Could someone help me out with a simple 24v dc to16v dc converter please. I have a power pack with 230/240V 50Hz input and an output 24v 15.6 VA.

Thank you in advance,
ianb26

 

Since there are ons of products for dollar or two.that do thr job, why not get one like that.
One simple option is to connect series resistor but this nees to be sized correctly and will bot be regulated.
You can use 7815 to get 15V. Inserting diode in gnd pin will lift it up by about 0.6V which should be close enough for anything.

 

How much current do you need at 16V?
You have 24V 15.6 VA 0.65A.
A linear regulator like the 7815 will reduce the voltage to 15V 0.65A.
A LM317t with two resistors can make 16V 0.65A. (voltage is set by two resistors)
If you need more current, there is a way.

 

Thank you both for your replies. A little more info for you. The 16V is for a CDU (Capacitor Discharge Unit) For "throwing" points (turnouts) on a model railway. The CDU can work on both AC & DC supplies. I hope that clarifies my post.

 

It sounds like the 16V voltage doesn’t need to be precise.
A simple zener regulator should be sufficient:

 

I have delved further into the power pack which I would be using, and discovered that its output voltage is 27.3V AC not 24VAC. I'm attaching a jpg of the circuit.

I got this circuit from a post on All About Circuits entitled "16v Power Supply from 24V one?" From what I can gather it was posted on April 3 2010. It was the 10th reply on that particular post, with further comments after that post. So I thought it would help if I attached my larger size version.

I hope that this may help, as I was assuming the output of the power pack was DC and not AC.

 

Go for the LMR38010. Just use the circuit in the datasheet. Needs 5 other components plus decoupling capacitors. Works first time. Efficient. Needs no heatsink. Works with standard off-the-shelf inductors.
And there's an LMR38020 if you need more than 1Amp.
[Edit] if you have 24V AC, then add a bridge rectifier and a smoothing capacitor.

 

I have delved further into the power pack which I would be using, and discovered that its output voltage is 27.3V AC not 24VAC. I'm attaching a jpg of the circuit.

I got this circuit from a post on All About Circuits entitled "16v Power Supply from 24V one?" From what I can gather it was posted on April 3 2010. It was the 10th reply on that particular post, with further comments after that post. So I thought it would help if I attached my larger size version.

I hope that this may help, as I was assuming the output of the power pack was DC and not AC.View attachment 356254

LM317 works with DC only.

 

To get 16VAC from 24VAC (or 27.3VAC), you would need a transformer. I suspect that 27.3VAC is under no load, and voltage would drop to 24VAC under rated load (15.6VA).
You may find it easier to find a 230/240VAC to 16VAC transformer, like typical wall-warts. You can often find an assortment of those in good will shops and the like...

 

Because it is AC you should just get a 16V transformer.
amazon

 

Exactly what Ron said!
Simple, cheap and 99.99% foolproof.