Voltage doubler

A voltage doubler is an electronic circuit which charges capacitors Irom the input voltage and
switches these charges in such a way that, in the ideal case, exactly twice the voltage is produced
at the output as at its input.
The simplest oI these circuits are a Iorm oI rectiIier which take an AC voltage as input and
output a doubled DC voltage. The switching elements are simple diodes and they are driven to
switch state merely by the alternating voltage oI the input. DC to DC voltage doublers cannot
switch in this way and require a driving circuit to control the switching. They Irequently also
require a switching element that can be controlled directly, such as a transistor, rather than
relying on the voltage across the switch as in the simple AC to DC case.
Voltage doublers are a variety oI voltage multiplier circuit. Many (but not all) voltage doubler
circuits can be viewed as a single stage oI a higher order multiplier: cascading identical stages
together achieves a greater voltage multiplication.


Villard circuit


The Villard circuit consists simply oI a capacitor and a diode. While it has the great beneIit oI
simplicity, its output has very poor ripple characteristics. Essentially, the circuit is a diode clamp
circuit. The capacitor is charged on the negative halI cycles to the peak AC voltage (V
pk
). The
output is the superposition oI the input AC waveIorm and the steady DC oI the capacitor. The
eIIect oI the circuit is to shiIt the DC value oI the waveIorm. The negative peaks oI the AC
waveIorm are "clamped" to 0V (actually V
F
, the small Iorward bias voltage oI the diode), so the
positive peaks oI the output waveIorm are 2V
pk
. The peak-to-peak ripple is an enormous 2V
pk

and cannot be smoothed unless the circuit is eIIectively turned into one oI the more sophisticated
Iorms.




reinacher circuit


The Greinacher voltage doubler is a signiIicant improvement over the Villard circuit Ior a small
cost in increased components. The ripple is much reduced, being nominally zero under open-
circuit load conditions, but, when current is being drawn, depends on the resistance oI the load
and the value oI the capacitors used. The circuit works by Iollowing a Villard cell stage with
what is in essence a peak detector or envelope detector stage. The peak detector cell has the
eIIect oI removing most oI the ripple while preserving the peak voltage in the output.

Bridge circuit


HalI-wave voltage doubler
The Delon circuit uses a bridge topology Ior voltage doubling. This Iorm oI circuit was, at one
time, commonly Iound in cathode ray tube television sets where it was used to provide an e.h.t.
voltage supply. Generating voltages in excess oI 5kV with a transIormer has saIety issues in
terms oI domestic equipment and in any case is not economic. However, black and white
television sets required an e.h.t. oI 10kV and colour sets even more. Voltage doublers were used
to either double the voltage on an e.h.t winding on the mains transIormer or were applied to the
waveIorm on the line Ilyback coils.

ull-wave voltage doubler

The circuit consists oI two halI-wave peak detectors, Iunctioning in exactly the same way as the
peak detector cell in the Greinacher circuit above. Each oI the two peak detector cells operates
on opposite halI-cycles oI the incoming waveIorm. Since their outputs are in series, the output is
twice the peak input voltage.
A Iull-wave version oI this circuit has the advantage oI lower peak diode currents, improved
ripple and better load regulation but requires a centre-tap to the transIormer as well as more
components.
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Voltage Doubler Circuit Schematic

The electronic circuit is basically a square wave generator using the common LM555 timer IC. It
is Iollowed by a Iinal stage made oI transistors T1 and T2. The actual doubler circuit is made oI
D1, D2, C4 and C5 components.
The 555 voltage doubler timer IC works as an astable multivibrator and generates a Irequency oI
about 8.5 kHz. The quare wave output drives the Iinal stage made oI T1 and T2. This is how the
doubler works: by a low amplitude oI the signal, transistor T1 blocks while T2 conducts. The
minus electrode oI the capacitor C4 is grounded and charges through D1. By a high amplitude oI
the signal, transistor T1 conducts while T2 blocks. However, capacitor C4 cannot discharge
because it is blocked by D1. The Iollowing capacitor C5 is thereIore charged with a combined
voltage Irom C4 and the power supply (12V input).
On standby, the circuit delivers around 20 volts The maximum load must not exceed 70 mA. The
actual output voltage is around 18 volts giving an eIIiciency rating oI 32 . On lower current
ratings, the voltage is higher. II a stable voltage lever is desired, a 3 pin voltage regulator IC can
be added at the output. The regulator IC`s own current consumption must be added to the total
current consumption which must not exceed 70 mA.

