L7815CV Fixed Positive 12-Volt Linear Voltage Regulator

A three-terminal fixed regulator producing a stable 15V output from a higher input voltage - commonly used to supply operational amplifier circuits and analogue signal chains. 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 15V 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 15V 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