The LP2950 and LP2951 are micropower voltage regulators with very low quiescent current (75µA typ.) and very low dropout voltage (typ. 40mV at light loads and 380mV at 100mA). They are ideally suited for use in battery-powered systems. Furthermore, the quiescent current of the LP2950/LP2951 increases only slightly in dropout, prolonging battery life.

The LP2950-5.0 is available in the surface-mount D-Pak package, and in the popular 3-pin TO-92 package for pin-compatibility with older 5V regulators. The 8-lead LP2951 is available in plastic, ceramic dual-in-line, LLP, or metal can packages and offers additional system functions.

One such feature is an error flag output which warns of a low output voltage, often due to falling batteries on the input. It may be used for a power-on reset. A second feature is the logic-compatible shutdown input which enables the regulator to be switched on and off. Also, the part may be pin-strapped for a 5V, 3V, or 3.3V output (depending on the version), or programmed from 1.24V to 29V with an external pair of resistors.

Careful design of the LP2950/LP2951 has minimized all contributions to the error budget. This includes a tight initial tolerance (.5% typ.), extremely good load and line regulation (.05% typ.) and a very low output voltage temperature coefficient, making the part useful as a low-power voltage reference.