Switching LM317 Output ON/OFF Using NPN Transistor Between R2 and GND—Is It Safe?

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Can I switch an LM317 output on and off by putting an NPN transistor between the lower resistor (R2) and ground, and will that cause startup problems?

No—disconnecting R2 will not cleanly turn the LM317 off; with the resistor out of circuit the LM317 behaves like a current limiter instead of a regulated voltage source [#21678360][#21678362] A better approach is to switch the LM317’s input supply with a P-channel FET (or PNP transistor), using an NPN/NFET from the microcontroller to pull the PFET gate low and a pull-up to keep it off by default [#21678362][#21678365] If you need selectable fixed voltages such as 5 V, 2.5 V, and 1.25 V, keep a default resistor network and switch additional resistors in parallel rather than opening the lower leg completely [#21678361] Make sure each LM317 feeds a separate load; if outputs are tied together, they can backfeed through the adjust pin [#21678362] If the load is capacitive or inductive, add RC slowing on the PFET gate to reduce turn-on spikes and possible microcontroller resets [#21678362] For this use case, several replies also note that regulators with a dedicated enable pin would be simpler if you can choose a different part [#21678360]

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Using three LM317 regulators for microcontroller-controlled outputs
#1 21678357 24 Nov 2017 14:50

Rocket Ron Rocket Ron

Anonymous

Using three LM317 regulators for microcontroller-controlled outputs
Post #1 21678357 24 Nov 2017 14:50

Hi All,
Further to a post on the EPE site and a conversation with James:
I am now going to use three LM317 to set separate voltages 5V, 2.5V and 1.25V to supply 100mA. I want to switch these three separate voltages ON/OFF with three micro I/O pins. Can I switch the LM317 ON/OFF with an NPN in series between the bottom R2 resistor and GND. Would this switching ON/OFF in this manner crash the LM317 on startup?
Thanks,Tuurbo46
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LM317 datasheet method for digitally selecting output voltage
#2 21678358 24 Nov 2017 18:04

Alan Winstanley Alan Winstanley

Anonymous

LM317 datasheet method for digitally selecting output voltage
Post #2 21678358 24 Nov 2017 18:04

Hi there,

Thanks for joining us on EEWeb!

The original National Semiconductor datasheet for the LM317 shows how it's possible to digitally select output voltages with NPN transistors. The minimum output voltage would be 1.2V. You could switch the lower leg resistor with a series pull down NPN (use multiple transistors and resistor in parallel). In parallel with everything is another resistor (R2) between ADJ and 0V, which sets the maximum Vout. So you shunt R2 using transistors and resistors. I guess the LM317 will output a voltage ( 1.2V minimum), depending which I/O pin triggered it on startup.

Funnily enough in the latter 1970s I tried building my first bench PSU using an LM305 and LM395K (an interesting thermally protected TO3 transistor with 1 million gain). In 1980 I built a second one with LM317s here (PDF) with voltage and current limiting. The LM317 was very new at that time.
PFET high-side switching for LM317 outputs
#3 21678359 24 Nov 2017 19:07

Rocket Ron Rocket Ron

Anonymous

PFET high-side switching for LM317 outputs
Post #3 21678359 24 Nov 2017 19:07

Hi Alan,
Thanks for your input.
I think you miss took my explanation.I have 3 x I/O pins, 3 x LM317 and 3 different voltages 5V, 2.5V and 1.25V. I was thinking of switching ON/OFF each separate voltage using a NPN in series with R2 and GND.However I have decided to use a PFET in series with VIN on the LM317 (default setting off), and then a NPN on the gate connected to GND. The I/O pin is connected to the base of the transistor. When voltage is required, the I/O pin powers the base on the transistor.Is this a better method of doing it?
Thanks,Tuurbo46
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LM317 resistor switching would turn it into current limiter
#4 21678360 24 Nov 2017 20:35

Aubrey Kagan Aubrey Kagan

Anonymous

LM317 resistor switching would turn it into current limiter
Post #4 21678360 24 Nov 2017 20:35

