MAKE subscriber S1axter, of myBitBox, has put together details on building a basic, filtered 5v power regulation unit based on the ubiquitous LM7805 voltage regulator. You can either build it out of a handful of parts you can get at your local electronics shack, or buy a little kit he’s put together.
Standalone Voltage Regulator
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Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. And he has a new best-of writing collection and “lazy man’s memoir,” called Borg Like Me.
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Not bad, but the 7805 regulator needs a penny heatsink. :*)
Dave
Add a transformer and heatsink, put it in a nice box with 5-way posts, make a set of them at different voltages, and that’s what my dad made about 35 years ago and I still use sometimes to this day.
http://www.romanblack.com/smps/smps.htm
and wants its 7805 back.
There are switching regulators out there, so use them.
e.g. LM2576 T-ADJ: 3A, 1,23 – 37V, 45Vs, TO-220-5
Additional external components needed are more or less 2 inductors. The datasheet has lots of suggestions on how to build different versions.