Regulated and unregulated power suppy..? what the difference?

[rosssurf]

I was wondering what the difference is between a regulated and un- regulated power supply. How do I know if the wall wart I have is regulated.
Is one noisier?

[aron]

Measure it. The unregulated one might put out a lot more voltage than you might expect. Usually the regulated one is quieter.

[rosssurf]

Thanks Aron! I will measure it.
 Are the standard Boss power adapters regulated?

 Is measuring them the way too tell if they are regulated or are they marked in some way?

[aron]

Yeah, if they measure 9VDC or close to it, they are regulated OR if they say "Regulated" 

[Sir H C]

A regulated supply uses more circuitry to keep the output voltage nearly constant.  An unregulated supply is usually just a transformer, some diodes and a capacitor.  As such, if the wall voltage goes up or down, the supply voltage will go up and down proportionally.  Also, as the load on the supply changes, the voltage put out by the supply will vary.

[rosssurf]

Thanks that explains it!