LM317L 3-Terminal Adjustable Regulator

March 23, 2010

LM317L

3-Terminal Adjustable Regulator

fixed resistor between the adjustment and output, the LM317L
General Description can be used as a precision current regulator. Supplies with
The LM317L is an adjustable 3-terminal positive voltage reg- electronic shutdown can be achieved by clamping the adjust-
ulator capable of supplying 100mA over a 1.2V to 37V output ment terminal to ground which programs the output to 1.2V
range. It is exceptionally easy to use and requires only two where most loads draw little current.
external resistors to set the output voltage. Further, both line The LM317L is available in a standard TO-92 transistor pack-
and load regulation are better than standard fixed regulators. age, the SO-8 package, and 6-Bump micro SMD package.
Also, the LM317L is available packaged in a standard TO-92 The LM317L is rated for operation over a −40°C to 125°C
transistor package which is easy to use. range.
In addition to higher performance than fixed regulators, the
LM317L offers full overload protection. Included on the chip Features
are current limit, thermal overload protection and safe area
protection. All overload protection circuitry remains fully func- ■ Adjustable output down to 1.2V
tional even if the adjustment terminal is disconnected. ■ Guaranteed 100mA output current
Normally, no capacitors are needed unless the device is sit- ■ Line regulation typically 0.01%V
uated more than 6 inches from the input filter capacitors in ■ Load regulation typically 0.1%
which case an input bypass is needed. An optional output ca-
■ Current limit constant with temperature
pacitor can be added to improve transient response. The
adjustment terminal can be bypassed to achieve very high ■ Eliminates the need to stock many voltages
ripple rejection ratios which are difficult to achieve with stan- ■ Standard 3-lead transistor package
dard 3-terminal regulators. ■ 80dB ripple rejection
Besides replacing fixed regulators, the LM317L is useful in a ■ Available in TO-92, SO-8, or 6-Bump micro SMD package
wide variety of other applications. Since the regulator is “float-
■ Output is short circuit protected
ing” and sees only the input-to-output differential voltage,
supplies of several hundred volts can be regulated as long as ■ See AN-1112 for micro SMD considerations
the maximum input-to-output differential is not exceeded.
Also, it makes an especially simple adjustable switching reg-
ulator, a programmable output regulator, or by connecting a

Connection Diagrams

TO-92 Plastic package 8-Pin SOIC

906405
906404
Top View

© 2010 National Semiconductor Corporation 9064 www.national.com

LM317L
6-Bump micro SMD micro SMD Laser Mark

906450

906449
*NC = Not Internally connected.
Top View
(Bump Side Down)

Ordering Information
Package Part Number Package Marking Media Transport NSC Drawing
TO-92 LM317LZ LM317LZ 1.8k Units per Box Z03A
8-Pin SOIC LM317LM LM317LM Rails M08A
* LM317LIBP – 250 Units Tape and Reel
BPA06HPB
* LM317LIBPX – 3k Units Tape and Reel
6-Bump micro SMD
* LM317LITP – 250 Units Tape and Reel
TPA06HPA
* LM317LITPX – 3k Units Tape and Reel

Note: The micro SMD package marking is a single digit manufacturing Date
Code only.

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 LM317L
Absolute Maximum Ratings (Note 1) Storage Temperature −55°C to +150°C
Lead Temperature
If Military/Aerospace specified devices are required, (Soldering, 4 seconds) 260°C
please contact the National Semiconductor Sales Office/
Distributors for availability and specifications. Output is Short Circuit Protected
ESD Susceptibility
Power Dissipation Internally Limited
Human Body Model (Note 5) 2kV
Input-Output Voltage Differential 40V
Operating Junction Temperature
Range −40°C to +125°C

Electrical Characteristics (Note 2)

