EEVblog #1147 - 1 Cent Regulator! That's MAD!

Is a *1 CENT* LDO voltage regulator any good?
Dave tests the Shen Zhen Fine Mad! SC662K 3.3V LDO from LCSC:

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[BrianLough]

I just bought 7c ones, I feel like I've been robbed..

[HorochovPL]

Do I need them?
No.
Let's buy 3k of them!

[sebb]

Dave is the one person on youtube i can watch talking about a regulator for 30minutes

[triularity]

@26:36 - Oh, no! It's no longer in the original sealed packaging. That instantly dropped its collectables value by 99.9%. Had it been kept unopened, in 20-30 years, those babies might have been worth 15 cents each!

[nraynaud]

whooaa, your LDO is now costing you half the price of your MCU, what a rip-off !

[km]

we should start a 1$ electronics project challenge :).

[peekpt]

We need a "Cheap sheet cheat" of all this cheap components. The most common used ones.

[murraymadness]

I use voltage regulators for 12v on/off inputs to a 3.3v microprocessor. Instead of resistor dividers or optocouplers, they are simple one-part solution,
which like said, it reduces 'part count and bom inventory'. So one for 2 cents is not expensive compared to other options.

[SeanHodgins]

Dave, these videos are super helpful. When I'm designing a ton of stuff all of the time I generally get stuck or hooked on specific products just because they are easy to use/know they work. I'm definitely not always getting the best bang for the buck. Keep these cheap parts videos coming. I want to make something with them.

[demef]

In my old power supply designing and testing days, one thing I learned is to always doubt your equipment, particularly when loaded with active devices such as this. You really should connect a scope probe to Vin to ensure that your fancy power supply isn't oscillating rather than to blame the IC. I've seen very expensive Keithley supplies barf under certain load conditions. Lead inductance between the power supply and the Vin leads of your DUT will definitely affect things. It was a given that you ALWAYS wanted to put a big honkin' capacitor on Vin to negate the effects of this inductance!

[jimmywennlund]

Hi @EEVBlog, Google translate can translate full pdf:s! Just upload the pdf, tried with your regulator, and worked perfectly.

[PhilipLeitch]

They're cheaper than jelly beans that's crazy

[peekpt]

662k is a well known LDO, it's everywhere!!! I use on my projects! Almost all Arduino modules uses this

[kevincozens]

I wonder how many people who watched this were waiting for the magic smoke to escape around the time Dave had it up to 1.3 watts.

[ElmerFuddGun]

Because if you need to reduce costs you should *always start with the power supply!* That's why I never pay more than 2 cents for the 100uF Lelon electrolytic caps in the PS! Paying more is just throwing money out the window!

[JohnAudioTech]

It would be interesting to see the IC decapped and compared to one by a known manufacturer.

[chtech]

Shortly after Dave released the video, that LDO went Out-of-Stock. Someone here needs a lot of 3.3V LDOs ^^

[RandyLott]

Skyworks is actually a kick ass company. They make some great RF products.

[williamwang]

1.3 billion people in China using electronics every day, so cents matter for sure. :-)
About 80% of the components I used in the past few years only cost several US cents, and I've got quite a few cheap but working options.
Btw, I can help translate those datasheets, in case you need.
And thanks for the videos. :-)

[OneBiOzZ]

i would love to see what the failure mode is when you overvolt the input or overheat the regulator