Electronics Help

[sinkoman]

i'm using an LM317T to dial a run of the mill 9Volt battery down to 6Volts.

Will I need a heatsink?

 

[Murray_H]

 

[Stigmata]

I have no idea about electronics, I'm sure someone else can help, sorry dude

 

[mindless_moder]

yes with thermal paste ...err yeah. atleast i think so..

 

[sinkoman]

yes with thermal paste ...err yeah. atleast i think so..

so yes, I WOULD need a heatsink?

Because i'd love to do this without one

Nother question.

I'm using the following circuit to dial a run of the mill 9v battery to about 6volts.

R1 is a 10 ohm 1/4 resistor.

D1 (a zener diode) is a 1N735.

When I powered the circuit up, everything worked fine at first, and then after a few seconds R1 started getting really really REALLY hot, and the circuit that this whole thing was powering started spazzing out.

I disconnected it and cut R1 immediately to shut everything down.

I want to know, is it safe to run this circuit without R1? I've made zener regulators for fun without Resistors alongside the Diode, and they worked fine, but I really really REALLY want to be sure that this setup will work without the resistor, or if i'll need to get a higher heat capacitance resistor, or if i'm using a resistor with too much impedance.

 

[Shamrock]

I have no idea about electronics, I'm sure someone else can help, sorry dude

Ehem.

I approve.

 

[Parrot of doom]

All you need to know is the current flowing through the component, and the maximum wattage that that component will dissapate. You have all the other answers.

 

[sinkoman]

All you need to know is the current flowing through the component, and the maximum wattage that that component will dissapate. You have all the other answers.

Well, I tried using the formulae from the manufacturers data sheets, and since I, at the moment, am unable to measure current draw of the circuit this will be powering, they ended up being useless.

But I tried building regulator anyway, and ended up going makeshift, and thermal pasting it to one of those metal pieces that you find at the back of your PC case (the ones you have to remove to install something like a video card)

 

[Dan]

I don't know a lot of practical electronics, just what I learn in school. But perhaps a voltage divider would work in this case.