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Step 2Regulating your voltage.
Our next step involves the Voltage Regulator. This is a small integrated circuit (called a "chip") that will hold our wall wart voltage stable at a level we decide upon, and also provide some circuit protection. This is where the road forks in two directions - fixed voltage and variable voltage.
FIXED VOLTAGE (AKA "The Ronin Wart"): This is a WAY simple circuit. the 78XX series of chips are fixed voltage regulators. The 7805 and 7812 (5V and 12V) are most common, and readily available at your local Radioshack (though it will cost more than ordering it online). You can also get a 9 Volt 7809. I call this the "Ronin Wart" after the term for a samurai who's master has died. Give your poor wandering warts a new purpose. We will build this in the next step.
VARIABLE VOLTAGE (AKA "The Franken-Wart"): It requires more components and "frankensteining" to build this circuit (which is why I call it the Franken-Wart), but it is worth it for it's versatility. It is based on the LM317 variable regulator and a potentiometer to vary the voltage. We'll look at this in step 4.
FIXED VOLTAGE (AKA "The Ronin Wart"): This is a WAY simple circuit. the 78XX series of chips are fixed voltage regulators. The 7805 and 7812 (5V and 12V) are most common, and readily available at your local Radioshack (though it will cost more than ordering it online). You can also get a 9 Volt 7809. I call this the "Ronin Wart" after the term for a samurai who's master has died. Give your poor wandering warts a new purpose. We will build this in the next step.
VARIABLE VOLTAGE (AKA "The Franken-Wart"): It requires more components and "frankensteining" to build this circuit (which is why I call it the Franken-Wart), but it is worth it for it's versatility. It is based on the LM317 variable regulator and a potentiometer to vary the voltage. We'll look at this in step 4.
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