Perfectly acceptable to use a Zener diode as a voltage-dropper. How much current does the device need? You may need some amount of=20 bulk capacitance on the supply pin of the driver to ensure that you=20 have enough current available for edge transitions. You most likely don't need that 10k resistor unless the leakage=20 current of the zener diode is too high (possible but unlikely). dwayne At 01:53 AM 5/24/2013, veegee wrote: >Hi all, > >I'm trying to power some MOSFET drivers (which can be powered from up to >18V) with a battery pack(s) whose voltage may be anywhere from 16-24V. I >can opt for the "correct"(?) design and just use a linear regulator, but >I don't want to add a whole regulator just for the MOSFET driver. Is it >considered acceptable engineering practice to use a Zener diode in >series with the power supply rail, reverse biased, to act as a 10V (for >example) drop to power the IC? That way, the IC supply voltage will be >from 6-16V, which is acceptable. It seems I'd also need something like a >10k resistor to GND in parallel with the IC to maintain a high enough >current through the Zener to keep it in the intended reverse voltage range= .. > >SPICE simulation says it's okay, but I have a feeling there's something >I don't know... > >-- >http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive >View/change your membership options at >http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist --=20 Dwayne Reid Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd Edmonton, AB, CANADA (780) 489-3199 voice (780) 487-6397 fax www.trinity-electronics.com Custom Electronics Design and Manufacturing --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .