8.3 Feature Description

The LM341 and LM78M05 fixed voltage regulators have built-in thermal overload protection which prevents the device from being damaged due to excessive junction temperature.

The regulators also contain internal short-circuit protection which limits the maximum output current, and safe-area protection for the pass transistor which reduces the short-circuit current as the voltage across the pass transistor is increased.

Although the internal power dissipation is automatically limited, the maximum junction temperature of the device must be kept below 125°C to meet data sheet specifications. An adequate heat sink must be provided to assure this limit is not exceeded under worst-case operating conditions (maximum input voltage and load current) if reliable performance is to be obtained.