Sources for high voltage power supplies?

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Michael Noone
<mnoone.uiuc.edu@127.0.0.1> wrote (in <Xns961F70803F4FCmnooneuiucedu1270
01@216.196.97.136&gt about 'Sources for high voltage power supplies?', on
Sun, 20 Mar 2005:

I was
thinking that I could find some sort of industrial power supply for a
couple hundred dollars - maybe I'm just being delusional?

Not for voltages over about 300 V, because you need serious HV
components, which aren't made in high volumes, for higher voltages.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
There are two sides to every question, except
'What is a Moebius strip?'
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Michael Noone
<mnoone.uiuc.edu@127.0.0.1> wrote (in <Xns961F6FFAB92B1mnooneuiucedu1270
01@216.196.97.136&gt about 'Sources for high voltage power supplies?', on
Sun, 20 Mar 2005:

I have yet to hear any of them laugh... Very serious crowd. Just out of
curiosity - why wouldn't the transformer insulation hold up? Not that I
have 34 24V power supplies lying around... (though I bet I do have about
10 or so)

Well, think about the one at the top of the chain. The whole secondary
circuit is at +800 V or whatever but the transformer core is grounded,
or should be.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
There are two sides to every question, except
'What is a Moebius strip?'
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

 

[Winfield Hill]

Michael Noone wrote...

Hi - I need to find a high voltage power supply. I'm not quite sure yet
exactly - but It'll need to be something like +- 400-1000 V DC (I haven't
been given exact specs for what's needed yet) and about 150 or more watts.
Any suggestions as to what I should get? Thanks,

As long as the subject is on the table, I can mention the names
of a half-dozen companies that make small low-cost modules with
output voltages ranging from 0.5kV to 10kV, some with isolated
outputs. These are all small unregulated modules well suited
for powering other high-voltage circuitry, discrete opamps, etc.,
etc. If a precise voltage is wanted, you add a simple feedback
loop to control the input voltage. I have four or five favorite
circuits for this purpose, and over the years have found this to
be a more effective way to go than making custom HV supplies.
This is true even if one has to add output filters, current
sensing, fast shutoff, etc.

One of the names is EMCO, http://www.emcohighvoltage.com/

I can also give you the names of a number of high-power high-
voltage supply companies, but it'll have to wait until I get
back from vacation. One name is (was) Bertan, now part of
Spellman, another name. http://www.spellmanhv.com/index.asp
http://www.bertan.com/index2.html

They make power supplies from 0.2W to 120kW, and 0.25 to 360kV.


--
Thanks,
- Win

 

[Alan Turner]

Hi,

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 17:26:03 +0000, John Woodgate wrote:

Well, think about the one at the top of the chain. The whole secondary
circuit is at +800 V or whatever but the transformer core is grounded,
or should be.

Surely one could avoid this problem by not connecting one end
of the secondaries to earth?

Regards,
Alan

--
Alan R. Turner | Live never to be ashamed of anything you do or say.
To reply by email, remove Mr Blobby.

 

[Michael Noone]

"Genome" <ilike_spam@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
news:G9h%d.31584$3A6.19794@newsfe1-gui.ntli.net:

If you don't bugger me about then I could knock together a scalable
design for you. We'll both learn something. I'll do the schematics and
boards along with documentation. You get to buy the bits, wind the
magnetics and build it.

Bear in mind that I might bugger about or lose interest so feel free
to drop things if they don't seem to be going anywhere.

ilike_spam@yahoo.co.uk

is a valid e-mail address.

DNA

That is a very generous offer - and I'd be very glad to take you up on it
. I'm hoping to get parts ordered up sometime next week (as in the 28th
or so) - Would you be able to get something figured out by then? I expect
as long as the parts aren't horrendously expensive I could make you up one
as well [I certainly would be making a spare for my own personal uses ]

Thanks for the offer,

-Michael

 

[Michael Noone]

Alan Turner <alan@mrblobbybiccard.com> wrote in
newsan.2005.03.20.13.59.13.533309@mrblobbybiccard.com:

Hi Michael,

On Fri, 18 Mar 2005 03:38:37 +0000, Michael Noone wrote:

Hi - I need to find a high voltage power supply. I'm not quite sure
yet exactly - but It'll need to be something like +- 400-1000 V DC (I
haven't been given exact specs for what's needed yet) and about 150
or more watts. Any suggestions as to what I should get? Thanks,

At the possible risk of sounding silly...

