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2 Best Current Limiter Circuits Explained

Last Updated on June 1, 2026 by Swagatam 335 Comments

In this post I have explained 2 simple universal current controller circuits which can be used for safely operating any desired high watt LED.

Table of Contents
  • Why Current Limiting is Crucial for LEDs
    • Calculating the Current Limiter Resistor
    • Application Circuits
      • 30 watt Constant Current LED Driver Circuit
  • Restricting LED Current using Transistors
    • PNP Version of the Above Circuit
    • How to Calculate the resistors
    • Using MOSFET for Higher Current Applications
    • Variable Current Limiter Circuit
    • Using a Darlington Transistor
      • Another Simple Current Limiter Circuit
    • Adjustable Current Controller Circuit using IC 741

The universal high watt LED current limiter circuit explained here can be integrated with any crude DC supply source for getting an outstanding over current protection for the connected high watt LEDs.

Why Current Limiting is Crucial for LEDs

We know that LEDs are highly efficient devices which are able to produce dazzling illuminations at relatively lower consumption, however these devices are highly vulnerable especially to heat and current which are complementary parameters and affect an LED performance.

Especially with high watt LEds which tend to generate considerable heat, the above parameters become crucial issues.

If an LED is driven with higher current it will tend to get hot beyond tolerance and get destroyed, while conversely if the heat dissipation is not controlled the LED will start drawing more current until it gets destroyed.

In this blog we have studied a few versatile work horse ICs such as LM317, LM338, LM196 etc which are attributed with many outstanding power regulating capabilities.

LM317 is designed for handling currents up to 1.5 amps, LM338 will allow a maximum of 5 amps while LM196 is assigned for generating as high as 10 amps.

Here we utilize these devices for current limiting application for LEds in the most simplest possible ways:

The first circuit given below is simplicity in itself, using just one calculated resistor the IC can be configured as an accurate current controller or limiter.

current limiter schematic using LM317 IC
current limiter circuit diagram using LM317 IC, pictorial
PICTORIAL REPRESENTATION OF THE ABOVE CIRCUIT

Calculating the Current Limiter Resistor

The figure shows a variable resistor for setting the current control, however R1 can be replaced with a fixed resistor by calculating it using the following formula:

R1 (Limiting Resistor) = Vref/current

or R1 = 1.25/current.

R1 wattage = R x I2

Current may be different for different LEDs and can be calculated by dividing the optimal forward voltage with its wattage, for example for a 1watt LED, the current would be 1/3.3 = 0.3amps or 300 ma, current for other LEDs may be calculated in similar fashion.

The above figure would support a maximum of 1.5 amps, for larger current ranges, the IC may be simply replaced with an LM338 or LM196 as per the LED specs.

Application Circuits

Making a current controlled LED tubelight.

The above circuit can be very efficiently used for making precision current controlled LED tube light circuits.

A classic example is illustrated below, which can be easily modified as per the requirements and LED specs.

30 watt Constant Current LED Driver Circuit

Assume the LEDs to be 3.3 V, 10 watt, and Supply input to be 12 V

Current of LED becomes = 10 / 3.3 = 3 amps

The LM338 current limiter can be calculated using the formula

R1 = 1.25 / 3 = 0.41 Ohms

Wattage = R x I2 = 0.41 x 3 x 3 = 3.69 watts or 4 watts

30 watt led current limit circuit diagram

The series resistor connected with the three LEDs is calculated by using the following formula:

R = (supply voltage – Total LED forward voltage) / LED current

R(watts) = (supply voltage – Total LED forward voltage) x LED current

R = [12 - (3.3+3.3+3.3)]/3amps

R= (12 - 9.9)/3

R = 0.7 ohms

R watts = V x A = (12 - 9.9) x 3 = 2.1 x 3 = 6.3 watts

Restricting LED Current using Transistors

In case you do not have an access to the IC LM338 or if the device unavailable in your area, then you could simply configure a few transistors or BJTs and form an effective current limiter circuit for your LED.

The schematic for the current control circuit using transistors can be seen below. The design is an example for a 100 watt LED current limiter, with 35V as the input supply and the 2.5 amp as the maximum current limit.