Parameter Conditions Min Typ Max Units

Line Regulation TJ = 25°C, 3V ≤ (VIN − VOUT) ≤ 40V, IL ≤ 20mA (Note 3) 0.01 0.04 %/V
Load Regulation TJ = 25°C, 5mA ≤ IOUT ≤ IMAX, (Note 3) 0.1 0.5 %
Thermal Regulation TJ = 25°C, 10ms Pulse 0.04 0.2 %/W
Adjustment Pin Current 50 100 μA
Adjustment Pin Current 5mA ≤ IL ≤ 100mA 0.2 5 μA
Change 3V ≤ (VIN − VOUT) ≤ 40V, P ≤ 625mW
Reference Voltage 3V ≤ (VIN − VOUT) ≤ 40V, (Note 4) 1.20 1.25 1.30 V
5mA ≤ IOUT ≤ 100mA, P ≤ 625mW
Line Regulation 3V ≤ (VIN − VOUT) ≤ 40V, IL ≤ 20mA (Note 3) 0.02 0.07 %/V
Load Regulation 5mA ≤ IOUT ≤ 100mA, (Note 3) 0.3 1.5 %
Temperature Stability TMIN ≤ TJ ≤ TMax 0.65 %
Minimum Load Current (VIN − VOUT) ≤ 40V 3.5 5 mA
3V ≤ (VIN − VOUT) ≤ 15V 1.5 2.5
Current Limit 3V ≤ (VIN − VOUT) ≤ 13V 100 200 300 mA
(VIN − VOUT) = 40V 25 50 150 mA
Rms Output Noise, % of VOUT TJ = 25°C, 10Hz ≤ f ≤ 10kHz 0.003 %
Ripple Rejection Ratio VOUT = 10V, f = 120Hz, CADJ = 0 65 dB
CADJ = 10μF 66 80 dB
Long-Term Stability TJ = 125°C, 1000 Hours 0.3 1 %
Thermal Resistance Z Package 0.4″ Leads 180 °C/W
Junction to Ambient Z Package 0.125 Leads 160 °C/W
SO-8 Package 165 °C/W
6-Bump micro SMD 290 °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 functional, but do not guarantee specific performance limits.
Note 2: Unless otherwise noted, these specifications apply: −25°C ≤ Tj ≤ 125°C for the LM317L; VIN − VOUT = 5V and IOUT = 40mA. Although power dissipation
is internally limited, these specifications are applicable for power dissipations up to 625mW. IMAX is 100mA.
Note 3: Regulation is measured at constant junction temperature, using pulse testing with a low duty cycle. Changes in output voltage due to heating effects are
covered under the specification for thermal regulation.
Note 4: Thermal resistance of the TO-92 package is 180°C/W junction to ambient with 0.4″ leads from a PC board and 160°C/W junction to ambient with 0.125″
lead length to PC board.
Note 5: The human body model is a 100pF capacitor discharged through a 1.5kΩ resistor into each pin.

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LM317L Typical Performance Characteristics (Output capacitor = 0μF unless otherwise noted.)

Load Regulation Current Limit

906434 906435

Adjustment Current Dropout Voltage

906436 906437

Reference Voltage Temperature Stability Minimum Operating Current

906438 906439

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 LM317L
Ripple Rejection Ripple Rejection

906441
906440

Output Impedance Line Transient Response

906442
906443

Load Transient Response Thermal Regulation

906444 906445

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LM317L Although the LM317L is stable with no output capacitors, like
Application Hints any feedback circuit, certain values of external capacitance
In operation, the LM317L develops a nominal 1.25V reference can cause excessive ringing. This occurs with values be-
voltage, VREF, between the output and adjustment terminal. tween 500pF and 5000pF. A 1μF solid tantalum (or 25μF
The reference voltage is impressed across program resistor aluminum electrolytic) on the output swamps this effect and
R1 and, since the voltage is constant, a constant current I1 insures stability.
then flows through the output set resistor R2, giving an output
voltage of LOAD REGULATION
The LM317L is capable of providing extremely good load reg-
ulation but a few precautions are needed to obtain maximum
performance. The current set resistor connected between the
adjustment terminal and the output terminal (usually 240Ω)
should be tied directly to the output of the regulator rather than
Since the 100μA current from the adjustment terminal repre- near the load. This eliminates line drops from appearing ef-
sents an error term, the LM317L was designed to minimize fectively in series with the reference and degrading regula-
IADJ and make it very constant with line and load changes. To tion. For example, a 15V regulator with 0.05Ω resistance
do this, all quiescent operating current is returned to the out- between the regulator and load will have a load regulation due
put establishing a minimum load current requirement. If there to line resistance of 0.05Ω × IL. If the set resistor is connected
is insufficient load on the output, the output will rise. near the load the effective line resistance will be 0.05Ω (1 +
R2/R1) or in this case, 11.5 times worse.
Figure 2 shows the effect of resistance between the regulator
and 240Ω set resistor.
With the TO-92 package, it is easy to minimize the resistance
from the case to the set resistor, by using two separate leads
to the output pin. The ground of R2 can be returned near the
ground of the load to provide remote ground sensing and im-
prove load regulation.

906407

FIGURE 1.

