The LM2574 Buck Switching Regulators are monolithic integrated circuits ideally suited for easy and convenient design of a step-down switching regulator (buck converter). All circuits of this series are capable of driving a 0.5 A loadwith excellent line and load regulation. These devices are available in fixed output voltages of 3.3 V, 5.0 V, 12 V, 15 V, and an adjustable output version.The Buck Switching Regulator is designed to minimize the number of external components to simplify the power supply design. Standard series of inductors optimized for use with the LM2574 are offered by several different inductor manufacturers.Since the LM2574 converter is a switch-mode power supply, its efficiency is significantly higher in comparison with popular three-terminal linear regulators, especially with higher input voltages. In many cases, the power dissipated by the LM2574 regulator is so low, that no heatsink is required or its size could be reduced dramatically.The LM2574 features include a guaranteed 4% tolerance on output voltage within specified input voltages and output load conditions, and +/-10%on the oscillator frequency (+/-2% over 0C to 125C). External shutdown is included, featuring 80 uA typical standby current. The output switch includes cycle-by-cycle current limiting, as well as thermal shutdown for full protection under fault conditions.