Captain Morgan wrote:
The 78XX series regulator is just fine for load dumps. The required
input capacitor suppresses the load dump, plus there is usually other
circuitry on the line that suppresses the dump too. Furthermore,
modern alternators have regulators that do just fine in supressing the
load dump. The 78XX costs much less and any transient suppressor, so
if a load dump did occur it is cheaper to replace the 78XX regulator.
The transient suppressor is good for one dump, so if two occur then
the regulator is shot anyway. That's my real world experience which is
superior to what others have learned only in books.

Captain Morgan


IIRC, 78xx is nominally a 1 amp device.