LM1084 Minimum Load Current Specs: Is it ok to go beyond its specifed Max Value?

[blackshadow]

i'm a little bit confused on this spec, "Minimum Load Current" to maintain load regulation for voltage regulators (LM1084).

on its datasheet, it has TYP value of 5mA and a MAX value of 10mA. No MIN value is given. See attached snapshot of the datasheet.

since the specs is "Minimum Load Current", can i go past the 10mA value, say 20mA?

 

[dougy83]

since the specs is "Minimum Load Current", can i go past the 10mA value, say 20mA?

That regulator can have a load up to 5 amps. What the "Minimum Load Current" is telling you is that you must draw at least 5-10mA for the output voltage to be what you expect (i.e. device is regulating the output voltage correctly). This is why R1 in datasheet diagram is ~100 ohms - it forces the load current to be >10mA always.

 

[crutschow]

The "MAX" value is a little confusing. It means that this is the Minimum Load Current value that will maintain regulation for the worst-case tolerance production device (such a device would require the MAX current rather than TYP).