unless the device is situated more than 6 inches from the input filter capacitors in which case an input bypass is needed. An output capacitor can be added to improve transient response, while bypass- ing the adjustment pin will increase the regulators ripple rejection.
Besides replacing fixed regulators or discrete designs, the LM138 is useful in a wide variety of other applications. Since the regulator is floating and sees only the input-to-output differential voltage, supplies of several hundred volts can be regulated as long as the maximum input to output differential is not exceeded, i.e., do not short-circuit output to ground. The part numbers in the LM138 series which have a K suffix are packaged in a standard Steel TO-3 package, while those with a T suffix are packaged in a TO-220 plastic package. The LM138 is rated for -55°C
≤ T
J
≤ +150°C, and the LM338
is rated for 0°C
≤ T
J
≤ +125°C.
Features
n
Guaranteed 7A peak output current
n
Guaranteed 5A output current
n
Adjustable output down to 1.2V
n
Guaranteed thermal regulation
n
Current limit constant with temperature
n
P
+
Product Enhancement tested
n
Output is short-circuit protected
Applications
n
Adjustable power supplies
n
Constant current regulators
n
Battery chargers
Connection Diagrams
(See Physical Di-
mension section for further information)
Connection Diagrams
(TO-3 STEEL)
Metal Can Package
(TO-220)
Plastic Package
00906030
Bottom View
Order Number LM138K STEEL or LM338K STEEL
See NS Package Number K02A
00906031
Front View
Order Number LM338T
See NS Package Number T03B
May 1998
LM138/LM338
5-Amp
Adjustable
Regulators
2004 National Semiconductor Corporation
DS009060
www.national.com
Absolute Maximum Ratings
If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required, please contact the National Semiconductor Sales Office/ Distributors for availability and specifications.
Power Dissipation
Internally
limited
Input/Output Voltage Differential
+40V, -0.3V
Storage Temperature
-65°C to
+150°C
Lead Temperature
Metal Package (Soldering, 10
seconds)
Plastic Package (Soldering, 4
seconds)
300°C
260°C
ESD Tolerance
TBD
Operating Temperature Range
LM138
-55°C
≤ T
J
≤ +150°C
LM338
0°C
≤ T
J
≤ +125°C
Electrical Characteristics
Specifications with standard type face are for T
J
= 25°C, and those with boldface type apply over full Operating Tempera-
ture Range. Unless otherwise specified, V
IN
- V
OUT
= 5V; and I
OUT
= 10 mA.
Symbol
Parameter
Conditions
LM138
Units
Min
Typ
Max
V
REF
Reference Voltage
3V
≤ (V
IN
- V
OUT
)
≤ 35V,
1.19
1.24
1.29
V
10 mA
≤ I
OUT
≤ 5A, P ≤ 50W
V
RLINE
Line Regulation
3V
≤ (V
IN
- V
OUT
)
≤ 35V
0.005
0.01
%/V
0.02
0.04
%/V
V
RLOAD
Load Regulation
10 mA
≤ I
OUT
≤ 5A
0.1
0.3
%
0.3
0.6
%
Thermal Regulation
20 ms Pulse
0.002
0.01
%/W
I
ADJ
Adjustment Pin Current
45
100
A
∆I
ADJ
Adjustment Pin Current Change
10 mA
≤ I
OUT
≤ 5A,
0.2
5
A
3V
≤ (V
IN
- V
OUT
)
≤ 35V
∆V
R/T
Temperature Stability
T
MIN
≤ T
J
≤ T
MAX
1
%
I
LOAD
(Min)
Minimum Load Current
V
IN
- V
OUT
= 35V
3.5
5
mA
I
CL
Current Limit
V
IN
- V
OUT
≤ 10V
DC
5
8
A
0.5 ms Peak
7
12
A
V
IN
- V
OUT
= 30V
1
1
A
V
N
RMS Output Noise, % of V
OUT
10 Hz
≤ f ≤ 10 kHz
0.003
%
Ripple Rejection Ratio
V
OUT
= 10V, f = 120 Hz, C
ADJ
= 0 F
60
dB
V
OUT
= 10V, f = 120 Hz, C
ADJ
= 10 F
60
75
dB