NPN transistor based LED current limiter circuit diagram

PNP Version of the Above Circuit

PNP transistor based LED current limiter circuit diagram

How to Calculate the resistors

In order to determine R1 you may use the following formula:

R1 = (Us - 0.7)Hfe/Load Current,

where Us = supply voltage, Hfe = T1 forward current gain, Load current = LED current = 100W/35V = 2.5 amps

R1 = (35 - 0.7)30/2.5= 410 Ohms,

Wattage for the above resistor would be P = V2 / R = 35 x 35 / 410  = 2.98 or 3 watts

R2 may be calculated as shown below:

R2 = 0.7/LED current
R2 = 0.7/2.5 = 0.3 ohms,
wattage may be calculated as = 0.7 x 2.5 = 2 watts

Using MOSFET for Higher Current Applications

MOSFETs are more efficient than BJTs in terms of handling higher current and wattage. therefore, for applications that require high current limiting, for high wattage loads, a MOSFET can be used in place of T1.

The current handling capacity of the MOSFET will depend on its VDS and IDS ratings, with respect to the case temperature. Meaning, the MOSFET will be able to tolerate the amount of current defined by the product of its VDS x IDS, provided the case temperature does not exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

This may appear practically impossible, therefore the actual limit will be defined by the amount of VDS and IDS that allows the device to work below the 40 degrees Celsius mark.

The above BJT based current limit circuits can be upgraded by replacing T1 with a MOSFET as shown below:

The resistor value calculations will remain the same as discussed above for the BJT version

mosfet based constant current limit circuit diagram

Variable Current Limiter Circuit

We can easily convert the above fixed current limiter into a versatile variable current limiter circuit.

mosfet based adjustable current limiter circuit diagram

Using a Darlington Transistor

This current controller circuit features a Darlington pair T2/T3 coupled with T1 to implement a negative feedback loop.

enhanced BJT based constant current limit circuit diagram

The working can be understood as follows. Let's say the input supply the source current I starts rising due to high consumption by the load for some reason.

This will result in an increase in the potential across R3, causing the T1 base/emitter potential to rise and a conduction across its collector emitter.

This would in turn cause the base bias of the Darlington pair to start getting more grounded. Due to this the current increase would get countered and restricted through the load.

The inclusion of R2 pull up resistor makes sure that T1 always conducts with a constant current value (I) as set by the following formula. Thus the supply voltage fluctuations have no effect on the current limiting action of the circuit

R3 = 0.6 / I

Here, I is the current limit in amps as required by the application.

Another Simple Current Limiter Circuit

This concept uses a simple BJT common collector circuit. which gets its base bias from a 5 k variable resistor.

This pot helps the user to adjust or set the maximum cut off current for the output load.

With the values shown, the output cut off current or current limit can be set from 5 mA to 500 mA.

single BJT current limiter circuit diagram and characteristics  waveform

Although, from the graph we can realize that the current cut-off process is not very sharp, yet its is actually quite enough to ensure proper safety for the output load from an over current situation.

That said, the limiting range and accuracy can be affected depending on the temperature of the transistor.

Adjustable Current Controller Circuit using IC 741

The following IC 741-based arrangement can be used if you want a preset current limit which is adjustable across a wide range.

Adjustable Current Controller Circuit Diagram using IC 741

When R9 is adjusted to zero ohms, the lowest current limit for the components depicted is around 47 mA. Add a suitable fixed-amount resistor in series with R9 if you want to set a specific high current limit.

As you can clearly see, implementing current crowbars offers the excellent method of safeguarding electronics from short circuit destruction.

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Filed Under: Lamps and Lights Tagged With: Best, Circuits, Current, Explained, Limiter

About Swagatam

I am an electronics engineer and doing practical hands-on work from more than 15 years now. Building real circuits, testing them and also making PCB layouts by myself. I really love doing all these things like inventing something new, designing electronics and also helping other people like hobby guys who want to make their own cool circuits at home.

And that is the main reason why I started this website homemade-circuits.com, to share different types of circuit ideas..

If you are having any kind of doubt or question related to circuits then just write down your question in the comment box below, I am like always checking, so I guarantee I will reply you for sure!



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Reader Interactions

Questions & Answers

Total Posts: 335
Newest Oldest
Muller
September 12, 2025 • 11 months ago #185256

Hello Dr.Swagatam.
I need a variable current circuit from 0 to 10 amps with a fixed voltage of 100 volts DC, such that voltage drop does not occur. With which circuit can I achieve the desired result? Please help and introduce a complete circuit. I also have a question: what type of circuit has very high efficiency for controlling and limiting current?

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
September 13, 2025 • 11 months ago #185309

Hi Muller,
You can achieve the current limit using the following module, but your voltage might drop if the oad is not compatible wiith the voltage specifications…
https://www.homemade-circuits.com/50a-high-current-sensor-ic-acs758-circuit-diagram/

Reply
Muller
September 14, 2025 • 11 months ago #185333

Hello Dr.Swagatam.
Thank you for your quick response.
I need up to 10 amps.
Is it possible to use the SY-10T instead of the ACS758?
And in an analog circuit without Arduino, do other components need to be changed?