How about 66 12V batteries?
Sealed lead acid cells are rechargable, aren't terribly expensive and
can deliver fairly high currents when it is required. Output voltage
can be adjusted by adding and removing batteries (66 step
adjustment!).


Regards,
Alan

Hmm - though it would be fairly practical - I expect my superiors would
shoot that idea down rather quickly. Though I must admit it'd be damn fun
to make a huge block of batteries... Though charging would be a pain.

-M. Noone

 

[Michael Noone]

Winfield Hill <hill_a@t_rowland-dotties-harvard-dot.s-edu> wrote in
news:d1kvcd01mn7@drn.newsguy.com:

Michael Noone wrote...

Hi - I need to find a high voltage power supply. I'm not quite sure
yet exactly - but It'll need to be something like +- 400-1000 V DC (I
haven't been given exact specs for what's needed yet) and about 150
or more watts. Any suggestions as to what I should get? Thanks,

As long as the subject is on the table, I can mention the names
of a half-dozen companies that make small low-cost modules with
output voltages ranging from 0.5kV to 10kV, some with isolated
outputs. These are all small unregulated modules well suited
for powering other high-voltage circuitry, discrete opamps, etc.,
etc. If a precise voltage is wanted, you add a simple feedback
loop to control the input voltage. I have four or five favorite
circuits for this purpose, and over the years have found this to
be a more effective way to go than making custom HV supplies.
This is true even if one has to add output filters, current
sensing, fast shutoff, etc.

One of the names is EMCO, http://www.emcohighvoltage.com/

I found this company before I posted my question through Google - but as
far as I can tell - their most powerful power supply is 15W, which puts
it well under what I need.

I can also give you the names of a number of high-power high-
voltage supply companies, but it'll have to wait until I get
back from vacation. One name is (was) Bertan, now part of
Spellman, another name. http://www.spellmanhv.com/index.asp
http://www.bertan.com/index2.html

They make power supplies from 0.2W to 120kW, and 0.25 to 360kV.

Yup - I also looked at Bertan power supplies - but they seem to be very
expensive (I believe in the >$1K range, according to what their power
supplies are fetching on Ebay), though I also haven't heard back from
their sales rep just yet, so that remains to be seen.

Thanks,

M. Noone

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Alan Turner
<alan@mrblobbybiccard.com> wrote (in <pan.2005.03.21.06.59.11.222426@mrb
lobbybiccard.com&gt about 'Sources for high voltage power supplies?', on
Mon, 21 Mar 2005:

Hi,

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 17:26:03 +0000, John Woodgate wrote:



Well, think about the one at the top of the chain. The whole secondary
circuit is at +800 V or whatever but the transformer core is grounded,
or should be.

Surely one could avoid this problem by not connecting one end
of the secondaries to earth?

Then the whole HV shebang is floating, and can build up charge to a

somewhat unlimited level. That's even more dangerous.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
There are two sides to every question, except
'What is a Moebius strip?'
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

 

[Alan Turner]

Hi,

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 02:28:18 -0600, Michael Noone wrote:

Hmm - though it would be fairly practical - I expect my superiors would
shoot that idea down rather quickly. Though I must admit it'd be damn fun
to make a huge block of batteries... Though charging would be a pain.

Well - if it's cheaper and it does the job - what have they got to whinge
about? Sometimes a pragmatic approach is the best

I'd arrange a small charger board for each battery. Supplying power to the
charger board would drive a relay which removes the battery from the big
series pack and connects it to the charger.

When you pack up in the evening, you just flick a switch which enables the
charger circuits. The whole thing could go on a trolley.

I suppose such a supply would be rather dangerous. It would probably arc
quite nastily if you were to accidentally short it out for an instant.
Some kind of switch capable of breaking fault current may be in order.
Maybe a fuse?

Regards,
Alan



--
Alan R. Turner | Live never to be ashamed of anything you do or say.
To reply by email, remove Mr Blobby.

 

[Alan Turner]

Hi John,

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 09:24:49 +0000, John Woodgate wrote:

Well, think about the one at the top of the chain. The whole secondary
circuit is at +800 V or whatever but the transformer core is grounded,
or should be.

Surely one could avoid this problem by not connecting one end
of the secondaries to earth?

Then the whole HV shebang is floating, and can build up charge to a
somewhat unlimited level. That's even more dangerous.

Thanks for your reply.
I suppose one would ground the middle of the set

Regards,
Alan


--
Alan R. Turner | Live never to be ashamed of anything you do or say.
To reply by email, remove Mr Blobby.

