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Visitor II
April 27, 2026
Question

Thermal and SOA protection of L78M05AB regulator ?

  • April 27, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 73 views

I have some questions regarding the L78M05AB regulator IC.

sususu_0-1777282352680.png

1. Could you please investigate the temperature at which this IC's the thermal protection actually activates?

2. I have been informed that the thermal protection mechanism shuts down the output voltage.
    However, when we applied heat, we observed behavior suggesting that the output appears to remain at a constant level.
    If the temperature is kept at a specific value, will the output remain constant (for example, 3V)?"

3. Could you please clarify the behavior when SOA protection is triggered?
    Does the circuit limit the output, or does it enter a shutdown state?

4. Related to SOA protection, is there any case where the voltage is reduced and latched at a certain level?

5. Are there any restrictions or specifications regarding harmonics or noise on the input voltage of the regulator IC?

 
 

1 reply

Peter BENSCH
Technical Moderator
April 27, 2026

Welcome @sususu, to the community!

  1. The thermal shutdown typ. activates when the junction temperature reaches appr. 150°C
  2. When thermal protection is triggered, the output is no longer in normal regulation. It may drop, be limited, or appear to remain at a quasi-steady level depending on load, test conditions, and thermal cycling. A constant value such as 3V is not guaranteed regulation.
  3. When SOA protection is triggered, the device generally enters a protection mode with output current limiting and/or output voltage reduction. It is not intended to operate normally in that state.
  4. There is usually no true latch at a fixed reduced voltage; observed behaviour is more often due to current limiting or thermal cycling.
  5. For input harmonics/noise, there is no special harmonics requirement as such, but the input must remain within the absolute maximum ratings and should avoid excessive ripple, spikes, or HF noise. Please use decoupling capacitors at the input.

Does it answer your questions?

Regards
/Peter