I've spent a few hours now searching around the wonders of the Internet trying to find a compact and moderately cheap way to turn 60vdc to 5vdc at around 1A.

At first I thought maybe a transistor yet I can't really find anything better than a 7085 which has a maximum input voltage of 40v. Any transistor I try to find is too expensive or doesn't fit my needs. My next plan was perhaps a tiny buck/step down converter, but not much luck there within my provided limits.

I'm ultamately trying to stick a small circuit inside of a lightbulb, with maybe a tiny bit sticking out...
Any suggestions?

 

http://www.ti.com/ww/en/simple_switcher/index.html

 

LM46002. 60V @2amp

http://www.ti.com/product/LM46002

 

http://www.ti.com/ww/en/simple_switcher/index.html

Wow, there is really an electronic part for everything. If I ended up putting 60.1v through a 60v input would some magic smoke be let out or does it give a little? Normally I'd be safe and get a 75v but the 75v versions don't come in synchronized variants and well I don't want things getting too hot.. Although the 3 pins are perhaps the easiest, the external components for the circuit might be a little too big for a lightbulb housing. (Although same issue might apply for the multi-pins as well)

 

Another option would be to perhaps hold the input voltage just below 60v using a resistor if needed?

 

Another option would be to perhaps hold the input voltage just below 60v using a resistor if needed?

Do you really only need 1A at the 5V load (not at the input)? That might be only ~100mA at the 60V input.
A resistor divider is not usually a great idea but dropping a couple volts at just 100mA is not a huge power loss. (A single resistor does not do the job, since it drops no voltage when there's no current flowing.) You might be able to find a 60V zener rated to at least 100mA and use that to protect your regulator input.

Depending on your need for lifetime and reliability, and for the ability to withstand excess voltage, running the IC at or slightly above the specified maximum might be a prudent risk that you could get away with. So it goes bad every 2-5 years. Is that a deal-breaker?

 

You gave no range of current, only, "1 amp". If your load is always the same, a resistor can do the job. Losing 55 volts at 1 amp requires 55 ohms rated at about 100 watts. That is not small, but it is simple. Any analog answer like an LM317HV or a simple transistor regulator is going to dissipate 55 watts, therefore, you must need a switching regulator. The TI site I posted is the, "state of the art" for small switching regulators. If you can't get where you're going from there, you are stuck. The fact that you had an idea doesn't make the idea feasible.

Warning, I feel a rant coming on.
We get plenty of people posting ideas, and it seems they believe anything they can imagine can be done. "Hi. I don't even know how to solder well, but I have an idea for a Bluetooth and a GPS receiver. Please design it for me so I can build it."
You aren't that crazy, but sometimes you can't get there from here. (I did one design that had to wait 10 years before the technology to build it became available.) The best you can do for us is to give as many details as you believe are true. That reduces the number of questions and answers we have to go through to negotiate what you really need and the best way to do it. Just know this: We help people every day, but sometimes their imagination exceeds their skill set, or even what is available to make the thing with.

[end rant]

 

You gave no range of current, only, "1 amp". If your load is always the same, a resistor can do the job. Losing 55 volts at 1 amp requires 55 ohms rated at about 100 watts. That is not small, but it is simple. Any analog answer like an LM317HV or a simple transistor regulator is going to dissipate 55 watts, therefore, you must need a switching regulator. The TI site I posted is the, "state of the art" for small switching regulators. If you can't get where you're going from there, you are stuck. The fact that you had an idea doesn't make the idea feasible.

Warning, I feel a rant coming on.
We get plenty of people posting ideas, and it seems they believe anything they can imagine can be done. "Hi. I don't even know how to solder well, but I have an idea for a Bluetooth and a GPS receiver. Please design it for me so I can build it."
You aren't that crazy, but sometimes you can't get there from here. (I did one design that had to wait 10 years before the technology to build it became available.) The best you can do for us is to give as many details as you believe are true. That reduces the number of questions and answers we have to go through to negotiate what you really need and the best way to do it. Just know this: We help people every day, but sometimes their imagination exceeds their skill set, or even what is available to make the thing with.

[end rant]

A very well put rant. I appreciate the TI post as I had no idea they existed, and well that was the ultimate purpose of me making this post. Although, you definitely are right I need to do a little better on the fine details rather than just talking about what my project is and what I need to accomplish. My input amperage really didn't matter and that's why I had left it out previously. (3A)

 

Do you really only need 1A at the 5V load (not at the input)? That might be only ~100mA at the 60V input.
A resistor divider is not usually a great idea but dropping a couple volts at just 100mA is not a huge power loss. (A single resistor does not do the job, since it drops no voltage when there's no current flowing.) You might be able to find a 60V zener rated to at least 100mA and use that to protect your regulator input.

Depending on your need for lifetime and reliability, and for the ability to withstand excess voltage, running the IC at or slightly above the specified maximum might be a prudent risk that you could get away with. So it goes bad every 2-5 years. Is that a deal-breaker?

I appreciate the input on excess voltage. Ill probabally end up skipping a zener.