I hadn't paid attention to the TIP30 base resistor, 15 ohms in the version
you sent out. After you mentioned it in your last email about it
(especially the mention of zero ohms would be ok aside from output shorts),
I took another look. A very low value there has a side effect - maybe ok,
maybe not.

It is a 5 volt LDO so a likely use is with a 6 volt battery. At the point
where the input drops below what it takes to get the zener going the
quiescent current goes up sharply. My model showed it going up to almost
200ma with 10 ohms there. What you will actually get will be determined by
which particular 2N3904 and TIP30 you use. As soon as the battery gets a
little low, it gets much higher drain. If the battery is supplying a 250ma
load, at low line, the battery must supply 450ma.

If you have yours on your breadboard, maybe you can check to see if this is
simply spice gone bad.

Best regards,
Tom M.

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