Specs side by side
2 parts compared · 3 differing specs across 5 total parameters.
| Parameter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | TO-220 / TO-220FP / D2PAK | TO-220 / SOT-223 / TO-92 (L) |
| Component Category | Fixed Linear Voltage Regulators (78xx / 79xx) | Adjustable Negative Voltage Regulators |
| Market Reality | The 79xx series is the negative rail of every split supply that ever fed an op-amp, an audio stage or an instrument: -5V, -8V, -9V, -12V, -15V, -18V and -24V fixed 1.5A regulators in the same TO-220 body as the 78xx - and with a mirrored pinout that catches one swap per bench per year. The digits choose the voltage, the suffix grade (AC = 2 percent tolerance) chooses precision, and the prefixes (L, MC, KA, LM) are the familiar second-source names. The classic failure this page exists for: treating a 7905 as a misplaced 7805, when it differs in polarity, pin order AND tab potential - three separate ways to smoke a board at once. | The LM337 is the negative half of every split supply built since the 1970s - the mirror of the LM317 across the ground rail, with the same 1.25V reference, the same two-resistor adjustment and the same grade ladder (L for 100mA in TO-92, M for 500mA, the plain part at 1.5A). The trap is written into the metal: on the TO-220 bodies the LM337 and LM317 do not share a pin orientation - the input and output land on exchanged pins, because the tab follows the input on the negative part and the output on the positive one. Every substitution in this family is safe electrically and dangerous mechanically, and the split-supply repair that "works except the negative rail is dead" usually put a correct part in the wrong orientation. |
| Role In Circuit | Original Reference Part | Original Reference Part |
| Sourcing Status | Active Shenzhen Spot Sourcing (24–48h) | Active Shenzhen Spot Sourcing (24–48h) |
Parts
- L7905 / L7912 · stmicroelectronics
- LM337 · texas-instruments