MOSFET
IRLZ44N
Logic-level N-channel power MOSFET, TO-220 — 55V, 0.022Ω, 47A, fully enhanced from a 5V gate.
IRLZ44NPBF · Infineon Technologies
Overview
A logic-level power MOSFET with RDS(on) characterized at 4V, 5V and 10V gate drive. That supports direct use from a 5V GPIO for low-side switching when the datasheet's thermal conditions are respected. The manufacturer does not specify RDS(on) at 3.3V, so a 3.3V design must not assume the quoted low resistance; use a gate driver or a MOSFET explicitly characterized at 2.5–3.3V. It is frequently confused with the IRF540N, which shares the TO-220 G-D-S arrangement but is only RDS(on)-specified at 10V. Always check the exact marking and gate-drive condition.
Wiring tip: gate → GPIO (through a series resistor), source → GND, drain → load return; add a flyback diode for inductive loads
Pins & wiring
IRLZ44N
TO-220
Physical pin order shown left to right.
All pins
Hover · click to selectSelected pin
GATE
- Direction
- Input
TO-220, pins facing you with the tab away: left-to-right is Gate, Drain, Source. The tab is electrically Drain (same net as pin 2) — don't let it touch anything else on a shared heatsink.
Full pin table
| Pin | Name | Role | Direction | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GPIO | In | TO-220, pins facing you with the tab away: left-to-right is Gate, Drain, Source. The tab is electrically Drain (same net as pin 2) — don't let it touch anything else on a shared heatsink. | |
| 2 | Other | Passive | Also the metal tab. Connects to the load's return side, not directly to a board pin. | |
| 3 | Ground | Passive | — |
Wiring examples
Low-side switch for a DC motor or high-current load
Any 5V hostGPIO drives the gate through a series resistor; a pull-down keeps it off during boot; a flyback diode across the motor/coil protects the drain from the turn-off voltage spike.
| IRLZ44N pin | Connects to | Note |
|---|---|---|
| GATE | host Digital out (any matching pin) | Through a 100–220Ω series gate resistor; use PWM instead of plain digital for speed control. |
| SOURCE | host Ground (any matching pin) | — |
You also need
- Required150 Ω resistor between gpio and gate — Limits inrush/ringing when the GPIO switches.
- Required100 kΩ resistor between gate and ground — Holds the gate low during MCU reset/boot so the FET can't turn on before firmware takes over.
- Required diode between load+ and drain — Clamps the inductive turn-off spike from a motor or relay coil — without it the drain can exceed the 55V rating on every switch-off.
- The load's ground must be common with the MCU's ground.
- Above a couple of amps continuous, add a heatsink or generous copper pour to the drain tab — Id derates fast with case temperature.
- Double-check the part in hand is actually an IRLZ44N and not an IRF540N. For 3.3V drive, neither the name 'logic-level' nor threshold voltage substitutes for an RDS(on) guarantee at 3.3V.
Specifications
Footprint
No independently verified physical footprint is on file for this part yet.
Alternatives
Budget options
Cheaper, with a stated tradeoff — read the reason before swapping.
For a load under ~150mA, the 2N7000 is a cheaper, tiny TO-92 part that does the job without the bigger TO-220 footprint.
Compare with IRLZ44N- Continuous Id: 47A → 0.2A
Documents
Datasheets
- IRLZ44N HEXFET Power MOSFET (PD-9.1346B)Infineon Technologies
Frequently asked questions
What voltage does the IRLZ44N run at?
Banana Board does not have a verified operating voltage on file for the IRLZ44N yet — check the datasheet in Documents before wiring it up.
How many pins does the IRLZ44N have?
The IRLZ44N has 3 pins, communicating over Digital. See the full pinout table in Pins & wiring for each pin's role.
Can I simulate the IRLZ44N before ordering hardware?
Not yet — the IRLZ44N does not have a live simulation model in Banana Board today, so validate the wiring here and test on real hardware.
Where is the IRLZ44N datasheet?
Linked in the Documents section on this page, and cited on every spec that came from it.
Related references
Build it, do not just look it up
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