Voltage regulators are usually used to regulate voltage down to a lower value and to provide this value constantly over time. Such a device could be as simple as a feed-forward design or it could be more complex and include negative feedback loops.

There are two kinds of voltage regulators:

• Electronic: These use pure electronic components such as diodes, resistors and capacitors and usually come as integrated circuits already rated for specific voltages and current output.

• Electromechanical: These make use of moving mechanical parts to regulate voltage. The mechanical part is usually a solenoid that moves according to the size of the incoming current and voltage, and moves accordingly to cut off the input when there is a surge. A capacitor then provides the regulated output.