Question about voltage regulator

I am thinking of using a 3-pin 5v voltage regulator as an electronic 3.7v switch. I am thinking that I could use the ground pin as the switching pin so I can use small switches without burning them out. Is this going to work?

Ref: http://www.diodes.com/datasheets/AP1084.pdf

 

I wouldn't use the ground pin for switching, you would still have the problem of all that DC current flowing through the switch. They have some 4pin V regulators that may work better for this application. The one I pulled up may or may not work as far as the required volts out you need, but it has the advantage of having a v disable pin that can do the switching for you. That way the Vdis can be part of a seperate circuit and not subjected to the same kind of DC that would burn out smaller switches.

http://www.fairchildsemi.com/ds/KA/KA378R33.pdf

 

Since I posted that question, I have experimented and you are right, it does not work! You are right also, the 4-pin regulator works great. I have used the madvapes 3A 4-pin reg in my wife's white boxmod.
By asnider123 at 2011-03-18

My new project is a pulse width modulator VV circuit based on the 555 chip and a FET. I would like to integrate a touch switch into it as well, not sure if it's possible ??? This is a learning experience, I know I can buy ICs already designed to do it, but that's not the point.

Have a nice weekend!

 

Have a nice weekend as well! I've seen your mods, and they are awesome work! I saw your post about the 555 IC and FET, and I think it's a great idea. If you can figure out the change in capacitance, you might be able to use an old touch lamp's guts for a touch switch. Since the mod you make will be smaller than the lamp you get the guts from, it might be possible to just add in a capacitor to get it to work (with the right inputs, of course).

 

alright I am not an electronic expert by far, but this is my take on the whole touch button and the touch button on the precious....again I may be way off on this but I think this may be how it works or on a simaliar theory, if not it still might be a working way to make a touch button work simply...

normally the negative current is transfered thru the metal case of a metal tube pv, now on the precious you have to place the battery upside down with the positve side toward the bottom of the pv, now if you isolate the atomizer connection on the top part of the pv, you can connect the negative side of the battery which is faceing up, to the negative on the atty connection and then simply have a metal part that is isolated on the top part of the pv(the touch switch) connect to the positve atty connection, then in my theory which may be way off, the battery positve is connected to the case and when you hold the pv case in in your hand and then touch the "touch button" it will use your hand to complete the positve circuit allowing it to fire

now I don't own a precious so I have no idea if the atty connection is pressed into directly into the metal case or has something to isolate it, if it is directly into the case this would not work, or even if it would work in that case where the atty was isolated..

another theory was that the switch was basically like say a metal ring isolated from a pin that goes through the center of the metal ring and when you touched it your thumb or finger would contact both the center pin and the washer and complete the circuit...again no idea if this would work in reality..seems like your thumb would ground out on the case as well unless you had it raised....

so again..no idea how its actually done on a precious, and these are just thoughts on how to make a touch switch work, no idea if running the positve current through your body would be a no-no

another thought I just had, if the atty connection isnt isolated from the case maybe its the same theory, but the current to the atty connection is just reversed and the battery negative goes to the "touch switch" and then to the center pole of the atty connection...no idea if the atty would still work right with polairtys switched