EXTERNAL CAPACITORS
An input bypass capacitor is recommended in case the reg-
ulator is more than 6 inches away from the usual large filter 906408

capacitor. A 0.1μF disc or 1μF solid tantalum on the input is

suitable input bypassing for almost all applications. The de- FIGURE 2. Regulator with Line Resistance
vice is more sensitive to the absence of input bypassing when in Output Lead
adjustment or output capacitors are used, but the above val-
ues will eliminate the possibility of problems. THERMAL REGULATION
The adjustment terminal can be bypassed to ground on the When power is dissipated in an IC, a temperature gradient
LM317L to improve ripple rejection and noise. This bypass occurs across the IC chip affecting the individual IC circuit
capacitor prevents ripple and noise from being amplified as components. With an IC regulator, this gradient can be espe-
the output voltage is increased. With a 10μF bypass capacitor cially severe since power dissipation is large. Thermal regu-
80dB ripple rejection is obtainable at any output level. In- lation is the effect of these temperature gradients on output
creases over 10μF do not appreciably improve the ripple voltage (in percentage output change) per watt of power
rejection at frequencies above 120Hz. If the bypass capacitor change in a specified time. Thermal regulation error is inde-
is used, it is sometimes necessary to include protection pendent of electrical regulation or temperature coefficient,
diodes to prevent the capacitor from discharging through in- and occurs within 5ms to 50ms after a change in power dis-
ternal low current paths and damaging the device. sipation. Thermal regulation depends on IC layout as well as
electrical design. The thermal regulation of a voltage regulator
In general, the best type of capacitors to use is solid tantalum.
is defined as the percentage change of VOUT, per watt, within
Solid tantalum capacitors have low impedance even at high
the first 10ms after a step of power is applied. The LM317L
frequencies. Depending upon capacitor construction, it takes
specification is 0.2%/W, maximum.
about 25μF in aluminum electrolytic to equal 1μF solid tanta-
lum at high frequencies. Ceramic capacitors are also good at In the Thermal Regulation curve at the bottom of the Typical
high frequencies; but some types have a large decrease in Performance Characteristics page, a typical LM317L's output
capacitance at frequencies around 0.5MHz. For this reason, changes only 7mV (or 0.07% of VOUT = −10V) when a 1W
a 0.01μF disc may seem to work better than a 0.1μF disc as pulse is applied for 10ms. This performance is thus well inside
a bypass. the specification limit of 0.2%/W × 1W = 0.2% maximum.
When the 1W pulse is ended, the thermal regulation again
shows a 7mV change as the gradients across the LM317L

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 LM317L
chip die out. Note that the load regulation error of about 14mV the rate of decrease of VIN. In the LM317L, this discharge path
(0.14%) is additional to the thermal regulation error. is through a large junction that is able to sustain a 2A surge
with no problem. This is not true of other types of positive
PROTECTION DIODES regulators. For output capacitors of 25 μF or less, the
When external capacitors are used with any IC regulator it is LM317L's ballast resistors and output structure limit the peak
sometimes necessary to add protection diodes to prevent the current to a low enough level so that there is no need to use
capacitors from discharging through low current points into a protection diode.
the regulator. Most 10μF capacitors have low enough internal The bypass capacitor on the adjustment terminal can dis-
series resistance to deliver 20A spikes when shorted. Al- charge through a low current junction. Discharge occurs when
though the surge is short, there is enough energy to damage either the input or output is shorted. Internal to the LM317L is
parts of the IC. a 50Ω resistor which limits the peak discharge current. No
When an output capacitor is connected to a regulator and the protection is needed for output voltages of 25V or less and
input is shorted, the output capacitor will discharge into the 10μF capacitance. Figure 3 shows an LM317L with protection
output of the regulator. The discharge current depends on the diodes included for use with outputs greater than 25V and
value of the capacitor, the output voltage of the regulator, and high values of output capacitance.

906409

D1 protects against C1
D2 protects against C2

FIGURE 3. Regulator with Protection Diodes

LM317L micro SMD Light Sensitivity micro SMD does not sustain permanent damage from light
Exposing the LM317L micro SMD package to bright sunlight exposure. Removing the light source will cause LM317L's
may cause the VREF to drop. In a normal office environment VREF to recover to the proper value.
of fluorescent lighting the output is not affected. The LM317

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 LM317L

Schematic Diagram

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8
906410
 LM317L
Slow Turn-On 15V Regulator
Typical Applications
Digitally Selected Outputs

906415

Adjustable Regulator with

Improved Ripple Rejection

906411
*Sets maximum VOUT
High Gain Amplifier

906416
†Solid tantalum
*Discharges C1 if output is shorted to ground

High Stability 10V Regulator

906412

Adjustable Current Limiter

906413
12 ≤ R1 ≤ 240
906417
Precision Current Limiter
Adjustable Regulator with Current Limiter

906414

906418
Short circuit current is approximately 600 mV/R3, or 60mA (compared to
LM317LZ's 200mA current limit).
At 25mA output only 3/4V of drop occurs in R3 and R4.

