Is external component placement important for an LDO regulator?
Input and output capacitors should be placed as close as possible to the input and output pins, respectively. If the LDO employs external current sensing, board-trace resistance should be as low as possible because it increases the apparent dropout voltage. This is more of a factor at higher output currents. LDOs with an external MOSFET should maintain as short as possible distance between the gate pin and the LDO, because a long trace can create a parasitic inductor, resulting in ringing of the output voltage.
