What is used in a solid state regulator to detect voltage?

What is used in a solid state regulator to detect voltage?

• A. Zener diode
• B. Capacitor
• C. Inductor
• D. Resistor network

Answer: (A)

A solid-state regulator uses a reference to compare the output voltage and determine how to adjust the pass element. A zener diode serves as that reference because its breakdown voltage stays essentially constant over a wide range of currents, giving the regulator a stable voltage to compare against the sensed output. The regulator’s error amplifier compares the scaled output (via a feedback network) to this fixed reference and drives corrective action to maintain the desired voltage. Capacitors provide smoothing and decoupling, inductors store energy and filter, and a resistor network may set the feedback ratio, but the actual voltage detection relies on the stable reference provided by the zener diode.

A solid-state regulator uses a reference to compare the output voltage and determine how to adjust the pass element. A zener diode serves as that reference because its breakdown voltage stays essentially constant over a wide range of currents, giving the regulator a stable voltage to compare against the sensed output. The regulator’s error amplifier compares the scaled output (via a feedback network) to this fixed reference and drives corrective action to maintain the desired voltage. Capacitors provide smoothing and decoupling, inductors store energy and filter, and a resistor network may set the feedback ratio, but the actual voltage detection relies on the stable reference provided by the zener diode.