Switching a lot of power? N channel MOSFETs are just what you need.

These TO-220 package power MOSFETs can switch 30V/60A, which is plenty for most makers! They fit straight into a breadboard or even your own PCB with 2.54mm spaced pads.

They have quite a low voltage threshold at around 2.5V allowing you to control it from your favourite dev board at 2.8V, 3.3V or 5V logic.

You don’t always need heat sinks for these (you can get away with no heatsink until the higher end of the scale, up to about 15A) but we recommend fitting one of these or one of these anyway just to be sure. The FET can dissipate up to 2W without a heat sink (at room temperature). You can avoid heatsinking even more if you use PWM. Here is a good website for working out detailed calculations.

Specifications

• N channel power MOSFET
• TO-220 Package
• Vds = 30V max
• Max current = 62A
• Vgs = 2.35V max
• Rds_on = as low as 8.7 milliohm – depending on Vgs

Downloads

• Product Datasheet (similar spec, not the same brand)

Tutorials

Here are a couple of great tutorials written by Adafruit:

• Driving LED strips with Arduino PWM with power FETs
• Driving a plate of 2W power LEDs

When you need to switch a lot of power, N-channel MOSFETs are best for the job. This MOSFET can switch over 60A and 30V and comes in a TO-220 package that fits nicely into any breadboard or perfboard. Heat sinking is easy with TO-220’s; however, due to the very low Rds(on) of down to 0.009 ohms (depending on Vgs), you can operate at fairly high loads without any heat sinking. The threshold voltage is less than 2.5V, allowing control directly from a microcontroller running on 2.8V, 3.3V, or 5V logic.

The TO-220 package can dissipate up to 2 Watts without a heat sink at room temperature. With an Rds as low as 9 milliohms, this MOSFET can switch at least 15 Amperes without a heat sink, more with PWM control.

Features:

• N-channel power MOSFET
• TO-220 Package
• Max Drain-Source Voltage (Vds): 30V
• Maximum Current: 62A
• Gate-Source Voltage (Vgs) max: 2.35V
• Low Rds_on: as low as 8.7 milliohms depending on Vgs

For more detailed thermal calculations, you can visit this thermal calculator.

Download the datasheet for detailed specifications and check related tutorials on driving LED strips and power LEDs with MOSFETs at the Adafruit Learning System.