You develop the reference-design procedure with a zener diode; the zener's simplicity illustrates the design procedure, and its problems make you appreciate IC references. The circuit specifications ...

The design reverse biases the base-emitter junction which results in a roughly 8V breakdown voltage. Essentially, this transistor is being used as a poor-quality Zener diode.

For comparison a 12V Zener diode biased at 1 mA is also plotted. The LM317 sometimes gets a reputation in print as being an unacceptable regulator to use in low noise circuits, but with proper ...

This voltage regulator delivers smooth control of a constant voltage from 0 to 8 V. It protects the load against short circuits and indicates connection, overload, and output level. The series ...