Buck regulator with a breadboard-friendly footprint
The LM2590HVT-ADJ/NOPB is a SIMPLE SWITCHER® step-down (buck) regulator from Texas Instruments, delivering up to 1 A from a 4.5 V to 60 V input rail. The adjustable output spans 1.2 V to 57 V, set by a resistor divider, and the switching frequency is fixed at 150 kHz. It comes in a through-hole TO-220-7 package with formed leads — the same footprint as classic linear regulators, so it drops into existing layouts without a board respin. The 150 kHz switching frequency keeps the inductor small enough for a perfboard or prototype area.
The 60 V maximum input covers 48 V telecom rails, 24 V industrial supplies, and even unregulated rectified AC — no external pre-regulator needed. No synchronous rectifier — the internal switch is a bipolar NPN, so efficiency peaks around 80-85% at full load. For battery-powered gear where every milliwatt counts, a newer synchronous part would be a better fit; for a fixed 24 V to 5 V conversion in a panel, this is simple and bulletproof.