> if instead of voltage regulation you had current regulation
Since the dawn, amplifiers run on batteries. (Or battery eliminators....)
Power systems generally (aside from series arc-lights and a related trick in airport lighting) run "constant voltage". You have "120V" from the wall. It may be 124V or 113V depending how you suck it, but pretty-near 120V (or 230V if that is the local flavor).
Current-supply amplifiers are sure possible. Studio microphone Phantom power is one. But the usual technique is to feed the current to a voltage regulator and run the amp constant-voltage.
The general reason we work with stable voltage and varying current is that batteries make so-much Volts per cell, and a simple generator or alternator turned constant-RPM makes so-much voltage.
Connecting the field of a generator can make it run constant current. The "problem" is that if the load is disconnected (or too-light), the output voltage goes to infinity (or very-high). A constant-voltage source run no-load won't hurt itself. A constant-current source no-load is liable to voltage breakdown.
But there IS a I dual for every V solution. While audio interfacing is usually low-Z to hi-Z (constant voltage), there is also "matching" and even " current source". For a while some European hi-fi (at least recorders) had 100K resistors out of every output, and every input was 1K into a microphone preamp. We also have early transistor stages, when voltage-gain was easy but current-gain very expensive. 10K collector impedance would drive 1K base impedance. This also leads to "backward pots", because the pot is not a Potentiometer now, but a current-splitter.
But stick to the main road before you wander off into side-paths which are historically seen as dead-ends.
> Your questions suggest that your understanding is much weaker than you think it is.
Agree. This can be cured. But don't tire-out our arms beating "common sense" (which nobody is born with) into you.
Since the dawn, amplifiers run on batteries. (Or battery eliminators....)
Power systems generally (aside from series arc-lights and a related trick in airport lighting) run "constant voltage". You have "120V" from the wall. It may be 124V or 113V depending how you suck it, but pretty-near 120V (or 230V if that is the local flavor).
Current-supply amplifiers are sure possible. Studio microphone Phantom power is one. But the usual technique is to feed the current to a voltage regulator and run the amp constant-voltage.
The general reason we work with stable voltage and varying current is that batteries make so-much Volts per cell, and a simple generator or alternator turned constant-RPM makes so-much voltage.
Connecting the field of a generator can make it run constant current. The "problem" is that if the load is disconnected (or too-light), the output voltage goes to infinity (or very-high). A constant-voltage source run no-load won't hurt itself. A constant-current source no-load is liable to voltage breakdown.
But there IS a I dual for every V solution. While audio interfacing is usually low-Z to hi-Z (constant voltage), there is also "matching" and even " current source". For a while some European hi-fi (at least recorders) had 100K resistors out of every output, and every input was 1K into a microphone preamp. We also have early transistor stages, when voltage-gain was easy but current-gain very expensive. 10K collector impedance would drive 1K base impedance. This also leads to "backward pots", because the pot is not a Potentiometer now, but a current-splitter.
But stick to the main road before you wander off into side-paths which are historically seen as dead-ends.
> Your questions suggest that your understanding is much weaker than you think it is.
Agree. This can be cured. But don't tire-out our arms beating "common sense" (which nobody is born with) into you.
Current and voltage. I mixed up CCS loading theory fragments. The reason for subscribing to these forums is to cure my building ability and theory backround mismatch. If I wasn't the OP, I would just been following all these excellent posts! OTOH I don't regret exposing myself to this discussion! I just hope the way I took advantage of your willing to share knowledge wasn't rude. I' m obliged to you all!
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