Do you think AC will ever be widely replaced with DC?

Anarchist420

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Feb 13, 2010
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I think it should be. AC is more wasteful and ultimately more expensive because you are tempted to use more copper with it (longer wires), everything with a power supply has to use better caps and better tracing to filter out the distortion and noise from AC input, and AC is expensive if it's "clean".

Why do you think DC won't be used more widely as the nominal input source?
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
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RecipeImage.ashx
 

IndyColtsFan

Lifer
Sep 22, 2007
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I think it should be. AC is more wasteful and ultimately more expensive because you are tempted to use more copper with it (longer wires), everything with a power supply has to use better caps and better tracing to filter out the distortion and noise from AC input, and AC is expensive if it's "clean".

Why do you think DC won't be used more widely as the nominal input source?

You don't know anything about electricity, do you? I want you to look at what I've bolded above and think about why that may, in fact, be an advantage of AC.
 

mikeymikec

Lifer
May 19, 2011
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I'm reminded of this Hitch-Hiker's quote:

"Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. And some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans."
 

Triumph

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
15,031
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I think it should be. AC is more wasteful and ultimately more expensive because you are tempted to use more copper with it (longer wires), everything with a power supply has to use better caps and better tracing to filter out the distortion and noise from AC input, and AC is expensive if it's "clean".

Why do you think DC won't be used more widely as the nominal input source?

What the hell are you talking about? Not sure if trolling or just dumb.
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
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I shouldn't give a serious answer to a dumb question, but....

If we discover superconductors that work at room temperature then you might see DC being used a lot more. It's obvious that the OP has no understanding of this though.
 

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
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Educate yourself: War of Currents

Alternating current could be transmitted over long distances at high voltages, using lower current, and thus lower energy loss and greater transmission efficiency, and then conveniently stepped down to low voltages for use in homes and factories. When Tesla introduced a system for alternating current generators, transformers, motors, wires and lights in November and December 1887, it became clear that AC was the future of electric power distribution, although DC distribution was used in downtown metropolitan areas for decades thereafter.
 

JoeyP

Senior member
Aug 2, 2012
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I'd like to see houses have AC outlets alongside DC outlets that have smart voltage switching. So if you have a computer, you can plug into the DC receptacle and feed your computer 12 volts (it can reduce it to 5V or whatever inside the case). And then things like lamps can just have simple LED bulbs that run off the DC, instead of having each bulb have its own transformer.

I could see these being smart enough to use some sort of communication method to switch to the proper voltage depending upon the device being plugged in, maybe by some simple query or an RFID chip in the plug.
 

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
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I shouldn't give a serious answer to a dumb question, but....

If we discover superconductors that work at room temperature then you might see DC being used a lot more. It's obvious that the OP has no understanding of this though.

This is really one of the holy grails of science.

Who knows if/when it'll even happen with a material that can be mass produced.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,487
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I think it should be. AC is more wasteful and ultimately more expensive because you are tempted to use more copper with it (longer wires), everything with a power supply has to use better caps and better tracing to filter out the distortion and noise from AC input, and AC is expensive if it's "clean".

Why do you think DC won't be used more widely as the nominal input source?

So you are the one surpresssing all the wonderful Tesla inventions!

Lynch mob, form up on me!
 

DrPizza

Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
Mar 5, 2001
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Educate yourself: War of Currents

Alternating current could be transmitted over long distances at high voltages, using lower current, and thus lower energy loss and greater transmission efficiency, and then conveniently stepped down to low voltages for use in homes and factories. When Tesla introduced a system for alternating current generators, transformers, motors, wires and lights in November and December 1887, it became clear that AC was the future of electric power distribution, although DC distribution was used in downtown metropolitan areas for decades thereafter.

Actually, DC transmission is possible & is now preferred for long distances. The increased cost for conversion to AC at the end is more than offset by reduced losses in the line.

However, OP, watch this video and let me know if you'd like them to switch over to supplying your house with DC instead of AC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zez2r1RPpWY

Also, the number of appliances and other devices that would cease to work because they're built to operate on AC only - at this point, it'd be near impossible to switch.

Oh, and re: DC switches, shhhhhhh!
 

Scotteq

Diamond Member
Apr 10, 2008
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I think it should be. AC is more wasteful and ultimately more expensive because you are tempted to use more copper with it (longer wires), everything with a power supply has to use better caps and better tracing to filter out the distortion and noise from AC input, and AC is expensive if it's "clean".

Why do you think DC won't be used more widely as the nominal input source?

Because old Tom Edison deserved to lose, the misogynistic, racist fkuc...
 

sjwaste

Diamond Member
Aug 2, 2000
8,757
12
81
That arc is fantastic. Is that basically because on AC, the trough between phases prevents that kind of arcing at that voltage, whereas no such thing exists with DC? Pardon me if it's a stupid question, this is one subject I wish I understood better.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,182
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I'd say eventually AC will be replaced with DC. As renewable energy production becomes common place for the regular household, people will generate their own power, and much of that will be DC.
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,874
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I'd say eventually AC will be replaced with DC. As renewable energy production becomes common place for the regular household, people will generate their own power, and much of that will be DC.

Which will then be inverted to AC to run their appliances.
 

natto fire

Diamond Member
Jan 4, 2000
7,117
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More than likely not. Now that I know you are a descendant of that piece of shit Edison, I will disregard your posts.
 

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,182
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That's a ways down the road; might as well talk about table-top fusion by then.

Well the question was open ended "future". I don't think it'll happen next year, or even in my life time, but I think it'll happen in the not too distant future. Perhaps 100-200 years.
 

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,874
4,985
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Well the question was open ended "future". I don't think it'll happen next year, or even in my life time, but I think it'll happen in the not too distant future. Perhaps 100-200 years.


In a century or two, sure, absolutely.
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
72,942
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If you go to the front page of the iTunes Store I think you'll find that we can all just get along, though, now, my forehead hurts.