Interactive simulation
It holds the voltage — until the load asks for more than it can spare.
The load sweeps itself from zero up to the slider peak and back every six seconds, so the dot crosses the knee both ways: Vout stays pinned at Vz only while the zener still has current to spare. Watch the power readout too — the zener is hottest at NO load, which is exactly where a shunt regulator cooks itself.
What you can change
555 astableThe capacitor sawtooth and output square of the classic astable.
ADC quantizationHow many bits before the staircase disappears into the sine?
ADC sampling & aliasingSample a sine too slowly and watch the alias ghost appear.
Battery dischargeLi-ion, LiFePO4, NiMH and alkaline curves under real load.
Bode plotGain against frequency on a log axis — where a filter actually stops working.
Boost converterCoil, switch and diode turning 12 V into 24 V — and the input current the load never sees.
Buck converterSwitch, coil and diode making 12 V into 5 V — watch the ripple and the CCM edge.
Class-AB crossoverThe notch you hear at every zero crossing, and the bias current that closes it.