Understanding the Voltage Doubler
O Controlling the voltage during the rectiIication oI an alternating current Ior a D.C
requirement is extremely important. In Iact voltage control and stabilization is an integral part oI
any electrical process.
O Several types oI voltage stabilizers are used to maintain a constant voltage throughout the
process oI converting alternating current to direct current. For example, iI a system is supplied
power Irom a set oI batteries, the voltage will reduce when the batteries discharge and thus a
backup battery system must be provided Ior this. The amount oI voltage required during the low
voltage phase depends on the capacity oI the equipment. There are chances that the voltage
required Ior a particular application is higher than the voltage supplied. For such cases, a voltage
doubler is used. It is also to note that all electrical equipment requires a level oI voltage slightly
higher than the normal. This helps in maintaining the eIIiciency and stability oI the equipment.
O The voltage doubler is an integral part oI the alternating current rectiIication process and
helps in increasing the voltage oI the system. As the name suggests, it produces voltage which is
almost twice than the input voltage. This means that the voltage generated by the doubler is
twice the peak value oI the alternative input current. However note that this is possible only iI the
load current is very small.
Construction and Working
O Voltage doubler is basically a circuit, consisting oI two semi- conductor PN diodes
(rectiIiers) and two capacitors, arranged in the Iorm oI bridge construction. The capacitors and
rectiIiers are arranged as shown in the Iigure.
O The two capacitors, C1 and C2 are connected in series with each other and also with the
load. In voltage doubler circuit the alternating current will Iirst Ilow in a clockwise pattern and
then in anti clockwise (Indicated by arrows in the diagram). When the current Ilows in a
clockwise direction, the rectiIier R1 will charge the capacitor C1 till the voltage reaches the peak
oI the positive voltage wave. In the similar manner, then the current Ilows in an anticlockwise
direction, the rectiIier R2 will charge the capacitor C2, till the voltage reaches the peak oI the
negative voltage wave.
O As both the capacitors are in series with each other and the load, the opposite voltages
generated in both oI them will add up and discharged to the load. Thus a doubling eIIect will be
produced, delivering a voltage which is twice the input. However, it is to note that the system
will work only iI the load is very small. In case the load increases, the doubling eIIect will not be
produced.
O Similar circuits are used to increase the voltage almost Iour times the input voltage, but
only iI the load current is very small. In many applications transIormers are also used. However,
they are expensive and do not provide the right quality oI current.


55lication
O Voltage doublers are extensively used in television and radar equipments as an alternative
to heavier, larger, and expensive transIormer and rectiIier arrangements, which also perIorm the
same Iunction as that oI voltage doublers.

#esult

The voltage doubler using 555 Timer IC has been successIully stimulated using P-Spice.


CI#CUIT DI# on PSPICE


Voltage Doubler waveform as seen on P-S5ice Simulator


Conclusion

A voltage doubler is an electronic circuit which charges capacitors Irom the input voltage and
switches these charges in such a way that, in the ideal case, exactly twice the voltage is produced
at the output as at its input.
This dc voltage doubler circuit produces a voltage that is twice its voltage supply. This is useIul
when a higher voltage level is needed out oI a single lower voltage power supply. Since the
current consumption levels are low in such cases, the circuit can be built with minimal resources.

#eferences

O http://www.wikipedia.org
O http://www.howstuIIworks.com
O http://www.electroschematicswork.org