Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: hylaphone on July 11, 2026, 01:30:22 pm

Title: Voltage Multiplier question
Post by: hylaphone on July 11, 2026, 01:30:22 pm

Apologies if this is rudimentary, but I couldn't find an answer to this directly in a search.
Let's say I'm making a roughly 50VDC supply with 24VAC and a Full Wave Voltage Doubler.If instead I chose to use 12VAC and use a Full Wave Quadrupler, would total capacitance need to double to achieve the same ripple attenuation? Thank you --

Title: Re: Voltage Multiplier question
Post by: kagliostro on July 11, 2026, 03:03:22 pm

Not able to give you an answer

Just remember that, for a capacitor-input full-wave bridge rectifier, the available DC current is approximately 0.6 times the transformer's AC RMS current.
 
With a voltage doubler, the transformer current must be doubled, and with a voltage quadrupler it must be be quadrupled.

Thus, to obtain about 0.6 A DC, the transformer should be rated for about 1 A AC with a bridge, 2 A AC with a doubler, or 4 A AC with a quadrupler.

Franco

Title: Re: Voltage Multiplier question
Post by: hylaphone on July 12, 2026, 07:23:53 am

Got that, thanks. Just trying to understand the ripple thing, if it's exponential..

Title: Re: Voltage Multiplier question
Post by: kagliostro on July 12, 2026, 07:45:37 am

I asked to ChatGPT about ripple and multipliers  and he gived an answer, if no one give a replay here try to ask there

Franco

Title: Re: Voltage Multiplier question
Post by: hylaphone on July 12, 2026, 09:45:28 am

Quote from: kagliostro on July 12, 2026, 07:45:37 am

I asked to ChatGPT about ripple and multipliers  and he gived an answer, if no one give a replay here try to ask there

Franco

Thanks, just tried that for the first time too. But I'd rather defer to humans :)