StevieP
Stunt Coordinator
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2002
- Messages
- 63
Greetings everyone!
I'm curious about the new technology of digital amps, and thought it might be interesting to start a new thread about it!
Being in the marine business (Yacht a/c,& electrical repair/installation)I can't help but try to imagine some kind of comparison to the new technology of marine battery chargers.
The new marine battery chargers, have no transformers, or capacitors. Only a single circuit board, input,& output fuses, and or breakers.
Advantages of the new chargers are:
1) Weight, They are much lighter.
2) They put out stable power, with widely varying input power (Yachts have many AC power challenges including low voltage from long dock runs, and many boats in the same marina all drawing from the same power company transformer)
3)They are very flexible. In that the output can be user tailored for the type of batteries, and ambient operation temps.
4)Quiet operation. Without transformers, or big capacitors the RF noise is reduced (Marine radio transmitters are not affected as much) Also sonic vibration is reduced.
When these new chargers came out, and being a service man from the "old school" train of thought, I Poo-Pooed this new technology to my customers, reasoning that they could not be field serviced, and was not convinced about their reliability!
Now, several years later, reliability, and service do not seem to be much of a problem, and when there is a problem, it's just a matter of popping out a circuit board, popping in a new one, and re-connecting all related wire connectors!
Guy's, I'm no engineer, but it seems to me that there are many similarity's to the challenges of a good amplifier, and that Digital Amps may very well be a viable alternative for the future!
Thoughts, & Ideas ?
STEVE.
I'm curious about the new technology of digital amps, and thought it might be interesting to start a new thread about it!
Being in the marine business (Yacht a/c,& electrical repair/installation)I can't help but try to imagine some kind of comparison to the new technology of marine battery chargers.
The new marine battery chargers, have no transformers, or capacitors. Only a single circuit board, input,& output fuses, and or breakers.
Advantages of the new chargers are:
1) Weight, They are much lighter.
2) They put out stable power, with widely varying input power (Yachts have many AC power challenges including low voltage from long dock runs, and many boats in the same marina all drawing from the same power company transformer)
3)They are very flexible. In that the output can be user tailored for the type of batteries, and ambient operation temps.
4)Quiet operation. Without transformers, or big capacitors the RF noise is reduced (Marine radio transmitters are not affected as much) Also sonic vibration is reduced.
When these new chargers came out, and being a service man from the "old school" train of thought, I Poo-Pooed this new technology to my customers, reasoning that they could not be field serviced, and was not convinced about their reliability!
Now, several years later, reliability, and service do not seem to be much of a problem, and when there is a problem, it's just a matter of popping out a circuit board, popping in a new one, and re-connecting all related wire connectors!
Guy's, I'm no engineer, but it seems to me that there are many similarity's to the challenges of a good amplifier, and that Digital Amps may very well be a viable alternative for the future!
Thoughts, & Ideas ?
STEVE.