 

[Genome]

"Michael Noone" <mnoone.uiuc.edu@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:Xns962018C5A5581mnooneuiucedu127001@216.196.97.136...

"Genome" <ilike_spam@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
news:G9h%d.31584$3A6.19794@newsfe1-gui.ntli.net:

If you don't bugger me about then I could knock together a scalable
design for you. We'll both learn something. I'll do the schematics and
boards along with documentation. You get to buy the bits, wind the
magnetics and build it.

Bear in mind that I might bugger about or lose interest so feel free
to drop things if they don't seem to be going anywhere.

ilike_spam@yahoo.co.uk

is a valid e-mail address.

DNA

That is a very generous offer - and I'd be very glad to take you up on it
. I'm hoping to get parts ordered up sometime next week (as in the 28th
or so) - Would you be able to get something figured out by then? I expect
as long as the parts aren't horrendously expensive I could make you up one
as well [I certainly would be making a spare for my own personal uses ]

Thanks for the offer,

-Michael

Coughs Loudly, Yes certainly Micheal. I will now go into overflap mode to
get the job done.

DNA

 

[Winfield Hill]

Michael Noone wrote...

Winfield Hill wrote
Michael Noone wrote...

Hi - I need to find a high voltage power supply. I'm not quite sure
yet exactly - but It'll need to be something like +- 400-1000 V DC (I
haven't been given exact specs for what's needed yet) and about 150
or more watts. Any suggestions as to what I should get? Thanks,

... I can mention the names of a half-dozen companies that make
small low-cost modules ...
One of the names is EMCO, http://www.emcohighvoltage.com/

I found this company before I posted my question through Google...

Oh, I thought you said, "I can't find ANY high dc voltage power
supplies." I guess we were wasting our time.

I can also give you the names of a number of high-power high-
voltage supply companies, but it'll have to wait until I get
back from vacation. One name is (was) Bertan, now part of
Spellman, another name. http://www.spellmanhv.com/index.asp
http://www.bertan.com/index2.html

They make power supplies from 0.2W to 120kW, and 0.25 to 360kV.

Yup - I also looked at Bertan power supplies - but they seem to be
very expensive (I believe in the >$1K range ...

Maybe if you want more help you should tell us what this is for,
how many you'll be making, what country you're posting from, and
what your space, weight and cost budgets are. You wouldn't want
us to keep giving you all these useless suggestions, would you?


--
Thanks,
- Win

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Alan Turner
<alan@mrblobbybiccard.com> wrote (in
<pan.2005.03.21.12.49.41.265912@mrblobbybiccard.com&gt about 'Sources for
high voltage power supplies?', on Mon, 21 Mar 2005:

Thanks for your reply.
I suppose one would ground the middle of the set

The OP was asking about a +/- 800 V supply, so the mid-point would
indeed be grounded.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
There are two sides to every question, except
'What is a Moebius strip?'
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

 

[Chris]

Michael Noone wrote:

Winfield Hill <hill_a@t_rowland-dotties-harvard-dot.s-edu> wrote in
news:d1kvcd01mn7@drn.newsguy.com:

Michael Noone wrote...

Hi - I need to find a high voltage power supply. I'm not quite
sure
yet exactly - but It'll need to be something like +- 400-1000 V DC
(I
haven't been given exact specs for what's needed yet) and about
150
or more watts. Any suggestions as to what I should get? Thanks,

As long as the subject is on the table, I can mention the names
of a half-dozen companies that make small low-cost modules with
output voltages ranging from 0.5kV to 10kV, some with isolated
outputs. These are all small unregulated modules well suited
for powering other high-voltage circuitry, discrete opamps, etc.,
etc. If a precise voltage is wanted, you add a simple feedback
loop to control the input voltage. I have four or five favorite
circuits for this purpose, and over the years have found this to
be a more effective way to go than making custom HV supplies.
This is true even if one has to add output filters, current
sensing, fast shutoff, etc.

One of the names is EMCO, http://www.emcohighvoltage.com/

I found this company before I posted my question through Google - but
as
far as I can tell - their most powerful power supply is 15W, which
puts
it well under what I need.

I can also give you the names of a number of high-power high-
voltage supply companies, but it'll have to wait until I get
back from vacation. One name is (was) Bertan, now part of
Spellman, another name. http://www.spellmanhv.com/index.asp
http://www.bertan.com/index2.html

They make power supplies from 0.2W to 120kW, and 0.25 to 360kV.

