How to Design a Zener Diode Shunt Regulator Circuit

In this video, I explain the steps that are needed to design a simple shunt regulator circuit using a Zener diode / voltage regulator diode. I provide the basic details for this electronic circuit design for this voltage stabiliser circuit.
This shunt regulator circuit design can be used on its own, or it can be used as the basis of other transistor or FET regulator circuits.
In this video I outline the basic circuit details along with the calculations needed for the resistor, etc in this basic Zener diode regulator or voltage stabiliser circuit. I take a look at the power dissipation levels for the components because it is necessary to ensure that none of the components is over-stressed. Burn-out of the components is certainly not needed!
In the video I state that the max current for the diode should be sufficient to accommodate variations in the load current. For this example it was assumed that the load was unlikely to be completely removed - this can happen in some applications and the maximum Zener current should be the complete current with none passing to the load.
Having designed the basic circuit, I then go on to look at versions of the voltage regulator circuit that can enable higher current levels to be provided using emitter follower transistor circuits. I also detail some important points that need to be noted when designing these transistor circuits.
Information about linear voltage regulators including some Zener diode circuits: www.electronics-notes.com/art...
Video detailing Zener diodes and what they are: • Understanding Zener Di...
More information so you can understand about Zener reference voltage diodes and their uses in electronic circuit designs can be found at: www.electronics-notes.com/art...
Information about the theory of operation and breakdown mechanisms:
www.electronics-notes.com/art...
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[@ricksampson6780]

Excellent, can you please consider presenting a basic overview of analog delay lines, cheers.

[@ElectronicsNotes]

I’m glad you found the video useful. I was experimenting a little with a longer design format, so I’ll consider making one about analogue delay lines. Thanks for the idea.

[@75supercourse]

Excellent presemtation. A minor quibble with the power computation for the zener itself: I'd rather do that for the worst case scenario, where the zener is sinking all of the current. You'd probably pick the same component, but you'd recognize the headroom was a bit tighter.

[@ElectronicsNotes]

I did wonder about that when I made the video but thinking that it was likely to be used in a fixed circuit I opted to add the extra headroom. Possibly I should have mentioned that - I’ll put a comment about that in the description area. Thanks for commenting.

[@mikebarton3218]

Nice picture of Stonehenge. Are you close to there? Interesting video. Thanks. Mike

[@ElectronicsNotes]

Not sure where the Stonehenge image is????? I am about 85 miles away from it.

[@zdzisawdyrman4457]

​@@ElectronicsNotes on your wall above you

[@ElectronicsNotes]

Ah yes - I hadn’t thought about that. It was a photo I took many years ago and one I like. I took it one evening as we were passing around sunset.

[@ahmedalshalchi]

... and it is also used as a hell thermal noise generator ...

[@ElectronicsNotes]

Any breakdown mechanism will be noisy - so yes that are good noise generators.

[@ahmedalshalchi]

@@ElectronicsNotes What do you mean by ( breakdown ) ?.... Signal linearity breakdown ?!... Zener diodes don't breakdown linearity but their thermal coefficient is soooo bad that you can't dismiss its effect at all for all load variations ...

[@lyntonblair9016]

would a shunt regulator also be required for the second transitor bias?

[@ElectronicsNotes]

The circuit works as it is - the output transistor gets its bias from the one connected directly to the Zener - thus us a standard Darlington configuration.

[@lyntonblair9016]

@@ElectronicsNotes thanks. I guess the bias voltage toleraince of the output transistors explains it?