[sdiy] current question

[Tim Daugard]

From: "John Mahoney" <jmahoney at gate.net>


> We're all familiar with voltage dividers, but what if I want to take
> the output from a varying current source and split it into 2 signals:
> one supplying the original current and another supplying, say, half
> that current. Is this easy to do?

Weeeeeelllllll, it depends. What is the current source feeding? If it's feeding constant
impediances, then it's relatively easy. As I'm sure you're aware a current source is a
current source. The current from the current source depends on the load. You can't force
more current into a load with out reducing the impediance of the load -- or the increasing
the potential (voltage) of the source.

Spliting currents is easy. Add a piece of wire to two a second load, and you've increased
the current from the source . If it's a constant current source, then you've decreased the
voltage across the loads. It's all ohms law.

Just remember you can give a battery to a kid, but you can't make them lick (draw more
current) - at least most kids won't do it twice.

Tim Daugard (who licks 9V batteries instead of looking for the meter.)
AG4GZ 30.4078N 86.6227W Alt: 12 feet above MSL
http://home.sprintmail.com/~daugard/synth.htm
http://home.earthlink.net/~synthfred/h_toctop.htm (Fred's online edition)