How does a voltage doubler work?

mjjaques · Dec 5, 2015

Hi, I have this voltage doubler circuit that we built in lab:

Circuit schematic of a full-wave voltage doubler: AC source feeding four diodes in a bridge, a JUMPER link to the midpoint between two series capacitors, R1 and R2 across them, and load R_L with Vo marked. A note says R1 and R2 balance capacitor voltages and bleed them when off.

We're told that, with the jumper inserted, the output voltage is about twice as great as without the jumper. We didn't need to prove this theoretically, but for my own curiosity, I was wondering if someone could give a clear, thorough explanation of why this works. When I search online, I see circuits that are similar but not quite the same, and kind of short answers that I don't quite understand. Thanks!

anorlunda · Dec 5, 2015

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_multiplierRead that Wikipedia article first. If you don't understand, post your questions.

How does a voltage doubler work?

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