In a Zener regulated power supply a Zener diode with `V_(Z) = 6.0 V` is used for regulation. The load current is to be 4.0 mA and the unregulated input is 10.0 V. What should be the value of series resistor `R_(S)`?

Explanation

The value of `R_(S)` should be such that the current through the Zener diode is much larger than the load current. This is to have good load regulation. Choose Zener current as five times the load current, i.e.`I_(Z) =20mA` , The total current through RS is, therefore, 24 mA. The voltage drop across `R_(S)` is 10.0 – 6.0 = 4.0 V. This gives `R_(S) = 4.0V//(24 xx 10^(-3))A = 167 Omega`. The nearest value of carbon resistor is 150 Ω. So, a series resistor of `150 Omega` is appropriate. Note that slight variation in the value of the resistor does not matter, what is important is that the current `I_(Z)` should be sufficiently larger than `I_(L)`.