Tuurbo46There are dozens of linear adjustable voltage references with an enable (on/off) control. It depends on your current, input voltage, output voltage and power dissipation. If you go to a site like Digikey and select linear regulators as an initial selection you can narrow down to one that suits your needs. Just as an instance of one of these, try the multi source LP2951Incidentally, your idea of using the LM317 and switching the resistor to ground would not work. With the resistpr out of circuit the LM317 becomes a current limiter circuit.
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Use resistor switching or op-amp DAC instead of LM317 shutdown
#5 21678361 25 Nov 2017 19:01

David Ashton David Ashton

Anonymous

Use resistor switching or op-amp DAC instead of LM317 shutdown
Post #5 21678361 25 Nov 2017 19:01

With regard to Aubrey's comment, the LP2951 is a fine IC but the reference voltage is given as (typical) 1.26 V so you would probably never get down to 1.25V, even shorting the ADJ pin with a transistor or a FET.
You can get round having an open resistor for R2 on the LM317, Have a default resistor for 5V and switch in resistors in parallel with that to reduce the voltage. That way you'll get a maximum of 5V. But you may still have problems with getting down to 1.25V.You could use a PNP transistor or a FET to switch the supply to the LM317 to disable the output.It sounds like you are not wanting a lot of current out of this, just precise voltages. So you could use only 2 pins on your micro feeding a basic D to A converter, feeding an op amp buffer, to get 0 - 1.25 - 2.5 - 5V for 00 / 01 / 10 / 11 pin outputs. BUT you'd probably need a higher supply voltage for the opamp (you might get away with a rail to rail opamp if you're not too fussy about the odd millivolts of error). But then if you are thinking of using the LM317 you'd have that higher supply available. Just make sure your opamp output can get as close to ground as possible (or use a negative supply as well).If any of this does not make sense come back and I'll try and give you more detail.
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PFET on VIN with gate pull-up recommended
#6 21678362 26 Nov 2017 02:24

Mike P OKeeffe Mike P OKeeffe

Anonymous

PFET on VIN with gate pull-up recommended
Post #6 21678362 26 Nov 2017 02:24

Hey Rocket Ron,I'm assuming you have some LM317s you want to use. I'm also assuming you want to potentially be able to use the 5V, 2.5V and 1.25V all at the same time? Meaning you want 3 voltage outputs instead of changing the voltage output. You're not providing power to an FPGA right? From the first post, disconnecting R2 from the circuit to turn it off will cause problems. Your suggested method of using a PFET in series on the VIN should work. Don't forget to add a pull up on the gate to make sure it turns off when the NPN is not being driven.You mention a 100mA current load, will each of these supplies be connected to the same output load? If the outputs of the 3 LM317's are all connected together, you may run into trouble. You might end up turning on each regulator through the adjust pin. If they are separate current loads, then no worries. The other problem you might run into is if the loads are capacitive or inductive. Turning them on could cause voltage spikes that could end up resetting your microcontroller. You may need to add an RC circuit to the base of the PFET to slow down the FET turn on.
PFET-switched LM317 design for ECU loads
#7 21678363 26 Nov 2017 04:03

Rocket Ron Rocket Ron

Anonymous

PFET-switched LM317 design for ECU loads
Post #7 21678363 26 Nov 2017 04:03

Hi All,
Thanks for all your input and helpful pointers.I don't really practice much in analog electronics, so I have picked the simplest design route that I believed would be the LM317. The reason I picked the LM317 was because Vout goes down to 1.25V, and only 2 simple resistor changes are required for 2.5V and 5V. If you know of a better chip that will do the same as the LM317 I would be happy to use that.Also Mike yes I will be switching each voltage ON/OFF one at a time, not all three at once. And this will be turning ON/OFF different loads. So 3x I/O pins, 3x PFETs, 3x LM317, 3x different Vouts, 3x different loads.So my undated design after all your comments, using 3 different LM317 modules:* Vin = 12V* Vout = 5V, 2.5V and 1.25V* Iout = ~100mA* Voltages switched ON/OFF using a PFET using pull-up resistor on Vin on the LM317. NPN or NFET used to activate PFET via I/O pin. Instead of using the NPN would you say it would be better to use an NFET for turning the PFET on?* Capacitors, Vin and Vout caps 1uF Electrolytics for fast response.* Schottky diode on Vout after capacitor. Also am I correct in thinking a standard schottky with 100mA passing though it, it will only drop ~0.1V?
Would you say this simple design will be reliable, or would you recommend another route? This design will be used for switching ON/OFF an ECU. If you can see any problem areas in my design I would be happy to reconsider.Many Thanks,
Tuurbo46
Schottky diode forward drop and dissipation explained
#8 21678364 26 Nov 2017 05:58