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
September 14, 2025 • 11 months ago #185391

Hi Muller,
Although I could not find sufficient information about its circuit connections, it seems like it should work with the 741 opamp circuit for implementing the adjustable 10amp current control…

Reply
Muller
September 14, 2025 • 11 months ago #185451

full name is “SY-10 NANA Sensors” .
that sells of it link:
veswin.com/product-SY-10.html
please check: Is it possible to use the SY-10T instead of the ACS758?
And in an analog circuit without Arduino, do other components need to be changed?
thank you very much.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
September 14, 2025 • 11 months ago #185458

Where is the datasheet? Without datasheet and pinout diagram it is impossible to know about its working details.
Yes, the opamp circuit can be used without any changes…

Reply
Holger Kypke
October 14, 2024 • 2 years ago #163411

Hello Mr. Swagatam
I need to build a simple current limiter for a controlled electrolytic process. As my electrolysis proceeds water resistance between electrodes will drop from approx. 150kΩ to 15kΩ. With a supply voltage of 24VDC the load current would thus increase from approx. 0.16mA to 1.6mA.
My intention is to automatically limit the load current to a maximum of 0.25mA irrespective of decreasing water resistance.
Questions:
1. In your circuit “Precision Current Limiter”, if I set R1 = 100kΩ will then the output load current (Iout) be limited to 0.24mA? Would that work in my case?
2. Can LM117/317 regulators even control such low currents accurately?
3. If all this fails, could you please recommend a simple circuitry that would do the job? Thank you much!

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
October 14, 2024 • 2 years ago #163420

Hi Holgar,
0.25mA indeed looks very low and might not allow the lm317 to work properly, in that case why not use just a resistor in series with the supply voltage?
As per Ohm’s law, this Resistor could be:
R = 24/0.00025 = 96000 ohms or 100000 Ohms or 100k Ohms. This will be enough to ensure that the max output current to the water does not exceed 0.25 mA, under any circumstances.

Reply
suat
April 2, 2024 • 2 years ago #151296

Hi Mr. Swagatam;
I will use 12V 60A car battery but I need about 20A current output for the spot welding purpose circuit.
Is it possibe to use about 4V or 5V buck converter instead of current limiter circuit?

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
April 2, 2024 • 2 years ago #151299

Hi Suat, yes, to get 5V 20 A from a 12V 60A source you can use a buck converter for better efficiency.

Reply
Rich
January 16, 2024 • 3 years ago #148588

I would like to use the MOSFET version to make a heater coil selections of 3.1A, 4.3A, 5.8A and 7.8A. Are the calculations the same as mentioned for Ockie below?

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
January 16, 2024 • 3 years ago #148590

Yes, the calculations will be exactly the same.

Reply
Rich
January 16, 2024 • 3 years ago #148594

Much appreciated Mr. Swagatam.

Reply
Ockie
December 22, 2023 • 3 years ago #148083

Want to build a simple 12V 50A current limiter, using a mosfet.
must be adjustable, and does not have to be accurate.
The circuit that you show above should work.
Please can you calculate the limiting resistor for me, being a lay person,
but full of enthusiasm.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
December 22, 2023 • 3 years ago #148092

Yes, you can try MOSFFET version. MOSFET can be IRF3205.
Current limiting resistor value will be as follows:
R = 0.6 / 50 = 0.012 ohms
Power = 0.6 x 50 = 30 watts

Reply
Ockie
December 22, 2023 • 3 years ago #148098

Can I put a 5k pot (wiper) on the base of T2, and the other 2 legs over the current limiting resistor? So that I can trim the current?

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
December 22, 2023 • 3 years ago #148103

Yes, that looks possible, you can try that…I think a 1k pot will be more suitable.

Reply
Ockie
December 22, 2023 • 3 years ago #148105

Thank you for your reply.
The only problem is doing that, I can only increase the current.
So I may use a 0.02 ohm resistor instead for less current, then trim it up,
Even 0.05 ohm should work.
Ons small problem. Where the heck do I find such resistor?
Not your problem. I may find a shunt to work.
Regards.
Ockie.
021 116 1072

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
December 22, 2023 • 3 years ago #148106

You can increase and also decrease the current using the pot.
You can make the resistor by using a calculated number of 0.1 ohm resistors in parallel.

Reply
Ockie
December 22, 2023 • 3 years ago #148095

Thanks!!

