Specs side by side
2 parts compared · 2 differing specs across 5 total parameters.
| Parameter | ||
|---|---|---|
| Case | TO-220-5 / TO-263-5 | TO-263 / TO-220-5 |
| Market Reality | The LM2576 is the 3A step-down that powered industrial boards and instrument supplies long before the module era: 52kHz switching, a 1.23V feedback reference, and a five-pin outline shared with its later 150kHz sibling. The substitution story has two halves: the upgrade to the LM2596 class, which is pin for pin and keeps the larger 100uH-class inductor working with lower ripple, and the fake-module story running the other way - modules marked with the newer part whose chips switch at about 50kHz with 330-470uH inductors: rebadged 2576-class dies that overheat at rated current. Read the frequency, read the inductor, then read the marking. | The LM2596 is the adjustable 3A step-down of a million blue modules and a generation of industrial boards - 4.5V to 40V in, 1.23V to 37V out, and 150kHz switching that lets it use the small inductor, which is exactly where the markets best-documented fake story lives: module batches whose LM2596-marked chips behave like LM2576-class parts (about 50kHz) while the passives around them were picked from 2596 tables. The chip inside a cheap module is often not what the laser etch claims, and both the frequency and the physical inductor tell you which way the substitution went. Around the genuine part the family ladder (fixed and adjustable grades) and the modern MP1584/XL4015 alternatives complete the selection map. |
| Component Category | Step-Down Switching Regulators | Step-Down Switching Regulators |
| Role In Circuit | Original Reference Part | Original Reference Part |
| Sourcing Status | Active Shenzhen Spot Sourcing (24–48h) | Active Shenzhen Spot Sourcing (24–48h) |