High Voltage Power Supply For Marx Generator

Some of you are asking me to post an instructable about how to make an high voltage power supply to power the Marx Generator on this instructable.
Well, here is the instructable you have been waiting for!

The device we are going to use to make a power supply for the Marx Generator is called Cockroft-Walton Voltage Multiplier, now that is a lot of words, so what most other people call it is what we are going to call it, the Voltage Multiplier.

This one is a different design from the one I used for my Marx Generator, I was going to post the other design, however, it was quite difficult to build, so I came up with this new design.

The new design has more advantaged over the old design, I will explain them:

• Easy to build
• More efficient

However, the new design has one disadvantage, it requires mains electricity, but that is not very much a problem, we can just add fuse (and safety resistors if you want). At least it is easier to build!

Disclaimer: This project is very dangerous to operate, it generates high voltages (6000 volts). Please do not attempt to build this voltage multiplier unless you are familiar with high voltage. I am NOT responsible what ever happens to you and others with this voltage multiplier.

Step 1 Get the things!!

Depending where you live, get the things that will be suitable to your mains power..

If your country uses 110v or 120v, get the things as listed:

• 34 1N4007 diodes
• 34 100nF film 200v (or greater) capacitors
• 100mA fuse

If your country uses 220v or 240v, get the things as listed:

• 18 1N4007 diodes
• 18 100nF film 400v (or greater) capacitors
• 100mA fuse

The X2 capacitors will also work well, that is what I used for this voltage multiplier.

(UPDATE)
I got the diodes and the fuse from Farnell. I got the capacitors from Maplin, however, the capacitors are no longer stocked at Maplin, But you can still get it from Farnell. Here is a list of things you will need to get if you are going to buy the components from Farnell.
1N4007 diodes
100nF film 400v capacitor
100nF film 200v capacitor
100mA fuse

Comments

[Dreistein]

hey i'd like to make a device i can attach to say my foot ,that if i touch someone they would get a shock basically like when you walk with socks over a carpet but the effect is automated. A guy made an ible http://www.instructables.com/id/The-mini-electrostatic-generator/ where he makes what im describing but its not very detailed. any ideas?

[Dreistein]

hey i'd like to make a device i can attach to say my foot ,that if i touch someone they would get a shock basically like when you walk with socks over a carpet but the effect is automated. A guy made an ible http://www.instructables.com/id/The-mini-electrostatic-generator/ where he makes what im describing but its not very detailed. any ideas?

[emihackr97]

Hi, I want to build your marx generator, but on the video from that 'ible, you power it all from a single AA battery, is it possible to get the schematic for the inverter circuit, an also, you say it outputs 450v, so how may stages of Caps-Diodes will I need?

Thanks,
emihackr97

[Kalace]

Does this plug into the wall for power, and if so does this trip the circuit breaker often?

[Kalace]

I live in US so i get 120volts

[reed00112]

So say i wanted a reeeally low output current for ultimate safety and i used a 2M Ohm resistor in series with the output. What kinda current would we be looking at? and what voltage drop should i expect ?
Help will be greatly appreciated!

[Speedmite]

I was just wondering, If I built this multiplier, could it feed into a larger multiplier such as this one?
http://www.instructables.com/id/High-Voltage-Multiplier/
Or would everything need higher ratings?

[Robdei]

would some 1 picofarad ceramic 500v capacitors be able to substitute for the film capacitors?

[AGT563]

I am working on something like this, but much smaller and independent of mains power, I will be posting it soon. on another note you mentioned that have asperger syndrome, I have asperger syndrome as well, and I am also a bit odd.

[robot797]

i need around 50KV adjustable fron 30KV to 70KV
can it be done with this?

[sholtob]

do you connect the live wire from the mains voltage to the hot pin and the neutral to the earth?

[zapurva]

Wouldn't 18 stages for a 240V input supply require 36 capacitors and diodes? As per my calculations 1 stage requires 2 capacitors and 2 diodes..

[manicmonday]

Does anyone here know how to use one of these to make a Negitive Ion Generator? I'm in the USA using 120vac.

Thanks

[FurtherThanTesla]

Im pretty sure that you just switch the ac input wires on the voltage multiplier. That way, the 6kv output will be negative relative to ground. Look it up on google images, because i know I saw a schematic for a negative ionizer that pretty much just had the leads switched from what this guy has

[yaly]

there is an instructable on that.

[Robert L]

I dont understand , how did you power it with a AA battery when this needs 110v to work.

