On 1/4/13 8:40 AM, ADAM MUNICH wrote:
Before you attempt anything with CW multipliers, I urge you to read this first; http://adammunich.com/cw-multipliers/ CW's aren't very good circuits, and for the frequency an MOT runs at you're going to need huge (expensive) high voltage caps in order to get anything useful out of the network. -Adam
A doubler isn't bad in this application (e.g. they use them in microwave ovens).. Especially if you are building what's called a full wave doubler. (two transformers producing 2*Vsec out). One application would be doubling the output of a NST (since a NST is basically two transformers with one end grounded)
They allow the use of HV transformers with one end grounded, which is a big advantage in terms of insulation required. (and why ovens use that strategy)
It's when you start to get to triplers/quads/stacks of 10 that CW isn't great, although it depends on the application. They're not good a as a general purpose HV power supply (ripple and poor regulation).
CW stacks are actually pretty good for charging a bigger capacitor (e.g. pulse discharge). The horrible voltage regulation (sag under load) is actually a benefit, since when the big cap isn't charged very much, you don't want a high voltage to charge it (it dissipates more power in the resistance).
Where the "pulse rate" is higher than the line frequency, though, a CW stack isn't a great choice, unless you have a BIG cap in which to store energy. So, driving a 200 bps rotary gap from a 60Hz tripler or quadrupler probably isn't a great plan.
There are also some nice clever schemes to gang up multiple stacks with a polyphase power supply. Very handy if you have a bunch of transformers with one end of the secondary grounded.
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