L7805CV Voltage Regulator

A three-terminal fixed regulator producing a stable 5V output from a higher input voltage - the standard logic supply voltage - this is how most projects get a clean 5V rail from a 9V or 12V source. It needs only two small capacitors to work and is essentially impossible to get wrong, which is why it has been the default choice for decades. The trade-off is efficiency: every volt of difference between input and output becomes heat. Dropping 12V to 5V at half an amp means real power dissipated, so a heatsink is required at anything above light load. Where efficiency matters, use a switching buck converter instead. Stable 5V output with only two external capacitors; Built-in thermal shutdown and short circuit protection; Extremely reliable and simple to design with; TO-220 tab bolts directly to a heatsink