KeepItSimpleStupid
- Joined Mar 4, 2014
- 5,088
Actually 37 V. It's in the details. 40 refers to the max differential voltage. There's 3 Volt drop across the regulator, so then the input to the regulator has to be <=37 V.LM317 can tolerate 40Vmax at its input.
I remember that number from the National Semiconductor Databook. When I read the 40, I wondered where it came from.