PCB Currents: How They Flow, How They React

14. Voltage and Current Sources

14.1. Fundamental Sources

As we said in Chapter 1, for most of us there are two fundamental sources of voltage and current: the electrical outlet in the wall in our homes and a chemical process (a battery). There are, of course, refinements we can make in this statement. For example, we can talk about a local generator, which, in one sense, is just a substitute for what is in our walls. But this might include, for example, a generator that might be found on a car or bicycle. But at least in the automobile case, the generator (alternator) simply charges the battery and the fundamental source we have is the battery ...