Long-Term Stability
T
J
= 125°C, 1000 Hrs
0.3
1
%
Θ
JC
Thermal Resistance,
K Package
1
°C/W
Junction to Case
Θ
JA
Thermal Resistance, Junction to
K Package
35
°C/W
Ambient (No Heat Sink)
Electrical Characteristics
Symbol
Parameter
Conditions
LM338
Units
Min
Typ
Max
V
REF
Reference Voltage
3V
≤ (V
IN
- V
OUT
)
≤ 35V,
1.19
1.24
1.29
V
10 mA
≤ I
OUT
≤ 5A, P ≤ 50W
V
RLINE
Line Regulation
3V
≤ (V
IN
- V
OUT
)
≤ 35V
0.005
0.03
%/V
0.02
0.06
%/V
V
RLOAD
Load Regulation
10 mA
≤ I
OUT
≤ 5A
0.1
0.5
%
0.3
1
%
LM138/LM338
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2
Electrical Characteristics
(Continued)
Symbol
Parameter
Conditions
LM338
Units
Min
Typ
Max
Thermal Regulation
20 ms Pulse
0.002
0.02
%/W
I
ADJ
Adjustment Pin Current
45
100
A
∆I
ADJ
Adjustment Pin Current Change
10 mA
≤ I
OUT
≤ 5A,
3V
≤ (V
IN
- V
OUT
)
≤ 35V
0.2
5
A
∆V
R/T
Temperature Stability
T
MIN
≤ T
J
≤ T
MAX
1
%
I
LOAD
(Min)
Minimum Load Current
V
IN
- V
OUT
= 35V
3.5
10
mA
I
CL
Current Limit
V
IN
- V
OUT
≤ 10V
DC
5
8
A
0.5 ms Peak
7
12
A
V
IN
- V
OUT
= 30V
1
A
V
N
RMS Output Noise, % of V
OUT
10 Hz
≤ f ≤ 10 kHz
0.003
%
Ripple Rejection Ratio
V
OUT
= 10V, f = 120 Hz, C
ADJ
= 0 F
60
dB
V
OUT
= 10V, f = 120 Hz, C
ADJ
= 10 F
60
75
dB
Long-Term Stability
T
J
= 125°C, 1000 hrs
0.3
1
%
Θ
JC
Thermal Resistance
K Package
1
°C/W
Junction to Case
T Package
4
°C/W
Θ
JA
Thermal Resistance, Junction to
K Package
35
°C/W
Ambient (No Heat Sink)
T Package
50
°C/W
Note 1: Absolute Maximum Ratings indicate limits beyond which damage to the device may occur. Operating Ratings indicate conditions for which the device is intended to be functional, but do not guarantee specific performance limits. For guaranteed specifications and test conditions, see the Electrical Characteristics.
Note 2: These specifications are applicable for power dissipations up to 50W for the TO-3 (K) package and 25W for the TO-220 (T) package. Power dissipation is guaranteed at these values up to 15V input-output differential. Above 15V differential, power dissipation will be limited by internal protection circuitry. All limits (i.e., the numbers in the Min. and Max. columns) are guaranteed to Nationals AOQL (Average Outgoing Quality Level).
Note 3: Regulation is measured at a constant junction temperature, using pulse testing with a low duty cycle. Changes in output voltage due to heating effects are covered under the specifications for thermal regulation.
Note 4: Refer to RETS138K drawing for military specifications of LM138K.
Typical Performance Characteristics
Current Limit
Current Limit
00906032
00906033
LM138/LM338
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3
Typical Performance Characteristics
(Continued)
Current Limit
Load Regulation
00906034
00906035
Dropout Voltage
Adjustment
Current
00906036
00906037
Temperature Stability
Output Impedance
00906038
00906039
LM138/LM338
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4
Typical Performance Characteristics
(Continued)
Minimum Operating
Current
Ripple Rejection
00906040
00906041
Ripple Rejection
Ripple Rejection
00906042
00906043
Line Transient Response
Load Transient Response
00906044
00906045
Application Hints
In operation, the LM138 develops a nominal 1.25V reference voltage, V
REF
, between the output and adjustment terminal.