Reply
D.J. Fout, Jr.
December 18, 2023 • 3 years ago #147986

Hello,
My GOBIBLE (www.GoBible.com) uses a single AAA battery which keeps it going for a couple (a few?) hours, the entirety of the book (of books) takes 75 hours to play.
I can not find a converter from 12vdc to 1.5vdc (or even 5vdc to 1.5vdc).
I know dry cells are 1.5v in all sizes and a 9v is just 6 series tiny 1.5s and a 6v is 4 relatively humongous 1.5v cells, how can I current limit enough paralleled 1.5vdc cells so that I don’t have to worry about burning up my little electronic book of books? (And yes, I know that if I would just invest in a 3vdc unit that a converter would be just plenty of easy to come up with. 🙂 )
Hey, thank you very much!
DJ

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
December 18, 2023 • 3 years ago #147988

Hey, thanks for your question.
Why do you need a current limiting circuit? According to me it is not required as long as the voltage is as per the load specifications.
Meaning, if your GOBIBLE is rated to work with a 1.5V supply and you provide the 1.5V supply from any suitable source then the current limiting is absolutely not required, because the load will automatically adjust to the optimal current consumption required for an optimal functioning.
If you restrict the current that might in fact hamper the optimal performance of your device.
Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Reply
mayur rajput
May 31, 2023 • 3 years ago #143034

hello everyone ,
I’m working on a very sensitive temperature sensor with sensing of 0.0001 but having problem that its value continuously changes in a very closed and calm environment even if i use constant resistor to stabilize the the temperature reading but that doesn’t work.
not getting the exact issue, i will be thankful if anyone can help me with this.
here are the components i have used :
Arduino nano
ads1220
ams1117 (to convert 5 v to 3.3 v)
10k ohm NTC thermistor

Reply
Looo
February 15, 2024 • 2 years ago #149199

First your “sensor” does not have any precision by itself, it is a negative coefficient resistor, the precision of the whole system ould come from your analog signal conditioning / front end (at least an op amp, in most case) and the ADC behind it. If you use an “arduino nano”, based on atmega168 a very low end, very old AVR with a poor slow 8bit ADC, you cannot expect any kind of precision, because the discrete steps of this ADC will never be more than 256 values, the ADC precision is low, as its reference voltage source.
There is just too much you ignore on the topic to waste any time trying to explain further, provided your limited understand you should certainly use use a digital sensor.

Reply
mayur rajput
May 31, 2023 • 3 years ago #143033

i have circuit which has components:
arduino nano
ads1220
ams1117 (to convert 5 v to 3.3 v)
10k ohm ntc thermistor

i want to control the input voltage and current of ntc to 1.5v and 0.5 mA

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
May 31, 2023 • 3 years ago #143036

I am not good with Arduino coding so unable to help you in this regard.

Reply
JGM van der Zanden
May 12, 2023 • 3 years ago #142464

Is an AC constant current limiting circuit possible with a Triac at 230V? So not a voltage regulator (= Dimmer), or inrush limiter, but current = power maximum controller.
E.g. you can adjust the current is limited to 2A or 4A or 6A.
Connecting a boiler of 2000W or a watercooker of 900W both should result in e.g.
I = 2A; P = 460W.
Cannot find a scheme on Internet.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
May 12, 2023 • 3 years ago #142470

AC current limiting is possible using capacitors. For example a 10uF/400V non polar capacitor can be used to limit the AC current to 500 mA.

Reply
JGM van der Zanden
May 15, 2023 • 3 years ago #142549

This C introduces a resistance. So current will be dependent on the load.
I want a Triac circuit that gives e.g. constant 2A or 5A, adjustable, independent of the load. A kind of current source (Norton).

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
May 15, 2023 • 3 years ago #142552

You are correct, however I can’t figure out a triac based constant current AC circuit. If you can do it please let me know.

Reply
JGM van der Zanden
May 15, 2023 • 3 years ago #142577

It is this watt controller technique I cannot imagine it functions without TRIAC…… I have to reverse engineer it.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
May 16, 2023 • 3 years ago #142589

No problem, please reverse engineer it and let use know about the details.

Reply
Sarfraz Ahmad
April 29, 2023 • 3 years ago #142148

Hello,
This is a remarkable work done by author.

Dear, i have a question. I have 4pv of 165 watt each. I am designing another circuit to monitor the voltage. How can I limit the current to keep safe my circuit.

Regards,
Sarfraz

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
April 30, 2023 • 3 years ago #142159

Thank you Sarfraz,
You can try the MOSFET version of the current controller explained in the above article. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Reply
Rafi
April 12, 2023 • 3 years ago #141742

Hi, can i use the last current limiter for my bench power supply from atx pc power supply?
I will be using probably this for 12v line.

