Hey all,

I'm trying to regulate a LiPo down to 3.3V. I'm also trying to minimize battery impact. The voltage difference is too low for a linear regulator, so I'm thinking my only options are a zener and a switching regulator.

I'm not experienced with either. The part count involved in a buck reg is a turn-off. I'm a little confused about how an MCU would interact with a zener - I'd need to maintain 10mA across the zener, and the MCU would draw varying levels of current...

Any suggestions/pointers?

Thanks in advance.

 

I may have misunderstood but...

Considering a discharged lithium ion polymer cell is 2.7V you are going to have to use a buck/boost type switcher if you wish to take advantage of a full charge.

 

I'm okay with hitting the recharge station once it sags below 3.3v and my system shuts down, so I'm not worried about the low end. I _am_ worried about keeping the voltage supplied to the rest of the circuit under 3.6v though (meddlesome max operating conditions and all).

 

Oop, stumbled across LDOs online. Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.