The reference voltage is impressed across program resistor R1 and, since the voltage is constant, a constant current I
1
then flows through the output set resistor R2, giving an output voltage of
LM138/LM338
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5
Application Hints
(Continued)
Since the 50 A current from the adjustment terminal repre- sents an error term, the LM138 was designed to minimize I
ADJ
and make it very constant with line and load changes.
To do this, all quiescent operating current is returned to the output establishing a minimum load current requirement. If there is insufficient load on the output, the output will rise.
EXTERNAL CAPACITORS
An input bypass capacitor is recommended. A 0.1 F disc or 1 F solid tantalum on the input is suitable input bypassing for almost all applications. The device is more sensitive to the absence of input bypassiing when adjustment or output capacitors are used but the above values will eliminate the possiblity of problems.
The adjustment terminal can be bypassed to ground on the LM138 to improve ripple rejection. This bypass capacitor prevents ripple from being amplified as the output voltage is increased. With a 10 F bypass capacitor 75 dB ripple rejection is obtainable at any output level. Increases over 20 F do not appreciably improve the ripple rejection at fre- quencies above 120 Hz. If the bypass capacitor is used, it is sometimes necessary to include protection diodes to prevent the capacitor from discharging through internal low current paths and damaging the device.
In general, the best type of capacitors to use are solid tantalum. Solid tantalum capacitors have low impedance even at high frequencies. Depending upon capacitor con- struction, it takes about 25 F in aluminum electrolytic to equal 1 F solid tantalum at high frequencies. Ceramic capacitors are also good at high frequencies; but some types have a large decrease in capacitance at frequencies around 0.5 MHz. For this reason, 0.01 F disc may seem to work better than a 0.1 F disc as a bypass.
Although the LM138 is stable with no output capacitors, like any feedback circuit, certain values of external capacitance can cause excessive ringing. This occurs with values be- tween 500 pF and 5000 pF. A 1 F solid tantalum (or 25 F aluminum electrolytic) on the output swamps this effect and insures stability.
LOAD REGULATION
The LM138 is capable of providing extremely good load regulation but a few precautions are needed to obtain maxi-
mum performance. The current set resistor connected be- tween the adjustment terminal and the output terminal (usu- ally 240
Ω) should be tied directly to the output of the
regulator (case) rather than near the load. This eliminates line drops from appearing effectively in series with the refer- ence and degrading regulation. For example, a 15V regula- tor with 0.05
Ω resistance between the regulator and load will
have a load regulation due to line resistance of 0.05
Ω x I
L
. If
the set resistor is connected near the load the effective line resistance will be 0.05
Ω (1 + R2/R1) or in this case, 11.5
times worse.
shows the effect of resistance between the regula- tor and 240
Ω set resistor.
With the TO-3 package, it is easy to minimize the resistance from the case to the set resistor, by using 2 separate leads to the case. The ground of R2 can be returned near the ground of the load to provide remote ground sensing and improve load regulation.
PROTECTION DIODES
When external capacitors are used with any IC regulator it is sometimes necessary to add protection diodes to prevent the capacitors from discharging through low current points into the regulator. Most 20 F capacitors have low enough internal series resistance to deliver 20A spikes when shorted. Although the surge is short, there is enough energy to damage parts of the IC.
When an output capacitor is connected to a regulator and the input is shorted, the output capacitor will discharge into the output of the regulator. The discharge current depends on the value of the capacitor, the output voltage of the regulator, and the rate of decrease of V
IN
. In the LM138 this
discharge path is through a large junction that is able to sustain 25A surge with no problem. This is not true of other types of positive regulators. For output capacitors of 100 F or less at output of 15V or less, there is no need to use diodes.
The bypass capacitor on the adjustment terminal can dis- charge through a low current junction. Discharge occurs when either the input or output is shorted. Internal to the LM138 is a 50
Ω resistor which limits the peak discharge
current. No protection is needed for output voltages of 25V or less and 10 F capacitance. shows an LM138 with protection diodes included for use with outputs greater than 25V and high values of output capacitance.
