Every electronic system from power tools in your home to the car you drive, depends on one invisible hero, a reliable voltage regulation. Without it, processors crash, sensors misread, and batteries drain too quickly.
At onsemi, we’ve spent decades perfecting this foundation. From the legacy regulators that powered radios and TVs to today’s precision Low Dropout Regulators (LDOs) that keep power tools, medical devices, and autonomous vehicles running flawlessly. In this blog we explore the enduring relevance of traditional regulators and the advanced capabilities of onsemi’s latest LDO offerings.
Legacy Voltage Regulators: Still Relevant, Still Reliable
Before the era of AI, linear and switching regulators quietly kept consumer electronics and industrial systems going with a variety of strengths.
- Simplicity
- Reliability
- Cost-effectiveness
Despite the rise of more advanced solutions, legacy regulators remain useful in designs where space, cost, and complexity must be minimized. But as performance demands grow and precision becomes paramount, a new class of regulators takes center stage.
The Rise of LDOs: Precision Meets Performance
The “low dropout” characteristic refers to the minimal voltage difference required between input and output for proper regulation. This is crucial in battery-powered and energy-sensitive applications where every millivolt counts.
- Wearables and smart devices: Extend battery life by operating closer to the battery’s discharge voltage.
- Medical electronics: Deliver clean, stable power to sensitive sensors and analog front ends.
- Automotive systems: Regulate voltage in noisy environments with minimal overhead.
LDOs have become indispensable in modern electronics, especially where noise-sensitive analog and RF circuitry are involved. onsemi’s portfolio of LDOs stands out for its Wide VIN range, High Power Supply Rejection Ratio (PSRR), and Fast Transient Response, three critical features that define next-generation power regulation.
Wide VIN Range - onsemi LDOs support a broad input voltage range, enabling designers to use them in systems with varying supply voltages. With ranges from 3VIN – 65VIN this flexibility simplifies power architecture and reduces the need for multiple regulator types.
High PSRR - High PSRR is essential in applications like audio, RF, and precision analog where power supply noise can degrade performance. onsemi’s LDOs effectively suppress ripple and noise from upstream supplies, ensuring clean and stable output voltage. onsemi offers PSRR up to 98 dB NCP160 and for automotive applications the NCV8160 offers 98 dB.
Fast Transient Response - When a device powered by an LDO switches modes. For example, a device switches from sleep to active, the current demand can jump rapidly. This causes a temporary disturbance in the output voltage. During this period of a voltage transient, fast response from the LDO is crucial in handling this dynamic event.
Why Transient Response Matters
When the load current suddenly increases, the LDO must quickly adjust its output to maintain a stable voltage. Poor transient response can cause voltage to undershoot, potentially leading to processor malfunction or reset, data corruption, reduced performance or reliability. The NCP5662 reacts very quickly to load changes, 1-3us recovery at up to 2A output, minimizing voltage dips or overshoots. This ensures stable operation of sensitive digital components, reduced need for large output capacitors, saving board space and cost, and finally improved battery efficiency, as the regulator doesn’t overcompensate or waste power.
Built for Automotive: Reliability Under Pressure
Automotive systems face extreme heat, vibration, and voltage spikes conditions where reliability is non negotiable. onsemi’s automotive LDOs rise to the challenge with AEC Q100 qualification and robust protection features.
- Wide Temperature Range: Operates from Grade 0 to Grade 3, up to +150°C, making them ideal for both under hood and cabin environments.
- Built In Protections: Reverse battery, short circuit, and thermal shutdown reduce external components, saving space and cost while boosting system resilience.
- Smart Safety Features: Programmable reset delays and early warning outputs ensure safe startup and fault detection in ECUs and safety critical modules.
- Wide Input Voltage: Direct battery connection up to 90V, handling transients without extra circuitry.
- Compact Packaging: DFN, DPAK, SOIC, and TSOP formats deliver high thermal efficiency in space constrained PCBs.
From instrument clusters to camera systems and body control units, onsemi’s LDOs provide the clean, dependable power that modern automotive electronics demand.
Tracking LDOs: Perfect Synchronization
Tracking LDOs are a specialized class of regulators designed to follow the voltage of another rail, maintaining a fixed offset or ratio. Tracking accuracy in a tracking LDO regulator refers to how closely the output voltage follows a reference voltage or another power rail. This is especially important in systems where multiple voltage domains must maintain a precise relationship to ensure proper operation and avoid damaging components. The NCV8184 is a low dropout tracking regulator capable of delivering 70mA while providing an adjustable buffered output voltage that closely tracks (±3 mV) the reference input. This is particularly useful in:
- Automotive sensor applications – off-board sensors, long cable runs, and voltage synchronization
- FPGA and ASIC power sequencing
- DDR memory systems
- Multi-rail analog front ends
Advantages of Tracking LDOs
Simplified sequencing: Ensures proper startup and shutdown order with VREF/ENABLE pin. Reduced stress: Minimizes voltage differential between rails, protecting components. Improved system stability: Maintains consistent voltage relationships across power domains. onsemi’s tracking LDOs offer precision and flexibility, making them ideal for complex systems with tight power coordination requirements.
Tracking LDOs are used in automotive applications:
- Provide accurate power to off board sensors throughout the vehicle.
Sensor’s accuracy is dependent on trackers accuracy
- Provide robust protection from faults on the cabling between the Tracking LDO and Sensor
Cables are prone to ground and battery faults
Treo LDOs - New generation of high-performance linear regulators
The onsemi Treo LDOs, such as the T30LMPSR131 and T30LAPSR165, represent a new generation of high-performance linear regulators designed for demanding automotive and industrial applications. Built on onsemi’s advanced 65nm Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS (BCD) process, these devices combine ultra-fast transient response, low dropout voltage, and robust thermal performance in compact packages. The T30LAPSR165, for example, delivers up to 300 mA with a dropout voltage of just 26 mV, and achieves a transient response time of 1 µs, making it ideal for systems with fast sampling rates or dynamic load conditions.
These Treo LDOs are optimized for noise-sensitive environments, offering high PSRR and very low output noise, which is crucial for powering analog sensors, ADAS modules, and precision control systems. Their low quiescent current and wide input voltage range (up to 90V across the Treo platform) make them suitable for both always-on and high-voltage automotive subsystems.
Additionally, the Treo Platform’s modular architecture enables seamless integration of power management, sensing, and communication functions, reducing system complexity and accelerating time-to-market. With built-in protections like thermal shutdown, overcurrent protection, and reverse polarity tolerance, Treo LDOs enhance system reliability while minimizing external component requirements.
Powering the Future with onsemi Voltage Regulators and LDO Voltage Regulators
From legacy regulators to Treo LDOs, onsemi’s portfolio empowers engineers to design smarter, more reliable, and more efficient systems. Whether you’re building consumer electronics, industrial automation, or next-generation vehicles, our regulators deliver:
- Performance you can trust
- Protection you can rely on
- Flexibility to meet tomorrow’s challenges
Explore how onsemi’s Low Dropout Regulators can power your next innovation.
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