24 Volt DC to 5 Volt DC - need help constructing a simple circuit

Look up a voltage divider circuit. It is made with a couple of resistors

|-------------- +5V < > R2 >

On 09/12/2005 the venerable snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com etched in runes:

But it might get hot fed with 24V

On 10/12/2005 the venerable Dope mcSmoke etched in runes:

Yes it might, that depends on the current consumption. But it won't get any hotter than the dropper resistor in a potential divider and the output will more stable.

If in doubt use a standard 7805 1A regulator bolted to Mr mcSmoke's dope tin.

Yeah - details are what's needed- the "amperage" is all important so why don't you find out what it is before your ask your dumb question.

Ooohh such anger, now I know who the '40 Year Old Virgin' was based on.

If you're talking about more than 100 mA, consider a Simple Switcher from National Semiconductor. Check out LM2678-5.0. It won't need a heatsink for currents up to 2 amps or more. The website "web bench" will design the circuit for you, including giving you a parts list.

Fred Bloggs contributes wonderful circuits here. You would be very hard pressed to get better help than he can provide - if that is possible. You mistake accuracy as anger.

Ed

Fred's response may be a bit blunt, but we do need to know the load you want to run from the 5 volts. If the current is very low and stable, a resistive divider may do, but if the load varies a lot, a regulator would be necessary.