How does a voltage regulator work?

Question

would it be able to up convert a 11.1V signal to 12V?

I have no ea about voltage regulators so sorry if that question makes no sense.

Answer 1

it has 3 pins.

pin 1 is the power source (say 13.456volts for example)

now if its a 12v regulator, then exactly 12v will will come out of pin 3

and the rest (1.456v) will be grounded through pin 2.

7805 (means +5v)

7905 (means -5v)

7812 (means +12v)

7912 (means -12v)

if there's an (l) in there it means low power (500mA)

Answer 2

its a bit like a zener diode

it usually has a built in heat sink

It won't increase your voltage, for that you need a transformer or some other device.

Answer 3

If you think of it as a bucket with a round hole in the side halfway up, held underneath a mains water tap that has lots of air in the main. The tap may stop at times and splutter but, providing that more water comes out of the tap than goes out of the hole, the flow of water is steady coming out of the hole.

A transformer is needed to change voltage.

Answer 4

A voltage regulator monitors and maintains a given voltage level. Example - you would have a 12V source be the supply source for a 9V supply or a 5V supply. A sample is sent back to the source to compare, then an error voltage is created and either added or subtracted from the target voltage. It cannot create or regulate a higher voltage than it's source, it would suck the source dry. You could use a voltage doubler then regulate it down to what you want but to answer your question, an 11.1V source can not be used to power a 12V power supply.