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LM317L 0V–30V Regulator Power Follower

906419 906421
Full output current not available at high input-output voltages
Regulator With 15mA Short Circuit Current

906420

Adjusting Multiple On-Card Regulators with Single Control*

906422
*All outputs within ± 100mV
†Minimum load −5mA

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 LM317L
100mA Current Regulator 5V Logic Regulator with Electronic Shutdown*

906423

1.2V–12V Regulator with Minimum Program Current 906426

*Minimum output ≈ 1.2V
Current Limited 6V Charger

906424
*Minimum load current ≈ 2 mA
50mA Constant Current Battery
Charger for Nickel-Cadmium
Batteries
906427
*Sets peak current, IPEAK = 0.6V/R1
**1000μF is recommended to filter out any input transients.

906425

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LM317L
Short Circuit Protected 80V Supply

906428

Basic High Voltage Regulator

906429
Q1, Q2: NSD134 or similar
C1, C2: 1μF, 200V mylar**
*Heat sink

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 LM317L
Precision High Voltage Regulator

906430
Q1, Q2: NSD134 or similar
C1, C2: 1μF, 200V mylar**
*Heat sink
**Mylar is a registered trademark of DuPont Co.
Tracking Regulator R1, R2 = matched resistors with good TC tracking
Regulator With Trimmable Output Voltage

906432
Trim Procedure:
—If VOUT is 23.08V or higher, cut out R3 (if lower, don't cut it out).
—Then if VOUT is 22.47V or higher, cut out R4 (if lower, don't).
—Then if VOUT is 22.16V or higher, cut out R5 (if lower, don't).
This will trim the output to well within ±1% of 22.00 VDC, without any of the
906431 expense or uncertainty of a trim pot (see LB-46). Of course, this technique
A1 = LM301A, LM307, or LF13741 only can be used at any output voltage level.

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LM317L
Precision Reference with Short-Circuit Proof Output

906433
*R1–R4 from thin-film network,
Beckman 694-3-R2K-D or similar
1.2V-25 Adjustable Regulator Lamp Flasher

906401
Full output current not available at high input-output voltages
906403
†Optional—improves transient response
Output rate—4 flashes per second at 10% duty cycle
*Needed if device is more than 6 inches from filter capacitors

Fully Protected (Bulletproof)

Lamp Driver

906402

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 LM317L
Physical Dimensions inches (millimeters) unless otherwise noted

SO-8 Molded Package

NS Package Number M08A

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LM317L

TO-92 Plastic Package (Z)

NS Package Number Z03A

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 LM317L
NOTE: UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED.
1. EPOXY COATING
2. 63Sn/37Pb EUTECTIC BUMP.
3. RECOMMEND NON-SOLDER MASK DEFINED LANDING PAD.
4. PIN A1 IS ESTABLISHED BY LOWER LEFT CORNER WITH RESPECT TO TEXT ORIENTATION PINS ARE NUMBERED COUNTERCLOCKWISE.
5. XXX IN DRAWING NUMBER REPRESENTS PACKAGE SIZE VARIATION WHERE X1 IS PACKAGE WIDTH, X2 IS PACKAGE LENGTH AND X3 IS PACKAGE
HEIGHT.
6. REFERENCE JEDEC REGISTRATION MO-211, VARIATION BC.
6-Bump micro SMD
NS Package Number BPA06HPB
X1 = 0.955 X2 = 1.615 X3 =0.850

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LM317L

NOTE: UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED.

1. EPOXY COATING
2. 63Sn/37Pb EUTECTIC BUMP.
3. RECOMMEND NON-SOLDER MASK DEFINED LANDING PAD.
4. PIN A1 IS ESTABLISHED BY LOWER LEFT CORNER WITH RESPECT TO TEXT ORIENTATION PINS ARE NUMBERED COUNTERCLOCKWISE.
5. XXX IN DRAWING NUMBER REPRESENTS PACKAGE SIZE VARIATION WHERE X1 IS PACKAGE WIDTH, X2 IS PACKAGE LENGTH AND X3 IS PACKAGE
HEIGHT.
6. REFERENCE JEDEC REGISTRATION MO-211, VARIATION BC.
6-Bump micro SMD
NS Package Number TPA06HPA
X1 = 0.955 X2 = 1.615 X3 =0.500

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 LM317L
Notes

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LM317L 3-Terminal Adjustable Regulator
Notes

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