speaking of car battery chargers...

[eccerr0r]

I suspect someday these car battery chargers will become as obsolete as vacuum tubes (since everyone would be driving electric cars that require power inputs rated in the kilowatts), but for now they still have their use.

Traditionally chargers are big heavy transformers with diodes...a fairly dumb device. I still have one. However I suspect, just like wall warts, people are all switching to... lightweight switching power supplies.

I recall seeing at WallyWorld they no longer have a line frequency transformer battery charger, and all were SMPS supplies now... are anyone still selling old fashioned transformer chargers?

How about those starter/charger "50A 100A 200A" supplies designed to boost starting as well?

[stj]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

they wont be obsolete because 12v batteries are also used on generators, plant equipment such as compressors etc and loads of other stuff.

[diif]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

I have one of the lithium jump packs. Powerful enough to start a completely dead 3L V6 Touareg. It also has USB and adjustable voltages for charging/powering a laptop.

[budm]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

Even elecric cars have 12v lead acid batteries.
https://www.plugincars.com/why-do-el...er-129118.html

Even TESLA uses lead acid batteries :
https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forum...ithout-warning
https://forums.tesla.com/forum/forum...r-start-my-car

[eccerr0r]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

Even elecric cars have 12v lead acid batteries.

Don't tell me these aren't charged by the main pack...

[eccerr0r]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

they wont be obsolete because 12v batteries are also used on generators, plant equipment such as compressors etc and loads of other stuff.

But are they all SMPS now?

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

The ones I seen that have no real weight to them are for sure a SMPS board

[Curious.George]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

Even elecric cars have 12v lead acid batteries.

For some years, now, there has been a push to move to 48V systems in cars -- mainly to cut down on wire gauge (without also needing dramatically costlier semiconductors). Imagine the turbocharger being electrically driven (instead of off the camshaft).

Though I still think they plan on retaining a 12V bus for things like interior lighting, instrumentation, etc.

[petehall347]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

For some years, now, there has been a push to move to 48V systems in cars -- mainly to cut down on wire gauge (without also needing dramatically costlier semiconductors). Imagine the turbocharger being electrically driven (instead of off the camshaft).

Though I still think they plan on retaining a 12V bus for things like interior lighting, instrumentation, etc.

turbo runs off exhaust gases

[Curious.George]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

turbo runs off exhaust gases

Depends on the design of the turbocharger.

A friend makes them (after-market) in his tool-and-die shop gearing up off the crankshaft so he can get it up to speed at relatively low RPMs (you have power despite revs). And, easy to retrofit to almost any vehicle.

The advantage of an *electric* turbocharger is you can get it up to speed before the engine is doing anything!

[stj]

Re: speaking of car battery chargers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a_J2X88fSE
there;s one