In a three-terminal regulator, which component provides the stable reference voltage?

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Multiple Choice

In a three-terminal regulator, which component provides the stable reference voltage?

In a three-terminal regulator, regulation rests on a stable reference voltage that the control loop uses to set the output. This fixed reference is generated inside the regulator by an internal reference circuit (often a bandgap reference). The error amplifier compares this stable reference to a scaled version of the output that comes back through the feedback network. The difference (the error) then drives the pass element to adjust the output until the feedback voltage matches the reference. So the stable reference voltage is provided by the internal reference circuit, while the feedback path simply feeds the output level to the error amplifier to maintain regulation.

In a three-terminal regulator, regulation rests on a stable reference voltage that the control loop uses to set the output. This fixed reference is generated inside the regulator by an internal reference circuit (often a bandgap reference). The error amplifier compares this stable reference to a scaled version of the output that comes back through the feedback network. The difference (the error) then drives the pass element to adjust the output until the feedback voltage matches the reference. So the stable reference voltage is provided by the internal reference circuit, while the feedback path simply feeds the output level to the error amplifier to maintain regulation.

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