Yup - I also looked at Bertan power supplies - but they seem to be
very
expensive (I believe in the >$1K range, according to what their power

supplies are fetching on Ebay), though I also haven't heard back from

their sales rep just yet, so that remains to be seen.

Thanks,

M. Noone

Hi. You've got yourself a passel of problems here. Let's take 'em one
at a time.

1) SAFETY. When you're dealing with high voltage DC, you're talking
about potentially killing someone, either yourself, one of the
researchers, or an operator or someone else who wanders in and touches
the wrong thing. Before anything else, when you're developing a high
voltage fixture for R&D, you have to build a reverse mousetrap to
prevent someone who's smart but distracted from accidentally
electrocuting themselves. For something small, this could be as simple
as a small Lexan box with a lexan door with magnetic latch and
microswitch safety. The idea is to immediately neuter the power supply
in the event someone could conceivably get buzzed off. Not all that
difficult if you use your head.

The thing is, you should have done this first, and now you're under
pressure to produce something. Well, you have to DO THIS FIRST. If
you're out of time, do it first. If they've promised to let you go if
you don't give them something immediately, do this first and let them
fire you. There are more important things than a job, and the next guy
will have a head start. And besides, it shows you're not just slacking
off, and are willing to work toward a solution. That may be in
question at this point, which is just about the worst situation you can
be in.

2) HV KNOWLEDGE. This part is a little tricky. Apparently you don't
have much experience here. That can be a literally fatal problem. It
might be better to ask around, and talk to somebody who's familiar with
HV. If no one's available, find an old EE or engineering tech who's
familiar with the art, and have him teach you. It won't take long. If
you're in a city of any size, you'll probably be able to find someone
without too much problem. If you need it right away and can't find
anyone, call one of the temp services and ask for the services of
someone who's familiar with HV fixturing. He can teach you a lot in a
couple of hours. If you happen to be in the Chicago area, use my email
-- I'll be happy to kibbitz (for a reasonable fee ;-)

3) PEOPLE PROBLEM. I think Don Lancaster once said something like,
"For any job there's the technical problem and the people problem."
Believe it or not, the people problem is every bit as important as the
technical issues most of the time, and in this case, it's become the
predominant factor. You're dealing with researchers here. They've
admitted that the electronics end of the project is outside of their
sphere of competence -- that's what you're there for. Also, their job
is to research. If they knew exactly what to do, they wouldn't need
you. An ever-changing power supply requirement isn't a fatal problem
here. Being in a "chicken-and-egg" hangup is, and you're the one
that's going to look bad.

OK, some practical advice. You've got to walk in with a plan, and take
charge here. Your "extemporizing" time has pretty much evaporated, I
guess. Here's what you might do:

* Stop at the local hardware store. Buy some thick plexiglas,
acryllic cement, and aluminum angle stock, along with a selection of
6-32 and 8-32 screws, nuts and lock washers. Start building your
safety enclosure immediately. Farm out some of the machining if you
can -- it will save time.

* Once that's done, your first job is to give these guys something to
work with so they can find some answers to give you. Start out by
renting a HV DC power supply for a week -- that should cost less than
$200 USD plus shipping. Spec a good one with an emergency shutdown
circuit, and be sure to wire your reverse mousetrap safety microswitch
into the circuit before you let 'em at it. Let them play, and be
creative and curious. Watch what they're doing. Help to keep them
moving. Ask good questions:

- Do you have an idea of voltage requirements yet?

- How about maximum current? (If this is an electrostatic
application, you probably won't need a tenth of the current you're
talking about. But you'll never know until you plug something in and
check it out. It's your job to measure things.)

- How much ripple voltage(many electrostatic applications go nuts with
a superimposed AC ripple)?

- Do they need soft start (voltage ramps up to value)?

- How about arcing on shutdown?

- Do they need operational control over the power supply? If so, what
bandwidth? Or can you "make do" with a couple of relays if you need a
bidirectional supply?

Once you get good answers, you can start to look at whether a "home
brew" job will be good enough, or if not, how much you're going to need
to spend on a store-bought power supply.

By the way, working on the assumption that this is an electrostatic
application, I'd like to second Mr. Hill's suggestion to look at the
Spellman HV catalog, if for no other reason than to learn about what
questions to ask. They're good folk to know if you have HV problems.
One of their technical resource articles in particular may be of some
interest:

High Voltage Power Supplies for Electrostatic Applications
http://www.spellmanhv.com/tech/article_detail.asp?id=8

This will help you in the process of specifying the power supply, and
lists some of the "gotchas" you'll have to watch for. Don't overlook
the possibility of just giving them a call.They do have apps engineers
to help.

