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I'm having trouble figuring out how to connect my ZVS driver (30-50khz) to this Cockcroft Walton multiplier (CWM.) I'm starting to wonder if it can even work with this circuit.

Its maximum arc gap is 1 cm, so I'm assuming when the input is 20VDC the output is around 30kVAC. Here's a picture of rectifier and circuit.

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This is the CWM design I'm using.

Even after watching the video, I'm not sure how to wire my ZVS to the CWM. I've tried connecting the red wire (positive) to the terminal in the left red box and the orange wire (negative) to the terminal in the left black box with the terminal in the right red box as output to no avail. I'm almost positive I'm not grounding this circuit correctly, but I can't be sure. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

enter image description here

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

JRE
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HelloCthulhu
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    am I the only person that shakes his head at seeing a DIY tutorial for a circuit that generates 100kV on the net without so much as an attempt at a safety warning. – danmcb Oct 04 '22 at 13:05
  • I've been working with diy high voltage circuits for over a year and yes it's really startling how little safety is discussed. 33 people have died from fractal wood burning alone. I use high resistance gloves when operating these circuits and discharge capacitors with a high voltage resistor. Any thoughts on the topic tho? – HelloCthulhu Oct 04 '22 at 13:16
  • @HelloCthulhu I assume you know you can buy high voltage power supplies (taser cores) on eBay dirt cheap? – Dirk Bruere Oct 04 '22 at 13:22
  • @DirkBruere fellas...the topic isn't safety or where to buy high voltage power supplies. I have safety covered and simply buying a power supply wouldn't teach me anything about the circuitry. I'm interested in completing the project just need some help understanding how it's supposed to work. Anyone have thoughts on how to wire this circuit? – HelloCthulhu Oct 04 '22 at 13:28
  • @HelloCthulhu OK. Personally, I never try to reinvent the wheel, but then I get paid for results and not learning – Dirk Bruere Oct 04 '22 at 15:09
  • I get that but I'm just a hobbyist learning new things online. It's been pretty fun so far and communities like this have been really helpful. – HelloCthulhu Oct 04 '22 at 15:35

1 Answers1

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Any help would be greatly appreciated!

A Cockcroft Walton voltage multiplier needs an AC input. In your schematic you show a transformer with output terminals. This will be an AC output and, as said, AC is suitable for a voltage multiplier.

However, in your other picture I see a line output transformer (LOPTY): -

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And, unfortunately it will likely have a rectified output (usually a series diode) and won't make a very good AC source for the voltage multiplier.

Andy aka
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  • Thanks for the response! When I tested the arc gap to estimate the voltage, I also tested the output with a high voltage fluke probe for AC or DC. The readings weren't very consistent but they were still giving AC voltages. I just retested and I'm getting solid readings for DC so you're absolutely right. I'll retry it with one of my other flybacks and post the results. I appreciate the help everyone! – HelloCthulhu Oct 04 '22 at 15:32