[niconathanson]

Hi Robert, I think that in the instructable for the marx generator, Plasmana made his own custom made one that runs off of 1.5v (AA battery). THIS instructable is an alternative that YOU can build that uses 110. This is what I think. I really don't know

[Umniscient]

Two questions:

1. Am I correct in saying that each capacitor should be rated for twice the *input* voltage? That is, can I add more stages without changing the ratings?

2. My country uses 110 volts. Should my capacitors be rated for 200VAC or 200VDC?

Thanks!

[pyroten]

Hmm. I'm in a bit of a hard position. I live in Australia and i can't order things online. All i can really use is this hobby store (Jaycar) so i need to substitute everything because i can't find exact matches for the resistors and caps.
Soooo.... Could the:

• 400v 100nf caps be substituted for two 250v 100nf caps connected in series?
• 50k 2W Resistor be substituted for two 27k 1W resistors in series?

So what I'm kind of getting at is what can i change around to what effect.

Thanks in advance ^:)

[TANN-MANN]

No probs in Australia, Order online at http://au.element14.com, its all we aussies could need, Jaycar is good, but you will need to order most things...Yeah I know this was posted a few years ago but hey just helping

[lasermaster3531]

for the resistor that will work, but you need to have the caps 200nf each in series to get 100nf together.

[volthead]

Try a hobby store which also stocks altronics parts I am about to pick up 10 2.2nF 3kv caps and 30 1n4804 diodes. It depends where you are I am in Bendigo so I have PCB electronics.

[duckythescientist]

two 250v 100nf caps in series would give you a 500v 50nf cap. You want two 250v 200nf caps. When caps are put in parallel, the capacitances are added and the maximum voltage becomes the smallest of the maximum voltages of the caps in parallel. When caps are added in series, the voltages are summed (at least when all the voltages are the same) and the resulting capacitance is the harmonic mean of the capacitances. This is the reciprocal of the sum of all the reciprocals of each individual capacitance. Meaning Ctotal=1/( 1/Ca + 1/Cb + 1/Cc ...)

I hope this helps. If I am incorrect, Instructables community, please correct me.

[dumle29]

does it matter where you connect the neutral and where you connect the phase?

[tobyscool]

will this need a 555 timer circuit or it will switch automatically?

[jaydenr]

if i build a full wave multiplier with 33 the caps of the same value and the same diodes will it work just as well? also, what is the advantage of building it half wave? and does it matter if the caps are film or ceramic?

[Mudbud]

does the input 'Have' to be 120 or 240v? can I just use 16vAC instead? I know it won't generate as much but I will just add more stages to it then.

[grampafish]

Could this be driven off of a 330V disposable camera flash circuit

[galan0121]

hi I'm french sorry for my spelling! I had a question... On the first alternate, C1 charges to the peak voltage (325V in my case) and on the second alternate, C2 charges to 2 times the peak voltage (ie 650V). But the problem is that the capacitors are only 400V rated. Can they support such a voltage ?
Thank you for your help, you do a great job!

[ziga321]

Because the voltage which PASSES THROUGH the element is important and not the overall voltage. look up in google for 'voltage difference'.

[ziga321]

[jaydenr]

Please can some one tell me where to buy these components in the u.s.a.?

[buckminsterfullerene]

Digikey is the best:

 Capacitors- http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&itemSeq=95211150&uq=634305487000988323

Diodes- http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&itemSeq=95211209&uq=634305487000988323

Fuse- http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&itemSeq=95211302&uq=634305487000988323

[ziga321]

What's the max.current using this particular caps and how can I calculate the max.current using different capacitance?

[boi tata]

Any special reason on this picture??? I mean, the caps are inverted when soldering (in one cap you the the inscription and other no and other yes and go on....) On a picture ahead, all inscriptions can be seen!!

[gammaraptor]

anyone know a cheap place to buy the capacitors in canada? I need 34 caps, and i don't want to pay 20 bucks for it.

[geek10102]

try using simple spark gaps
if air is a dielectric
then in essence a spark gap is a cap
that what I'm trying anyway

[Andreonh]

I am a student at omaha Benson High, my class is trying to build your cockcroft-walton voltage multiplier scaled down, and are running in to some problems. we are using 1N4007 diodes and .003uf 400 volt capacitors we have an input voltage of 6.5 according to our digital osciloscope. our ac powere suply gives us a nice little sine wave. at our fist stage we read 16.5 volts, but when we add a second stage we get a voltage reading of 5.5. any suggestions or ideas as to what we are doing wrong.
sincerly,
Nick Ramm
NHS Vice President
[e-mail]

[CombineOverwatch]

can you use any less diodes and capacitors with it still working?

[grampafish]

could this be powered off of a camera circuit