mauried:
At the low currents your chips need, a simple series resistor and a 3.3 V zener diode is all you need.
thanks for that. Zener diode sounds like a good option.
How much current should I pass throught the resistor for 3mA requirement? 5mA? 10mA to be safe?
Also, just to make sure, am I right with the resistor calculation:
R = (Vin - Vout) / Iout
Thanks
EDIT: well, small 50mA voltage regulator is half the price of the zener diode. will use the the voltage regulator.
Thanks everyone for the help. thread closed 