Voltage Doubler Schematic

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Faulty voltage doubling/tripling circuit?

I was building a voltage tripling circuit from www.coolcircuit.com/circuit/voltage/ (3rd schematic from the top). After constructing it with 1uF 350v capacitors and 3A 500v diodes, I noticed I was getting roughly 480vdc, not the expected 360vdc. With no other choice, I built the voltage doubler, 2nd schematic from the top on the same page. It turned out to output 320vdc, neither the expected 240vdc nor 360vdc. Are the Schematics simply wrong or are my components’ ratings somehow amping up the voltage? (hah! pun!) I triple checked each of the completed circuits for accuracy.

The voltage of power outlets is designated in _effective_ voltage. I.e. you calculate with about 120V, but the peak voltage is a lot more, approximately 160V, and that’s what drive the voltage doublers/triplers. At least under optimal circumstances and no load.

160V * 3 = 480V
160V * 2 = 320V

Looks okay to me. Hook up some load to the output and see if the voltage drops. If it doesn’t drop sufficiently, put a potential divider after the doubler/tripler.

Voltage Doubler Circuit In Action