Application Note: TASSER CIRCUIT

By: Aylmer Alfredo Ambu (HK2006-5180)

Date: 23rd March 2009

1. Introduction

A tasser is basically an electronic device which comprises few electrical and/or

electronic components that are connected delicately with the intention of generating a
high voltage output. This output is generated with a relatively low power supply. The
characteristic of this output would be a high voltage but with low current. This is to
ensure safety for the user as although with high voltage exposure, but with low current
the device could hardly harm or kill the end user. It is just a matter of controlled
amount of jolt (charge) released by the capacitor at a fraction of time at the output
terminal. Depending on the voltage source, transformer and voltage multiplier
configuration, the output can be varied from the lower (under 1kV) to the extreme
atmosphere voltage breakdown point (over 33kV!). The basic construction of a tasser
circuit involved but not limited to using of transformer as a basic voltage step-up and to
the voltage multiplier which utilize capacitor as the container for the charging and
discharging of potential.

2. The transformer

 An approximate 1:55 turns ration transformer was adapted from a mosquito bat
(You may find a similar one from other electrical device. Eg: Disposable camera).
 The specific transformer that we had in mind to be used was not readily
available in the local market and therefore we had to adapt it from another
electrical device.
 3V input supply was applied to obtain a generated 500V on the secondary side of
the transformer.
 It is important to note that when voltages are stepped up, current is decreased;
when voltages are stepped down, current is increased.
 Another key feature of the transformer is that it is able to oscillate the input to
produce an oscillating output at the secondary side.
  This oscillation behavior is obtained as the internal inductor/winding of the
transformer tends to oscillate it (The transformer actually needs oscillating
voltage to be in the ON mode).
 The output at the secondary terminal of the transformer can be uprated further
by the implementation of the technique called voltage multiplier.
 The application of the transformer is illustrated in the tasser circuit diagram
attached.

3. Voltage multiplier/doubler

You may already know how a transformer functions to increase or decrease

voltages. You may also have learned that a transformer secondary may provide one or
several ac voltage outputs which may be greater or less than the input voltage. When
voltages are stepped up, current is decreased; when voltages are stepped down,
current is increased. Another method for increasing voltages is known as voltage
multiplication. Voltage multipliers are used primarily to develop high voltages where low
current is required. The dc output of the voltage multiplier ranges from 1 kV to 30 kV.

As we know transformers, you may have learned that when voltage is stepped
up, the output current decreases. This is also true of voltage multipliers. Although the
measured output voltage of a voltage multiplier may be several times greater than the
input voltage, once a load is connected the value of the output voltage decreases. Also
any small fluctuation of load impedance causes a large fluctuation in the output voltage
of the multiplier. For this reason, voltage multipliers are used only in special applications
where the load is constant and has high impedance or where input voltage stability is
not critical.

Circuit architecture:

If we rearrange the diode and capacitor in the negative half of the voltage double
circuit above, we get the circuit shown below. This time, one end of the secondary
winding is grounded, so that is our reference point. The ungrounded end will be driven
alternately negative and positive with respect to ground. This circuit operates in a
manner that is not quite as straight-forward as the original voltage doubler we
examined. To understand the operation of this circuit clearly, we need to take a detailed
look at it during successive half-cycles of the ac input from the transformer. We will
initially assume ideal components and that C1 = C2
 Half-wave voltage doubler circuit

 During the first negative half-cycle, D1 will be forward biased and will hold the
right end of C1 at ground. Therefore C1 will charge to a voltage equal to the
peak voltage (vp) of the transformer winding, with its left end being negative
with respect to ground.
 During the following positive half cycle, D1 will be reverse biased and therefore
will not conduct current. The voltage on C1 will add to the transformer output
voltage, so a voltage of 2vp will appear at the left end of D2. Since C2 is not yet
charged at all, this will forward bias D2 and allow the voltage at the right end of
C1 to be applied to the top of C2. C2 will charge as C1 discharges, until the two
capacitors can no longer forward-bias D2. For the first positive half-cycle, the
voltage on C2 will be equal to vp, and C1 will be completely discharged, so that
all the voltage at the left end of D2 comes from the transformer winding.
 On the next negative half-cycle, C1 charges again to vp, through D1. If there is
no load to discharge C2, its output will remain at +vp.
 On the second positive half-cycle, C2 is still charged to +vp, while the voltage at
the left end of D2 is again +2vp. Again, C1 transfers part of its charge to C2, but
this time they stop when C2 is charged to a voltage of +1.5vp.
 This action continues, cycle by cycle, with C1 being fully recharged to vp on each
negative half cycle, and then charging C2 to a voltage halfway between its
starting voltage and +2vp. C2 will never quite charge to +2vp, but it will come
very close.

With real-world components, of course, there is a small voltage drop across each
diode when it is forward biased. Also, any load on this circuit will draw current from C2
at all times, thus discharging this capacitor to some extent. However, on each positive
half-cycle, C1 will recharge C2 from the voltage it had at the start of the half-cycle
halfway up to +2vp.

Note that the output current capacity of this circuit is still only half the current
capacity of a normal rectifier circuit. Any attempt to draw additional current from the
voltage doubler will simply cause C2 to discharge faster, thus reducing the output
voltage. It is never possible to get more power out of the voltage doublers than goes
into it.
 We can speed up the charging and recharging of C2 if we make C1 larger than
C2. For example, if C1 = 100µf and C2 = 10µf, C1 can transfer much more charge to
C2 on each positive half-cycle, and the voltage on C2 will increase much faster than the
voltage on C1 will decrease. Of course, this also means that the output current capacity
is even more limited, since C2 will discharge rapidly as well as charging rapidly.

Half-wave voltage doubler circuit and waveform

4. The tasser circuit

As we technically discussed about the half-wave voltage doubler above, it is

possible to combine it with the 1:55 transformer that we have in order to create a
1kV tasser circuit. The complete architecture of the tasser circuit is describe as
follows:

 As the 3V supply is connected, the circuit is activated.

 A current will flow across the resistor R1 and activating the L.E.D to
indicate that the circuit is switched ON.
 Another corresponding current will flow across winding L2. Current will not
flow across winding L1 since that the transistor T1 is now in OFF state.
The current that is flowing through winding L2 will then flow to the
transistor T1 and thus activating transistor T1 to ON state.
 Upon activation of transistor T1, a current can now flow through the
winding L1 of the transformer and begin stepping up the voltage to supply
it to the secondary side L3.
 From L3, an approximate 500V had been stepped up with a lower current
rating. Using the theory of the voltage double for a halv-wave voltage
multiplier, a voltage can be multiplied double.
 A 10M-Ohms resistor is connected parallel with the capacitor C2 to
discharge the potential to the subject. At this point, the voltage is
approximately 1kV and the current rating had been lowered further.
Tasser circuit diagram