And whats the wattage of all those resistors?
Thanks.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
April 12, 2023 • 3 years ago #141747

Hi, I do not have much information about the 741 based current limiter, but you can try it for your application and test how it works. All the resistors are 1/4 watt rated

Reply
Juan
April 11, 2023 • 3 years ago #141733

Hello friend, your work is excellent, I need to make a lamp with 40 leds of 3.3v 3amp max (CREE xlamp xm-l2, 10w) and control its luminosity, what do you recommend? thank you so much.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
April 12, 2023 • 3 years ago #141748

Hi Juan, for your LEDs you will require a power supply with current limiting facility, and a PWM controller.

Reply
Eugene
March 30, 2023 • 3 years ago #141495

Thank you very much Sir. This is very interesting current limiter. I would like to make one on the 12 V battery which discharges the power to the home (house connected to the grid). Usually, the battery connected from one side to wind turbine through MMPT controller and other side to inverter and further to the house line. In this configuration the battery drains very quickly because it discharges not only for house consumption but to grid as well. If introduce the current limiter let’s say for 30 Amps so, only 360 W*h will be discharged which is enough for house consumption during the nighttime. Can you please give me your comment for this application. Will it work?

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 30, 2023 • 3 years ago #141497

Thank you Eugene,
That appears to be a good idea, to restrict the battery from draining excessive current to the grid.
You can try the MOSFET version. Your inverter becomes the “load” in the circuit.
You can upgrade the mosfet power rating, depending on the current requirement of your inverter.

Reply
Eugene
April 4, 2023 • 3 years ago #141590

Good morning Sir, thank you very much for answer. Could you please explain: – What is this – Hfe = T1 forward current gain? Also, because my system requires high current of 50-60 Amps, so I will use T1 as IRF 1404. What sort of T2 (transistor) I have to use in this situation?

Kind Regards, Eugene

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
April 4, 2023 • 3 years ago #141594

Hello Eugene,
The hFE indicates the relationship between the current/emitter current and the base/emitter current. With higher hFe the collector current will be high and the base current requirement will be low and vice versa. Meaning as the hFE increases the base switching current decreases. So with higher hFE the base resistor can be higher and with low hFE the base resistor value will need to be lower.
However hFE is only for BJTs not for mosfets.
Yes the IRF1404 is OK for 50 amp current.
T2 can be any transistor such as BC547 or 2N2222, as long as the voltage is lower than 40 V.

Reply
AMNA IQBAL
October 15, 2022 • 4 years ago #133952

I am a final year student and nowadays I am working on my Final Year Project. My FYP is about Battery Management System. My project has the additional feature i-e it limits the output/load current of the BMS and then deliver/transmit it to the controller. So can you please suggest me a proper circuit for this?

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
October 15, 2022 • 4 years ago #133958

I do not have a BMS circuit with me right now. If possible i will try to design it and publish it in this website soon.

Reply
AMNA IQBAL
October 15, 2022 • 4 years ago #133959

Thanks alot. But I am basically in search of a current limiting circuit that will limit the current coming out of the BMS. Basically there are two BMS and each BMS has its own current limiting circuit. And that current limiting circuit will limit the current according to the State of Charge and Health of that particular BMS. Basically this is an efficient system which draws more current from that battery pack which has more SOC and SOH and vice versa

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
October 15, 2022 • 4 years ago #133961

OK, if you are looking for a basic current limiter circuit, then you can try the MOSFET based design explained in the above article! It will do the job very efficiently for you!

Reply
AMNA IQBAL
October 15, 2022 • 4 years ago #133969

Thanks for the assistance

Reply
Cleaver Greene
September 13, 2022 • 4 years ago #133199

Please, please do not use the term “Wattage”
Its POWER.
Power is measured in Watts.

Reply
Tron
February 18, 2023 • 3 years ago #140335

Power is right, but Wattage is not wrong either. It is also a method of addressing power especially when it is real power awhich is expressly in watts as opposed to apparent and reactive power which are not true wattages per se. My humble take.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
September 14, 2022 • 4 years ago #133207

Technically you are right, however I have used “wattage” so that the common hobbyists and newcomers are able to quickly understand that I am referring to the watt specification of the resistor.

Reply
Aum Patel
July 1, 2022 • 4 years ago #131219

Wish to design the following circuit
Input 12v 60amps output required 12v 10amps.

Need a current limiting circuit with minimum components

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
July 4, 2022 • 4 years ago #131274

You can use the MOSFET version of the current limiter circuit explained in the above article.