Most importantly, work on the relationships here, and give them reasons
to have confidence in you. You're a force multiplier, and have been
put on the job to make them more effective. If you look at it that
way, you will have more success, and won't be the "people problem".
You have no idea what a good job you have here. Take advantage of it.
I've been where you are now, before I learned how not to do it. It
isn't fun, you don't look good, and there is a way out.

Good luck
Chris

 

[Rich Grise]

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 11:00:37 -0600, Michael Noone wrote:

John Woodgate <jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote in

You could report that you considered connecting 34 off +/-24 V power
supplies in series, but the transformer insulation wouldn't hold up,
and
see if anyone laughs.

I have yet to hear any of them laugh... Very serious crowd. Just out of
curiosity - why wouldn't the transformer insulation hold up? Not that I
have 34 24V power supplies lying around... (though I bet I do have about
10 or so)

-M. Noone

Do you have any idea what these guys are trying to accomplish? A number
of years ago, I worked with a variety of HV supplies, from a scanning
electron microscope to a variety of ion guns to an X-ray source.

What kind of experiments are these people doing? Do they have a vacuum
chamber? An electrolytic vessel? A heater of some kind? A laser? Do
their experiments have any parameters?

Knowing what they're trying to drive will considerably narrow the field
of what you might want to try. (maybe a capacitive sensor to read out
density in a fluidized bed? ;-) )

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 12:47:03 +0000, Alan Turner wrote:

Hi,

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 02:28:18 -0600, Michael Noone wrote:


Hmm - though it would be fairly practical - I expect my superiors would
shoot that idea down rather quickly. Though I must admit it'd be damn
fun to make a huge block of batteries... Though charging would be a
pain.

Well - if it's cheaper and it does the job - what have they got to whinge
about? Sometimes a pragmatic approach is the best

They are academics. They essentially have the opposite of a clue when it
comes to real-world stuff.

I still say Michael should take a stand: "Here is the power supply that
meets your specification - I'm sorry that it costs thirty thousand
dollars, but this is what it takes to meet your impossible
specifications. I _am_ the engineer here after all, and you obviously have
no idea what you need, which is why you hired me, no? This is the one
you need. Use it, pay me, and we can get on with our experiments."

Good Luck!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 02:34:12 -0600, Michael Noone wrote:

Winfield Hill <hill_a@t_rowland-dotties-harvard-dot.s-edu> wrote in
Michael Noone wrote...

Hi - I need to find a high voltage power supply. I'm not quite sure yet
exactly - but It'll need to be something like +- 400-1000 V DC (I
haven't been given exact specs for what's needed yet) and about 150 or
more watts. Any suggestions as to what I should get? Thanks,

As long as the subject is on the table, I can mention the names of a
half-dozen companies that make small low-cost modules with output
voltages ranging from 0.5kV to 10kV, some with isolated outputs. These
are all small unregulated modules well suited for powering other
high-voltage circuitry, discrete opamps, etc., etc. If a precise
voltage is wanted, you add a simple feedback loop to control the input
voltage. I have four or five favorite circuits for this purpose, and
over the years have found this to be a more effective way to go than
making custom HV supplies. This is true even if one has to add output
filters, current sensing, fast shutoff, etc.

One of the names is EMCO, http://www.emcohighvoltage.com/

I found this company before I posted my question through Google - but as
far as I can tell - their most powerful power supply is 15W, which puts it
well under what I need.

This is another question that's nagging at me - they're applying a voltage
to a stream of magic molecules, right? Do they have any idea how their
stream is expected to dissipate hundreds of watts?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Chris]

Rich Grise wrote:

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 02:34:12 -0600, Michael Noone wrote:
Winfield Hill <hill_a@t_rowland-dotties-harvard-dot.s-edu> wrote in
Michael Noone wrote...

Hi - I need to find a high voltage power supply. I'm not quite
sure yet
exactly - but It'll need to be something like +- 400-1000 V DC (I
haven't been given exact specs for what's needed yet) and about
150 or
more watts. Any suggestions as to what I should get? Thanks,

As long as the subject is on the table, I can mention the names
of a
half-dozen companies that make small low-cost modules with output
voltages ranging from 0.5kV to 10kV, some with isolated outputs.
These
are all small unregulated modules well suited for powering other
high-voltage circuitry, discrete opamps, etc., etc. If a precise
voltage is wanted, you add a simple feedback loop to control the
input
voltage. I have four or five favorite circuits for this purpose,
and
over the years have found this to be a more effective way to go
than
making custom HV supplies. This is true even if one has to add
output
filters, current sensing, fast shutoff, etc.