Mike P OKeeffe Mike P OKeeffe

Anonymous

Schottky diode forward drop and dissipation explained
Post #8 21678364 26 Nov 2017 05:58

What is the Schottky diode for? The LM317 should provide sufficient voltage regulation and protection.
They would typically range from 0.2V up to 0.8V. The forward voltage of the diode is related to the amount of current going through it. The more current, the higher the forward voltage (or voltage drop) and the more power being dissipated as a result. In this case 0.2V x 100mA = 20mW.
-Mike
Three LM317 outputs switched by P-channel FETs
#9 21678365 26 Nov 2017 06:33

David Ashton David Ashton

Anonymous

Three LM317 outputs switched by P-channel FETs
Post #9 21678365 26 Nov 2017 06:33

Rocket Ron - sorry, now seen you want 3 different outputs. That's easy, as you say 3 x LM317, and 3 fets to switch them off and on. As Mike says below, if you have the 3 LM317s feedig 3 different loads, don't bother with the schottky diodes. The will drop between 0.2 and 0.4 V depending on the current. If you really need them (and if your loads are constant) you could use presets to adjust your voltages to compensate so that your voltages are reasonably precise.
Your micro will only output 5V and I assume you'll be feeding your LM317s from 12V...if so use an NPN transistor on the pins, to pull down the gate of a P-channel FET (as someone said, use a pull-down resistor).
Parallel LM317 outputs need isolation diodes
#10 21678366 26 Nov 2017 17:52

Rocket Ron Rocket Ron

Anonymous

Parallel LM317 outputs need isolation diodes
Post #10 21678366 26 Nov 2017 17:52

Hi again,
In regard to the schottky diode I have just read the ecu datasheet again and I need to switch a 4th port. The problem is this ecu port requires two independent voltages 2.5v and 1.25v for two different functions. I was hoping i could use 2 more I/O pins, 2 more lm317 assembles with schottky doides on Vout and then join the outputs together and feed into the ecu port. Only one voltage will be selected at any given time. Could i remove the Vout diodes or would the backward voltage from the parallel lm317 blow the lm317 up?
Hope this makes sense?
Thanks,Rocket Ron
#11 21678367 27 Nov 2017 21:07

Rocket Ron Rocket Ron

Anonymous

Post #11
21678367 27 Nov 2017 21:07

Hi David,
Could advice me a model number for that DAC you previously mentioned.
Thanks,Rocket Ron.
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Topic summary

The discussion addresses the feasibility and safety of switching LM317 adjustable voltage regulator outputs ON/OFF using an NPN transistor placed in series between the lower resistor (R2) and ground. It is clarified that removing or switching the resistor to ground disrupts the LM317's voltage regulation, effectively turning it into a current limiter, which is not a safe or effective method for ON/OFF control. Instead, using a P-channel MOSFET (PFET) in series with the LM317 input voltage (Vin) combined with an NPN transistor to control the PFET gate is recommended for switching the regulator ON/OFF. This approach ensures the LM317 remains properly biased and avoids startup issues or damage. The discussion also highlights that multiple LM317 regulators can be used to provide separate fixed voltages (5V, 2.5V, 1.25V) each switched independently by microcontroller I/O pins controlling PFETs. Additional points include the impracticality of digitally switching the adjust pin resistor for voltage selection, the potential use of alternative linear regulators with enable pins (e.g., LP2951), and the importance of load isolation to prevent interaction between outputs. Schottky diodes on outputs are generally unnecessary unless compensating for voltage drops or protecting against backfeed when outputs are paralleled, which is discouraged. Suggestions for alternative solutions include using DACs with op-amp buffers for precise multi-level voltages. Overall, the recommended and safe method for ON/OFF control of LM317 outputs is switching the input supply line with PFETs controlled by microcontroller-driven NPN or N-channel transistors, rather than switching the resistor to ground.
AI summary based on the discussion. May contain errors.

Switching LM317 Output ON/OFF Using NPN Transistor Between R2 and GND—Is It Safe?

Can I switch an LM317 output on and off by putting an NPN transistor between the lower resistor (R2) and ground, and will that cause startup problems?

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