ELECTRONICS · CALCULATOR

Zener voltage stabilizer calculator

Free zener voltage stabilizer calculator: get series resistance, zener dissipation and series resistor dissipation from input voltage and zener voltage.

Written by Chameera Sampath · Not yet reviewed by a licensed electrician. See the methodology.

US (NEC) only · NFPA 70 / NEC — locally adopted editionDefaults are US values. Verify the locally adopted NEC edition and project data.Official reference ↗

Project inputs

Measurements

Input voltage

Zener voltage

Load current

Required Zener current

Updates as inputs change. Unit changes preserve the same physical values.

THE MATH BEHIND THE ANSWER

Method & assumptions

R = (Vin − Vz) / (Iload + Iz)

Single operating point only; check worst-case unloaded and voltage variation from component datasheets.

Results do not check every aspect of an electrical installation. The calculators follow US (NEC) practice only; a regional preset changes defaults such as voltage and units, and no result certifies NEC compliance.

Sources and validation →

Worked example

Input voltage: 12 V · Zener voltage: 5.1 V · Load current: 10 mA · Required Zener current: 5 mA

Series resistance: 460 Ω · Zener dissipation: 0.026 W · Series resistor dissipation: 0.104 W

This example uses the stated inputs; results for the entered values appear above.

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