[sdiy] LM317 vs 780x "report"

[Christian.Bergmiller at daimlerchrysler.com]

I needed a power supply for a ladder filter box and decided to do a quick
shootout with some voltage regulators.

7812 (my so far "all time" regulator)
lm317
z-diode with darlington emitter follower (discrete approach)

the 317 regulator had WAY less noise then 7812 in my application (single
way rectifier/wall wart) and a very good ripple rejection.
z-diode regulator had about the same noise but bad ripple rejection and
load regulation (as expected..)

i will switch to the 317/337 series. one additional benfit is that i olny
need to stock one part for several output voltages.

bye
christian