6V, 5.5A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50F6

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Pololu item #: 4092
Brand: Pololu
Status: Active and Preferred 
RoHS 3 compliant


Output voltage Typical max current output1 Input voltage range2
6 V 5.5 A 6.5 V – 50 V

1 Typical continuous output current at 36 V in. Actual achievable continuous output current is a function of input voltage and is limited by thermal dissipation. See the output current graphs on the product pages for more information.
2 Minimum input voltage is subject to dropout voltage considerations; see the dropout voltage section of product pages for more information.


Alternatives available with variations in these parameter(s): output voltage Select variant…

Pictures

6V, 5.5A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50F6

6V, 5.5A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50F6, top view.

6V, 5.5A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50F6, bottom view.

Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx with included hardware.

Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx, side view.

Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx, assembled on breadboard.

Typical efficiency of 6V, 5.5A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50F6.

Typical maximum continuous output current of Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx.

Typical quiescent current of Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx.

Typical dropout voltage of Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx.




Overview

The D36V50Fx family of buck (step-down) voltage regulators generates lower output voltages from input voltages as high as 50 V. They are switching regulators (also called switched-mode power supplies (SMPS) or DC-to-DC converters), which makes them much more efficient than linear voltage regulators, especially when the difference between the input and output voltage is large. These regulators can typically support continuous output currents between 2 A and 9 A, depending on the input voltage and output voltage (see the Maximum continuous output current section below). In general, the available output current is a little higher for the lower-voltage versions than it is for the higher-voltage versions, and it decreases as the input voltage increases.

This family includes six versions with fixed output voltages ranging from 3.3 V to 12 V:

The regulators have input reverse voltage protection up to 40 V, output undervoltage and overvoltage protection, over-current protection, and short-circuit protection. A thermal shutdown feature also helps prevent damage from overheating and a soft-start feature limits the inrush current and gradually ramps the output voltage on startup.

If you do not need quite as much current, consider the very similar D36V28Fx or D30V30Fx families of step-down voltage regulators, which can deliver up to around 4 A in a wide range of output voltages.

We manufacture these boards in-house at our Las Vegas facility, which gives us the flexibility to make these regulators with customized components to better meet the needs of your project. For example, if you have an application where the input voltage will always be below 20 V and efficiency is very important, we can make these regulators a bit more efficient at high loads by replacing the 40V reverse voltage protection MOSFET with a 20V one. We can also customize the output voltage. If you are interested in customization, please contact us.

Details for item #4092

6V, 5.5A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50F6, top view.

6V, 5.5A Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50F6, bottom view.

Features

Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx, side view.

Connections

This regulator has six connections, some of which are duplicated on multiple pins: power good (PG), enable (EN), input voltage (VIN), input voltage after reverse protection (VRP), output voltage (VOUT), and ground (GND).

The “power good” indicator, PG, is an open-drain output that goes low when the regulator’s output voltage either rises more than 20% above or falls more than 10% below the nominal voltage (with hysteresis). An external pull-up resistor is required to use this pin.

The regulator, which is enabled by default, can be put into a low-power sleep state by reducing the voltage on the EN pin below 1.2 V, and it can be brought out of this state again by increasing the voltage on EN past 1.35 V. The quiescent current draw in this sleep mode is dominated by the current in the 100 kΩ pull-up resistor from ENABLE to VIN and in the reverse-voltage protection circuit, which altogether will be between 10 µA and 20 µA per volt on VIN. The tight tolerance of the enable input allows a precise low-VIN cutoff to be set, such as with the output of an external voltage divider powered by VIN, which is useful for battery powered applications where draining the battery below a particular voltage threshold could permanently damage it.

The input voltage, VIN, powers the regulator. Voltages between 4.5 V and 50 V can be applied to VIN, but generally the effective lower limit of VIN is VOUT plus the regulator’s dropout voltage, which varies approximately linearly with the load (see below for graphs of the dropout voltage as a function of the load).

VRP provides access to the input voltage after reverse-voltage protection; this can be used as an output to power other devices, or the input voltage can be connected to VRP instead of VIN to bypass the reverse protection.

VOUT is the regulated output voltage.

Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx with included hardware.

All of the connections are arranged on a 0.1″ grid for compatibility with solderless breadboards, connectors, and other prototyping arrangements that use a 0.1″ grid. The PG connection is the only one not accessible along the edge of the board. A 1×12 straight male header strip is included with the regulator.

The power connections (VIN, VRP, VOUT, and GND) are duplicated across both rows of through-holes, allowing two header pins to be used for each connection. Note that the EN and PG pins are not duplicated and are adjacent on different rows, so if you intend to use the regulator on a breadboard, be careful to avoid installing header pins in a way that shorts EN to PG. (In the picture below, note that the PG pin is omitted to avoid shorting it to EN.)

Each header pin is only rated for 3 A (6 A combined per pair), and solderless breadboards are usually not intended to handle more than a few amps, so for higher-power applications, thick wires should be soldered directly to the board.

Step-Down Voltage Regulator D36V50Fx, assembled on breadboard.

Typical efficiency

The efficiency of a voltage regulator, defined as (Power out)/(Power in), is an important measure of its performance, especially when battery life or heat are concerns.

Maximum continuous output current

The maximum achievable output current of these regulators varies with the input voltage but also depends on other factors, including the ambient temperature, air flow, and heat sinking. The graph below shows maximum output currents that these regulators can deliver continuously at room temperature in still air and without additional heat sinking.

During normal operation, this product can get hot enough to burn you. Take care when handling this product or other components connected to it.

Quiescent current

The quiescent current is the current the regulator uses just to power itself, and the graph below shows this for the different regulator versions as a function of the input voltage. The module’s EN input can be driven low to put the board into a low-power state where it typically draws between 10 µA and 20 µA per volt on VIN.

Typical dropout voltage

The dropout voltage of a step-down regulator is the minimum amount by which the input voltage must exceed the regulator’s target output voltage in order to ensure the target output can be achieved. For example, if a 5 V regulator has a 1 V dropout voltage, the input must be at least 6 V to ensure the output is the full 5 V. Generally speaking, the dropout voltage increases as the output current increases. The graph below shows the dropout voltages for the different members of this regulator family:

Dimensions

Size: 1″ × 1″ × 0.375″1
Weight: 7.0 g1

General specifications

Minimum operating voltage: 6.5 V2
Maximum operating voltage: 50 V
Continuous output current: 5.5 A3
Output voltage: 6 V
Reverse voltage protection?: Y4
Maximum quiescent current: 4 mA5
Output type: fixed 6V

Identifying markings

PCB dev codes: reg24d
Other PCB markings: 0J12574, blank white box

Notes:

1
Without included optional headers.
2
Subject to dropout voltage considerations. See the dropout voltage graph under the description tab for more information.
3
Typical continuous output current at 36 V in. Actual achievable continuous output current is a function of input voltage and is limited by thermal dissipation. See the output current graph under the description tab for more information.
4
To -40 V. Connecting supplies over 40 V in reverse can damage the device.
5
While enabled with no load. Can be reduced to under 1 mA using the enable pin.

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