Newbie LDO question

[Commie]

Hi there!

I'm lining up to build my first mod, 3.7 volt, since I'm relatively happy with not having VV.

I keep reading about regulators and LDO's, but my memory about electronics has about 20 years of dust. Could someone please explain what they do and if I need them? Is it just a switching transistor that allows me to pass more current through the circuit than my switch would otherwise allow? Or does it actually regulate the voltage coming out, regardless of how low or high the battery output is?

Edit: I read the wiki article, still don't quite understand -- if my input voltage drops to, say, 3.2V as the battery discharges, can it maintain 3.7V output? And since all the ones I've found on madvapes are 5V regulators, how do I adjust it for 3.7 output?

Thank you!

 

[rondasherrill]

A 5v regulator means it takes input higher than 5v, for instance 2x 3.7v @ 7.4v and regulates the output to 5v. It will maintain a 5v output until the batteries are discharged below a certain point.

An adjustable regulator means it can take a higher input, as in the previous example, and you can adjust the output voltage, usually between 1-6v, but it varies depending on the regulator used.

To get 5v from a single 3.7v battery you would need a booster, such as the popular ptn04050C.