Bipolar Marx

CompWiz, Thu Mar 06 2008, 05:17AM

I built a Bipolar Marx generator.

I used caps from ebay: 15kv 2200pf ceramic.
For the resisters I used 3x300kohm 1w carbon film.

20 stages in one tower(the green one)
18 in the other (I killed two of my caps...)
input voltage is around 10kv

the sparks are about 30cm

sometimes they will go to 35cm

Pictures:

before potting in wax:
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Some sparks:

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Video:
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Re: Bipolar Marx
CompWiz, Fri Mar 07 2008, 05:54AM

Man this thing is fun to play with,
just watching the corona fly in every direction in the dark is amazing.

I made another video of it:
Link2

I just laid the fluorescent tube on the HV+ wire from the flyback.
the glow longer when the marx fires.(from more current flowing through the wire when the caps are charging?)
Re: Bipolar Marx
CompWiz, Wed Mar 12 2008, 02:06AM

Update...

I somehow killed one of the towers(cheap Chinese caps...)
Re: Bipolar Marx
uzzors2k, Thu Mar 13 2008, 03:15PM

That's too bad, it was working good. I hope mine doesn't fail too, my caps are almost identical to yours.
Re: Bipolar Marx
CompWiz, Thu Mar 13 2008, 07:26PM

I think just one cap died, I can hear arcing sounds from it but I cant figure out which one its coming from.