CW PUBLIC

Not provided.

Cockroft-Walton voltage 'multiplier' (actually just adds an extra input voltage for each stage... ideally)

Fourteen stages in this one, modeled on a negative ion generator from the 1980s I recently repaired because it went 'chkkk!' a few years ago when there was a power surge.

It actually works IRL, generating an ion wind, causes an electroscope to... erm... do its thing... and kinda makes a gentle 'ffffffsssss' sound while operating. Also smells of ozone.

I was curious what its simulated voltages were. Difficult to measure in real life because high enough volts to fry a multimeter (ask me how I know this...)

The C-W circuit is known to have a fundamental problem when many stages are added, possibly impedance mismatching or lacking impedance bridging or something.

Anyway, at around stage 5 there seems little gain with each subsequent stage (6 to 14), and much loss.

I have no idea what the effective resistance/impedance really is IRL given the unit just has 4 needle-sharp pins after a couple of 10 Meg resistors in order to throw electrons into the air, generate negative ions, and consequently neutralise the typically positively charged dust particles so they settle out more easily. Does actually work, leaving a very fine grime around the front of the unit some 200 mm or so. It is thought the dust particles are typically negatively charged by triboelectric interactions with air, other particles and surfaces a bit like rubbing a balloon on dry hair. Like charges repel so the dust just stays aloft very easily. In effect these are beta-particles / radiation, but low energy. Maybe. I hope.