Table 2. Recommended Ballast Transistors
Part
Manufacturer
Recommended derivative
BCP68
ON semi
BCP68
Infineon
BCP68-10
NXP
BCP68-10; BCP68-25
Fairchild
BCP68-10; BCP68-25
BCX68
Infineon
BCX68-10;BCX68-16; BCX68-25
Fairchild
BCX68
BC817
Infineon
BC817-16; BC817-25; BC817SU
NXP
BC817-16; BC817-25
Fairchild
BC817-16;BC817-25; BC817-40
BCP56
ON semi
BCP56-10
Infineon
BCP56-10; BCP56-16
NXP
BCP56-10; BCP56-16
Fairchild
BCP56
ST
BCP56-16
The ballast transistor provides regulator stability. Stability refers to the way which the regulator reacts to changes in the load.
An unstable circuit may enter a state of continuous oscillation.
Figure 1 represents a typical example of the ballast transistor circuitry.
Power Supply
Hardware Design Guide, Rev. 0, 2012
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
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