Paralleling the regulators allows higher output current and dissipation of power over a larger area in a surface mount system. Surface mount components and high density boards preclude the use of heat sinks. High performance switching regulators have moved in to fill this gap, providing lower output voltages and minimizing the heat buildup, but the downside is the cost and complexity. That’s where the LT3080 family of LDOs fits in. The LT3080 is an NPN 1.1A adjustable single-resistor LDO that can be directly paralleled for PCB heat spreading with an easy way to set V_OUT.