Howdy,

I'm building a little gizmo to turn a tiny DC motor off and on with a microcontroller. The motor is just a "signal" to a person, and goes on for about 500msec then is off for a few seconds, then comes on again. PWM is not used/needed, just off/on for a short period of time.

Here is the circuit:

Motor - 3V 70mA, used as a vibrator in cell phones
2N3904
AMS1117 3.3V regulator

I added the regulator to the circuit so that the motor always sees 3.3V, no matter what Vcc I choose at some time in the future.
With a voltage divider I'd have to change the value of the resistors.

Questions:
1. Is it bad practice to use a regulator as part of a switch like this?
2. Do you have a different suggestion that allows the motor to always see 3.3V but allow the overall circuit to see more volts?

Thanks again.

 

I can't think of a better solution, unless you were to use a small switching regulator. What is the range of supply voltages you might apply in the future?

 

Nothing too fancy. Maybe 5-12V

So it's not crazy to use a regulator like that? Good to know.

I hesitated to use the regulator like that because they are mostly fired up when the power is on,
and I've never seen them used "off" and "on".
But I can't argue with success - I breadboarded it and it works.

Thanks!

 

Nothing too fancy. Maybe 5-12V

So it's not crazy to use a regulator like that? Good to know.

I hesitated to use the regulator like that because they are mostly fired up when the power is on,
and I've never seen them used "off" and "on".
But I can't argue with success - I breadboarded it and it works.

Thanks!

Just keep in mind that you might not want to touch it if you use a 12V supply. The power dissipation will be (12-3.3)*0.07=609mW. The part will survive, but you might get a blister.

 

It's worth considering to build a small buck converter (you need a PNP for that)- using a pulse train from the controller designed for that motor load. So you don't need feedback actually.

You can save the voltage regulator, and you can do away with the heating as well.

Just a matter of experimentation. Something between 220uH and 2000uH may work as inductor, and maybe a BC327. The 2n3906 is not so much capable, may work on it's margin, but I do not know. You need a small cap (100u) and a flyback diode as well.

20 KHz or something would be nice otherwise you will hear a noise.

 

Do also consider the quiescent current in the regulator- flows at all times in this circuit, wasting power.

Another idea is to find a regulator with a SHUTDOWN input and do away with the transistor switch- AND reduce the standby power consumption.

 

Just keep in mind that you might not want to touch it if you use a 12V supply. The power dissipation will be (12-3.3)*0.07=609mW. The part will survive, but you might get a blister.

Ah yes! The infamous "touch test" - I have more that one scar related to that advanced electronic technique!

It's worth considering to build a small buck converter (you need a PNP for that)- using a pulse train from the controller designed for that motor load. So you don't need feedback actually.You can save the voltage regulator, and you can do away with the heating as well.Just a matter of experimentation. Something between 220uH and 2000uH may work as inductor, and maybe a BC327. The 2n3906 is not so much capable, may work on it's margin, but I do not know. You need a small cap (100u) and a flyback diode as well.
20 KHz or something would be nice otherwise you will hear a noise.

VERY interesting idea - an analog of PWM, but it lowers voltage - never thought of that.
I'll experiment a bit.

Do also consider the quiescent current in the regulator- flows at all times in this circuit, wasting power.
Another idea is to find a regulator with a SHUTDOWN input and do away with the transistor switch- AND reduce the standby power consumption.

This is actually an important issue because I imagine the entire device being attached to a person and run on a battery. I find from the datasheet that it is 5-11 mA, so not trivial.

"Shutdown" exists on an LT1129 - very nice.

-------------------
Again, excellent ideas.
I thank you all.

 

Would you even need a regulator? DC motors are usually very forgiving to over voltages. Other than turning faster. For the length of time that the motor would run vs the time it is off, you would probably generate less heat in the motor than in the regulator.

 

Would you even need a regulator? DC motors are usually very forgiving to over voltages. Other than turning faster. For the length of time that the motor would run vs the time it is off, you would probably generate less heat in the motor than in the regulator.

Certainly a possibility. I ran it at 5V with no problems, and since it will be on for such a short time it may not damage the motor.

 

A resistor would do as well as the regulator because it is a single use. Change resistor for supply voltage change.

 

Another thought: You could connect the motor from the transistor emitter to ground. If the microprocessor output is 5V, then the emitter voltage across the motor will be about 4.3V. You could add a rectifier or two in series with the motor to further reduce the voltage (each diode will drop about 0.7V). Note that the transistor (and diode) will now be dissipating the power.

 

A resistor would do as well as the regulator because it is a single use. Change resistor for supply voltage change.

Yes, that voltage divider might be useful.

Another thought: You could connect the motor from the transistor emitter to ground. If the microprocessor output is 5V, then the emitter voltage across the motor will be about 4.3V. You could add a rectifier or two in series with the motor to further reduce the voltage (each diode will drop about 0.7V). Note that the transistor (and diode) will now be dissipating the power.
Ok, very nice.

This is one of those example of using "internal resistance" to control voltage/current outside of the transistor.

I've seen that concept on the forum for LEDs, where you may not need a current limiting resistor in particular situations.

The diode idea is also interesting. I read about that in the context of rectification of power supplies.

Very nice. Thanks!

PS - Do you always consider the words "rectifier" and "diode" as equal?

 

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PS - Do you always consider the words "rectifier" and "diode" as equal?

Technically a diode refers to a electronic device that only conducts current in one direction whereas rectifier refers to a device that converts (rectifies) alternating current to direct current (it could even be mechanical such as occurs in a DC generator commutator). But commonly rectifier refers to a semiconductor diode that carries a higher current rating than a small-signal diode.