I'm working on a project to build a bunch of modules that will control addressable LED strips over a decent distance using a 4 wire bus where two of the wires are supplying 12v power and two wires are used for a RS485 bus. The LED strips and transceiver ICs run at 5v so I need to step my voltage down at each module. In my testing circuits I've been using 7805 VRs but because each module can draw over .5 amp I'm worried about heat issues. The modules need to be small to fit in their final locations so I don't have a lot of room for a large heat sink. So I'm trying to find a non-linear option to reduce heat issues that is of relatively in expensive due to the number of these I need to build and small due to the space limits.
At present I'm looking at the MC34167TG as a possible solution but I've never used these before and haven't been able to find any real examples of others using them for projects. has anyone used these in a project before and could provide some feedback or possibly suggest another option for this application?
At present I'm looking at the MC34167TG as a possible solution but I've never used these before and haven't been able to find any real examples of others using them for projects. has anyone used these in a project before and could provide some feedback or possibly suggest another option for this application?