00906006
FIGURE 1.
00906007
FIGURE 2. Regulator with Line
Resistance in Output Lead
LM138/LM338
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6
Application Hints
(Continued)
00906008
D1 protects against C1
D2 protects against C2
FIGURE 3. Regulator with Protection Diodes
LM138/LM338
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7
Typical Applications
Regulator and Voltage Reference
1.2V-25V Adjustable Regulator
00906003
00906001
Temperature Controller
00906010
Full output current not available
at high input-output voltages
Optional improves transient response. Output capacitors in the range of 1 F to 1000 F of aluminum or tantalum electrolytic are commonly used to provide improved output impedance and rejection of transients.
*Needed if device is more than 6 inches from filter capacitors.
**R1 = 240
Ω for LM138. R1, R2 as an assembly can be ordered from Bourns:
MIL part no. 7105A-AT2-502
COMM part no. 7105A-AT7-502
LM138/LM338
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8
Schematic Diagram
00906009
Typical Applications
Precision Power Regulator with Low Temperature Coefficient
00906012
* Adjust for 3.75 across R1
LM138/LM338
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9
Typical Applications
(Continued)
Slow Turn-On 15V Regulator
Adjustable Regulator with Improved Ripple Rejection
00906013
00906014
Solid tantalum
*Discharges C1 if output is shorted to ground
**R1 = 240
Ω for LM138
High Stability 10V Regulator
Digitally Selected Outputs
00906015
00906016
*Sets maximum V
OUT
**R1 = 240
Ω for LM138
LM138/LM338
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10
Typical Applications
(Continued)
15A Regulator
00906017
* Minimum load 100 mA
5V Logic Regulator with Electronic Shutdown**
Light Controller
00906018
** Minimum output
1.2V
00906011
LM138/LM338
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11
Typical Applications
(Continued)
0 to 22V Regulator
00906019
* R1 = 240
Ω, R2 = 5k for LM138
Full output current not available
at high input-output voltages
12V Battery Charger
00906020
LM138/LM338
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12
Typical Applications
(Continued)
Adjustable Current Regulator
Precision Current Limiter
00906021
00906022
5A Current Regulator
Tracking Preregulator
00906023
00906024
Adjusting Multiple On-Card Regulators with Single Control*
00906025
Minimum load 10 mA
* All outputs within
100 mV
LM138/LM338
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13
Typical Applications
(Continued)
Power Amplifier
00906027
A
V
= 1, R
F
= 10k, C
F
= 100 pF
A
V
= 10, R
F
= 100k, C
F
= 10 pF
Bandwidth
≥ 100 kHz
Distortion
≤ 0.1%
Simple 12V Battery Charger
00906028
Use of R
S
allows low charging rates with fully charged battery.
**The 1000 F is recommended to filter out input transients
LM138/LM338
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14
Typical Applications
(Continued)
Adjustable 15A Regulator
00906026
Current Limited 6V Charger
00906029
* Set max charge current to 3A
** THE 1000 F is recommended to filter out input transients.
LM138/LM338
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15
Typical Applications
(Continued)
10A Regulator
00906002
* Minimum load 100 mA
LM138/LM338
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16
Physical Dimensions
inches (millimeters)
unless otherwise noted
2 Lead TO-3 Metal Can Package (K)
Order Number LM138K or LM338K STEEL
NS Package Number K02A
3 Lead Molded TO-220 (T)
Order Number LM338T
NS Package Number T03B
LM138/LM338
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17
Notes
National does not assume any responsibility for use of any circuitry described, no circuit patent licenses are implied and National reserves the right at any time without notice to change said circuitry and specifications.
For the most current product information visit us at www.national.com.
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which, (a) are intended for surgical implant into the body, or (b) support or sustain life, and whose failure to perform when properly used in accordance with instructions for use provided in the labeling, can be reasonably expected to result in a significant injury to the user.
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www.national.com
LM138/LM338
5-Amp
Adjustable
Regulators
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