Reply
Siegfried
May 23, 2022 • 4 years ago #121600

Hello I’m interested in a 10 amp 12 V battery charger I like to build it with all the components could you let me know on some schematics thank you
Fred d.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
May 24, 2022 • 4 years ago #121728

Hello, you can try the following circuit:

simple high current battery charger

Reply
Abhishek
March 9, 2022 • 4 years ago #115401

Thank you Sir
When it opens, I have a question about (R8) – there should be a heater. If the heater takes more or less than 6A.
the red LEDs should be displayed. and then after it should be off automatically. is it possible sir?

i.ibb.co/r3CmcF5/Bildschirmfoto-2022-03-09-um-18-49-53.png

Thank you Sir once again.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 10, 2022 • 4 years ago #115457

Abhishek, the LED is already shown across R8 which will light up when a specific amount of current passes through it. You can use the following formula to fix the R8 value so that LED illuminates at 6 amp current through R8.

R8 = 2 / 6 = 0.33 ohms (12 watts)
The 2 indicates the voltage level required for the LED to start glowing.

Reply
Abhishek Adhikari
March 10, 2022 • 4 years ago #115499

Thank you Sir
It is a great Idea. Sir
I would like to ask you, can I connect a relay?
if yes, what would be the best way to add there,

Thank you very much Sir

i.ibb.co/MRhJNfV/Screenshot-2022-03-10-140733.png

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 11, 2022 • 4 years ago #115571

You are welcome Abhishek, You can connect a relay so that its activates when the current exceeds 6 amps across R8, but you cannot connect the relay directly across R8 because the relay requires high voltage and current to activate. You will have to use an LED/transistor based opto coupler, and replace the R9 LED with the opto LED, and configure the relay coil across the transistor side of the opto coupler.

Reply
Abhishek
March 8, 2022 • 4 years ago #115236

Thank you Sir
but i have used exactly the same website. and it is opening on my browser.
may i have your E-mail Address Sir.
it would be very nice.
thank you for your supports.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 8, 2022 • 4 years ago #115257

Hi Abhishek, please try the link which I provided you in previous comment, it will definitely work….or use any website from the following link:

Image hosting sites

Reply
Abhishek
March 8, 2022 • 4 years ago #115133

Thank you for your reply Sir.
now i have created an Account on this website.
i hope that it will open there too.
ibb.co/8Y6qkCv
Thank you Sir

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 8, 2022 • 4 years ago #115197

Unfortunately the link is still not opening.
You can try uploading in some other site such as this one

https://imgbb.com/

Reply
Abhishek Adhikari
March 1, 2022 • 4 years ago #114602

Hello sir
It’s about short circuit protection and if a fan would be more than 300mA and 24V or short circuit occurred. then it should be displayed red. i have built a circuit with PNP and NPN transistor. It works fine only when it has a complete short circuit, but I want to build it , when the fan would be below 24 volts or more than 330mA, the LED should be displayed completely red.
i hope that you understading my questions
Thank you

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 2, 2022 • 4 years ago #114696

Hello Abhishek, If you add an LED in series with the base of T2 in the above transistorized current limiter circuit, then the LED can be used to indicate the 330mA current. Formula for R2 will be.

R2 = LED FWD V + 0.6 / 0.330

For indicating low voltage you will need another LED/transistor circuit as explained in the following article:

Low Battery Indicator Circuit Using Two Transistors Only

Reply
Abhishek Adhikari
March 2, 2022 • 4 years ago #114713

Thank you Sir
it helps me.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 2, 2022 • 4 years ago #114715

You are welcome Abhishek!

Reply
Abhishek
March 3, 2022 • 4 years ago #114742

once again thank you Sir .
could you please check your Email Sir , i have sent to you a circuit diagram. here i cant upload the circuits Photo. It would be great !

Thank you for your Supporting

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 3, 2022 • 4 years ago #114781

Hello Abhishek, I checked my email but could not find any email from you.

Alternatively you can upload the diagram in any free image hosting site and provide the link to me. Make sure to remove https while providing the link here:

https://www.google.com/search?q=free+image+hosting+site&oq=free+image+hosting+site&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i65l3j69i60l2j69i61j69i60.4886j0j7&sourceid=chrome&{google:instantExtendedEnabledParameter}ie=UTF-8

Reply
Abhishek
March 3, 2022 • 4 years ago #114812

Thank you Sir
as you told me, I uploaded the photo and the link is here.
I am in trouble again.
I have built a short circuit protection with MOSFET and comparator.
I wanted to post this picture directly on your website but unfortunately I can’t get it.
So here is a standard short circuit protection.
I need to protect about 6A and 24V output.
I have shorted the circuit but the red LED is not showing.
What should I do sir?
If the load takes more than 6A it should show red, otherwise green.

ibb.co/VtfN47q

thank you very very much Sir .
You are doing really Well
god bless You
great future ahead

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 4, 2022 • 4 years ago #114837

You are welcome Abhishek,

However, the link you sent is not opening here. Please check it.

