Voltage Doubler Calculator

Calculate voltage doubler circuits for AC to DC conversion. Design Villard, Greinacher, and Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier circuits with proper component sizing.

Voltage Doubler Type

Villard Voltage Doubler

    AC Input ──┬─── D1 ───┬─── C1 ───┬─── +Vout
               │    ↗     │          │
               │          │          │
               └─── C2 ───┼─── D2 ───┘
                    │     ↗
                    │
                   GND
V
mA
Hz
%

About Voltage Doublers

Voltage doublers are AC to DC converters that produce an output voltage approximately twice the peak input voltage. They're useful when a transformer with the required voltage ratio is not available.

Types of Voltage Doublers:

  • Villard Doubler: Simple, high ripple, floating output
  • Greinacher Doubler: Better regulation, grounded output
  • Cockcroft-Walton: Cascadable, low ripple, higher efficiency

Applications:

  • CRT high voltage supplies
  • Photomultiplier tube supplies
  • Electrostatic applications
  • Low power DC supplies

Design Considerations:

  • Higher output impedance than transformers
  • Poor regulation under load
  • Suitable for low current applications
  • Requires fast recovery diodes