L7912CV-DG

STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics L7912CV-DG, fixed -12V output, 1.5A, negative linear voltage regulator, TO-220-3 through-hole package, PSRR 60dB at 120Hz, active production.

STMicroelectronics L7912CV-DG
Download datasheet (PDF)
[IN STOCK] In Stock: 17,852 pcs
$0.54/ pc

Volume pricing

Buy Now

MOQ 1 · Tube · RoHS · EIA-481 · DAP/DDP · T/T

Technical specifications

L7912CV-DG specifications
Parameter / AttributeSpecification / Value
Output typeFixed
MountingThrough Hole
Voltage - input-35V
Voltage dropout1.1V @ 1A (Typ)
Voltage - output (Min (Fixed))-12V
Output current1.5A
Current - quiescent3 mA
Operating temperature0°C ~ 125°C
PSRR60dB (120Hz)
PackageTube
CaseTO-220-3
Protection featuresOver Temperature, Short Circuit
Number of regulators1
Output configurationNegative
100% Footprint Match · Solder-Ready (No PCB Redesign Needed)

Need Stock or a Drop-in Second-Source for L7912CV-DG?

Package: TO-220 / TO-220FP / D2PAK · Pin-compatible replacements with immediate Shenzhen spot stock

Footprint Match 99%
Supply Chain & Allocation 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.

Verified Pin-Compatible Replacements (3 verified alternatives)

L7912 STMicroelectronics TO-220
100% Drop-in (Zero Code Change)
Availability & Target Pricing:

The Voltage Choice, Same Three Pins

Shenzhen Spot Stock (24-48h Dispatch)

Electrical & Core Specs:

The same regulator body at -12V: same 1.5A class, same GND / IN / OUT pin order, same input-potential tab - the digits after the 79 are a voltage decision, not a circuit decision.

Negative rails from -5V to -24V across the family; mind the minimum input magnitude the negative side needs beyond dropout.

Compatibility & Drop-In Notes: The repair question for any 79xx swap is the rail it feeds: split op-amp supplies tolerate small moves, reference-derived rails do not. Read the schematic rail before the drawer.
Package & Solder Footprint: Same TO-220 land and pin order as the rest of the negative family.
Shenzhen Warehouse Stock & MOQ: Stocked across the voltage ladder.
L79xxAC STMicroelectronics TO-220 / TO-220FP / D2PAK
100% Drop-in (Zero Code Change)
Availability & Target Pricing:

The 2 Percent Precision Grade

Shenzhen Spot Stock (24-48h Dispatch)

Electrical & Core Specs:

The tightened-tolerance build of the same regulators: 2 percent output tolerance against the looser commercial grades, in the same pin map and the same power ratings.

Same rails; the grade buys accuracy, not headroom.

Compatibility & Drop-In Notes: Grade substitution rule as everywhere: precision upward is free; dropping from AC into a circuit that calibrated against it shifts the rail by the tolerance difference.
Package & Solder Footprint: TO-220 / insulated TO-220FP / D2PAK options across the family.
Shenzhen Warehouse Stock & MOQ: Stocked; quote the grade the schematic asked for.
LM337 TI / STMicroelectronics TO-220 / SOT-223
Functional Equivalent
Availability & Target Pricing:

The Adjustable Route Any Voltage

Shenzhen Spot Stock (24-48h Dispatch)

Electrical & Core Specs:

The adjustable negative regulator: set any output below the reference with two resistors - the answer when the required rail is not one of the fixed catalogue values (or when the original was already adjustable).

Same negative input culture; the divider replaces the internal fixed reference tap.

Compatibility & Drop-In Notes: Choosing between them is a design-time fact, not a repair-time one: a board built for a fixed 79xx takes the fixed family; an adjustable socket takes the LM337 (or its grade variants).
Package & Solder Footprint: TO-220 with its own pin functions; see the dedicated page.
Shenzhen Warehouse Stock & MOQ: Stocked; the flexible end of the negative family.
Buyer & Quality Checklist for Sourcing Alternatives
  • The mirror: 7905 is pin 1 GND, pin 2 IN, pin 3 OUT - against 7805 at 1 IN, 2 GND, 3 OUT. Inserted straight across, the negative part connects the input to what the board believes is ground.
  • The tab is live: on the 79xx the heatsink tab sits at input potential (the negative rail), where the 78xx tab is ground. Heatsink isolation and creepage belong to the design review of every swap and mounting.
  • Polarity is the third difference: the 79xx regulates a negative rail. The "7905 for 7805" belief fails on three independent counts - polarity, pin order, tab - which is why it fails so convincingly.
  • The negative family is fussier about input capacitance: the ~2.2uF-class input capacitor is a stability part here, and a repair that leaves it out gets oscillation or a drifting rail that looks like a bad regulator.
  • Read the whole orderable number: digits pick the voltage (05 / 08 / 09 / 12 / 15 / 18 / 24), the AC suffix the 2 percent grade, and the prefix (L / MC / KA / LM) the second source - the pin map is the family constant.
  • Split supplies share the ground reference: impedance between the positive and negative regulators shows up as tracking error between the rails - star-point the reference when a repair touches either side.
Frequently Asked Technical Questions

Q: Can a 7905 replace a 7805?

A: No, on three independent counts: it regulates a negative rail, its pin order is GND / IN / OUT where the 7805 is IN / GND / OUT, and its tab sits at input potential instead of ground. A straight-across swap connects the input to the board ground.

Q: What is the pinout of the L7905?

A: TO-220: pin 1 GND, pin 2 IN, pin 3 OUT, with the tab connected to the input - the mirror image of the 7805 arrangement, and the reason this family is a permanent entry in smoke-story collections.

Q: Which 79xx parts are interchangeable?

A: Inside the family the pins are constant: L / MC / KA / LM prefixes and the AC precision grade interchange, and the digits choose the voltage (-5V through -24V). Across voltages it is a rail decision; across families (fixed vs the adjustable LM337) it is a circuit change.

Technical details

Negative -12V rail, 1.5A, TO-220

The L7912CV-DG is a fixed -12V output negative linear regulator from STMicroelectronics, rated for 1.5A continuous output in a TO-220-3 through-hole package. It is the go-to part when you need a clean, low-noise negative supply for op-amp rails, bipolar ADC references, or analog front ends that run off split supplies.

PSRR 60 dB at 120 Hz — ripple rejection for audio and instrumentation

With a PSRR of 60 dB at 120 Hz, the L7912CV-DG attenuates full-wave-rectified ripple by a factor of 1000. For a -35V input rail carrying 1 Vpp of 120 Hz ripple, the output sees roughly 1 mVpp — clean enough for most 16-bit analog chains without a post-filter. The dropout voltage is 1.1 V typical at 1 A load. That means the input must stay below -13.1 V to maintain regulation at 1 A; at lighter loads the dropout is lower, but the -35V absolute maximum input gives headroom for unregulated transformer-rectifier rails.

Protection and quiescent current

Built-in over-temperature and short-circuit protection let the L7912CV-DG survive output shorts and thermal overload without external clamp diodes or foldback circuits. Quiescent current is 3 mA typical — negligible in a 1.5 A rail but worth noting for always-on low-power systems.

Active production — TO-220 through-hole availability

L7912CV-DG
[ALLOC] verified
Quote