One big regutator or several small ones....

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Gibson486

Joined Jul 20, 2012
355
I am doing this circuit that has 15 pic controllers that control proportional valves with PWM....Am I better off having 15 small regulators or one really big one?
 
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wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
My preference, for efficiency of parts and design effort, would be to invest in a single supply and make it to the appropriate specs (voltage, amps, ripple, and so on).
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,720
Depends on the voltage and current each module consumes and the distance separating the module from the main power supply.
 

crutschow

Joined Mar 14, 2008
34,285
In some cases, for remote loads, a main DC supply is used (switching type if you want good efficiency) generating a voltage output slightly above the desired voltage with a low-dropout linear regulator at each load point to give good local regulation and decoupling of the power.
 
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