I agree Novastar, I think the simplest is what Erv suggested. Three IN4001 rectifier diodes will drop the voltage by 2.1 v (I believe the voltage drop is about .7 v per diode). The IN4001s have a max current rating of 1A though so you might want to use higher rated types but the idea is the same.
The above diode solution still wastes the extra current/voltage as heat. To be more efficient, a switching voltage regulator would have a higher efficiency especially for cases where the input voltage is much higher than the output voltage
Btw, just so you guys know. Even though I have a EE degree, my expertise is in Digital electronics, I suck at power systems.
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