Discussion: Alternating vs Direct Current.

[Jessica]

I was just wondering to myself this morning, "What would the car audio landscape look like today if we had Alternating Current in our cars instead of Direct Current"

So what do you think? Would we be better off, worse off, how would things change?

[Wicks]

The main benefit of AC is that its voltage/current is easily raised and lowered by a simple transformer.

The main problem is that you can't store AC power like you can with DC batteries.

So you'd have to have a conversion device at the batteries.

If you were using transformers to convert the AC voltage, you'd want the voltage boosted very high in order to reduce the current through those transformers.

A transformer that could conduct ~300A(12V) would be MASSIVE.

At that power (3600W) if you boosted the voltage up to 360V then you only need to pump 10A of current which is much more manageable.

It could simplify our amplifiers though as their power supplies already convert DC to AC.

If you already had AC available then no complicated power supply.

I've thought about this concept before since it has the potential to greatly reduce the copper required from the alternator(s) to the amps.

But there are a lot of hurdles as well.

Good question!