One of the names is EMCO, http://www.emcohighvoltage.com/

I found this company before I posted my question through Google -
but as
far as I can tell - their most powerful power supply is 15W, which
puts it
well under what I need.

This is another question that's nagging at me - they're applying a
voltage
to a stream of magic molecules, right? Do they have any idea how
their
stream is expected to dissipate hundreds of watts?

Thanks,
Rich

Hi, Rich. That's why I'd personally guess it's an electrostatic
application. It seems they're trying to apply a charge/field to these
molecules to get them to do something "magic", rather than pumping
current through them.

The best path for the OP might be, "Fire...Ready...Aim". The people
who are running the project have to plug something in and make some
measurements to find out what they need. Actually making smoke is a
very good way to get the angels off the head of the pin. Besides, in a
practical, job-security sense, it will give the project leaders
something to do besides complaining to the OP about turning the project
into a dead parrot.

By the way, I saw that post of yours upstream --

"Knowing what they're trying to drive will considerably narrow the
field
of what you might want to try. (maybe a capacitive sensor to read out
density in a fluidized bed? ;-) ) "

I resemble that remark! ;-D

Chris

 

[Michael Noone]

Winfield Hill <hill_a@t_rowland-dotties-harvard-dot.s-edu> wrote in
news:d1mjdb0g96@drn.newsguy.com:

Oh, I thought you said, "I can't find ANY high dc voltage power
supplies." I guess we were wasting our time.

I apologize - I was unclear in my OP.

Maybe if you want more help you should tell us what this is for,
how many you'll be making, what country you're posting from, and
what your space, weight and cost budgets are. You wouldn't want
us to keep giving you all these useless suggestions, would you?

There will be exactly one of these made It's for research. Something to
do with applying various voltages across a channel containing a fluid made
up of "magic particles" (their words, not mine). Space and weight are
completely non-issues. As for cost - we don't have a set price that we're
looking to pay or anything - but saving money would be nice, naturally.
Right now my plan is to get one of those Bertan supplies if I can't find
anything cheaper. My bosses will probabaly be a bit miffed - but oh well,
I'm sure they'll get over it.

Thanks, and sorry if I came off as rude. I would never want to be rude to
the author of the book that spends more time on my desk than any other
book.

-M. Noone

 

[Michael Noone]

Rich Grise <richgrise@example.net> wrote in
newsan.2005.03.21.17.51.58.933394@example.net:

On Mon, 21 Mar 2005 02:34:12 -0600, Michael Noone wrote:
Winfield Hill <hill_a@t_rowland-dotties-harvard-dot.s-edu> wrote in
Michael Noone wrote...

Hi - I need to find a high voltage power supply. I'm not quite sure
yet exactly - but It'll need to be something like +- 400-1000 V DC
(I haven't been given exact specs for what's needed yet) and about
150 or more watts. Any suggestions as to what I should get? Thanks,

As long as the subject is on the table, I can mention the names of
a half-dozen companies that make small low-cost modules with output
voltages ranging from 0.5kV to 10kV, some with isolated outputs.
These are all small unregulated modules well suited for powering
other high-voltage circuitry, discrete opamps, etc., etc. If a
precise voltage is wanted, you add a simple feedback loop to
control the input voltage. I have four or five favorite circuits
for this purpose, and over the years have found this to be a more
effective way to go than making custom HV supplies. This is true
even if one has to add output filters, current sensing, fast
shutoff, etc.

One of the names is EMCO, http://www.emcohighvoltage.com/

I found this company before I posted my question through Google - but
as far as I can tell - their most powerful power supply is 15W, which
puts it well under what I need.

This is another question that's nagging at me - they're applying a
voltage to a stream of magic molecules, right? Do they have any idea
how their stream is expected to dissipate hundreds of watts?

Thanks,
Rich

That's actually a great question, come to think of it. They told me to
allow 20ma per output (and there are 10 outputs all connected to the
same advice) - though in reality I expect only one or two outputs will
be on at a given time. But still - that's quite a lot of power. I just
e-mailed one of the researchers - I'll let you know what he says.

-M. Noone