Reply
Abhishek
March 4, 2022 • 4 years ago #114853

Sorry Sir
I just have copied and paste it .
I have tried once again.
https://ibb.co/2MfLN7f
I hope that it will open .
Thank you for everything.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
March 7, 2022 • 4 years ago #115110

Abhishek, It is still not opening. Please do not put https, it is not required…if the image link is valid it should open even without https. It seems the link is not valid according to me…or it may be opening only in your browser.

Reply
James Clark
February 18, 2022 • 4 years ago #113280

Great article thanks! I’m looking to use your MOSFET circuit for current limiting the charging current to 20A for a 54V 65F super capacitor and when calculating the R values the watt rating of the resistors are massive. Is there a better way to achieve this than just duplicating the circuit 5-6 times at lower current values? Thanks

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
February 19, 2022 • 4 years ago #113455

Thank you, I don’t think the R2 resistor for the MOSFET circuit will be massive for 20 amp current. Here’s the calculation:

R2 = 0.6 / 20 = 0.03 Ohms
Wattage = 0.6 x 20 = 12 watts.

A 12 watt resistor would just be around a 3 inch long wire-wound resistor.

Duplicating the circuit may not be a feasible option.

Reply
Donald C.A Watson
December 22, 2021 • 5 years ago #107967

Hi hi,
I am looking for a simple circuit to limit an electric motor running more than 10mps at 12volts. Would the LM196 be suitable in your opinion and what is the best circuit to drive the motor

Thank you

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
December 22, 2021 • 5 years ago #107979

Hi, the transistor/MOSFET based design looks a better option for your motor current control application. LM196 can get too hot at 10 amps.

Reply
Donald C.A Watson
December 23, 2021 • 5 years ago #108024

Thank you for your suggestion. Stay safe.

Reply
Dharmesh
December 16, 2021 • 5 years ago #107394

Hi Swagatam,
I have Smps with constant output 5v and 35W current capacity (with over voltage and over current protection). I am planning to utilise it as 4 port usb mobile charger.
However i want to limit the current Max upto 3A per usb port, so that it does not harm the mobile incase something goes wrong at mobile internal circuit end.
Is it possible to make such current limiting circuit? Any help regarding this will be highly appreciated. Thank You.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
December 16, 2021 • 5 years ago #107441

Hi Dharmesh,

All mobile phones have an internal current limiter according to my knowledge, so external current limiting is not required.
As long as your 5V is constant, the current will not have any impact on the mobile phone battery, and it will be charged with optimal current as set internally.
However, if still you want to attach an external current limiter you can easily do it using an LM338 IC configured in the same manner as the LM317, which is shown at the start of the above article.

Reply
art
October 26, 2021 • 5 years ago #102672

Hay it’s me again. New project. I have and LCD TV that had a cracked screen. I found out that they make great over head lighting. I don’t want to use the TV guts so this is what I have 40 LED’s in series. Now what I know is the supply voltage is 115 volts dc and guessing each LED needs 20 ma to work at full brightness. So 115 volts dc at 800ma. I want to pull this in the wall at 120 volts AC. Do you have a circuit for this voltage and current. I made a voltage divider but it get so hot even with heatsinks it burns up over time. Thanks

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
October 26, 2021 • 5 years ago #102687

Hi,
If each LED is rated at 20 mA, then the whole series will also consume 20 mA.

To limit this current, you can use a high watt series resistor. The value can be calculated using the following formula:

R = Input Supply – Total LEd FWD drop / LED Current(20mA)
R = 120 – Total LED FWD drop / 0.02

This resistor might dissipate a lot of heat, therefore you can also use a capacitive power supply

stabilized transformerless power supply circuit

Make sure to replace C1 with a 0.33uF/400V capacitor, and the zener voltage can be equal to the total forward drop of the LED series.

Reply
karl
September 4, 2021 • 5 years ago #96474

I have an interesting situation. I am building a machine to do a precise task in 3 locations. To accomplish this, I’m proposing to use a NEMA 23 Unipolar Stepper Motor to drive an ACME thread lead screw. The
‘nut’ of the Lead Screw will be attached to a Turret arm. The total movement is -30°, stop, do a task, move to 0°, stop, do a task, move to +30° angle, do a task. Then the Fixture will move an increment, and the process will reverse. The effector will do a task, continue to the next stop point, do a task, continue to the next stop point, do a task, and then the motion process will repeat in an oscillatory motion.
I have chosen an appropriate Stepper Motor, and I have a personally-designed Stepper Motor controller.
Why, personally-designed? Because in all my research I could not find a Stepper Motor Controller which
offers direct BCD-coded ‘Step input’. My controller accepts BCD-coded steps from Thumbwheel switches, and activates a square wave generator, with a comparitor circuit. When the number of Motor steps equals the set point on the switches, an active low ‘DONE’ signal is sent. Each time this circuit receives a START pulse from the PLC controlling the overall action of the machine, this circuit activates the Stepper motor through 4 IGFETS in quadrature format. The circuit has been tested many times, and works perfectly.
However, here is my current problem. The machine has only two DC voltages available …. 12 & 24. The motor is rated at 8.6 volts for 1 ampere coil current. I know that IF the actual coil voltage is higher, the motor will develop more dynamic torque. However, I’ve been advised that I should include a current-limiting circuit to limit the current to 1 ampere, I’m a little bit unsure about how to proceed in this regard.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
September 4, 2021 • 5 years ago #96476

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I would advise using the LM317 circuit which is shown at the beginning of the article. It is an extremely reliable and accurate design for all applications requiring current limiting within 1 amp range

Reply
Marc
August 23, 2021 • 5 years ago #95355

In the formula to find the resistance value, for the value of hfe of the TIP32C you have entered 30.
How did you find him?

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
August 24, 2021 • 5 years ago #95388

The hFE value for a transistor may have a wide range, I have selected the approximate average value. For TIP32, the hFE may be between 15 and 50.

Reply
Zafar Ahmed
August 19, 2021 • 5 years ago #94920

Thanks Mr.Swagatam iam 60 years old ritred man required your complete help for laser diode driver circuit use for experiment medical use

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
August 19, 2021 • 5 years ago #94963

Hello Mr. Zafar, Please ask your question, I will try to help!

Reply
Pankaj
July 24, 2021 • 5 years ago #92732

Good evening Swagatam Ji. I am glad to see your posts and schematics very interesting. The social forum is intending to reform the society through various sociological, psychological, philosophical and scientific attributes and aspects. in this regard i need bit help from you. I want to talk with you over phone. kindly give me your no. or have a conversation with me on my cell no. xxxxxxxxxx. Thanks while awaiting your quick response.

Pankaj.
Odisha.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
July 25, 2021 • 5 years ago #92740

Thank you Pankaj, I appreciate your kind words. I will surely try to help you, however a phone chat may not be possible….you can share your thoughts through comments here, if possible I will try to solve them them quickly.

Reply
Pankaj
July 25, 2021 • 5 years ago #92744

Sir this is not a personal matter to help me. the things to discuss about is to help people through reformative measures in different sectores out of that one can be possible with you. the thing is that to provide electronic ideas through writings to be circulated through paper media. so we have to discuss through talkings i feel. if you do have any problem to converse over phone that’s ok.

Thank you.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
July 25, 2021 • 5 years ago #92748

Hello Pankaj, I am sorry, I provide help only through this site’s commenting platform, so if you have any doubts you can comment under a related post, I will try to help!

Reply
Pankaj
July 26, 2021 • 5 years ago #92753

Sir,

I will sure comment and ask my problems related to circuits if required in future. But right now I was talking about a matter separate than this. That was about giving Circuit ideas and articles on electronic projects to be published in one free paper which has aimed to reach people to reform their humanic attitudes along with some practical scientific ideas out of which this would be one subjeat. one paper we are going to print in the name ” Samajik Sanskar” and distribute free of cost to the educational institution and Govt./private offices wherein there would be many factual and truthfull sociological, psychological and philosophical aspects along with some practical scientific ideas like project report, how things works, practical health tips and business & financial management ideas. In this connection I need help of you, that I was mentioned. If you would be interested to provide anything related, well. Otherwise that’s OK. Thanks.

Reply
SwagatamAdmin
July 26, 2021 • 5 years ago #92757

Hello Pankaj, I understand the noble cause that you want me participate in, however due to lack of time it may not be possible for me to help you in this regard. I can help only for solving circuit related issues through comments in this website!

Nevertheless, you can feel free to use my articles for publishing and distributing the work to the masses.

Reply
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