Do there exist a solid state design circuit to do the following:
Charge multiple capacitors in parallel for a certain amount of time from a low voltage DC source, then disconnect them completely from the DC source and rearrange them in series to allow them to be discharged in series?
What I want is to charge about 10 capacitors in parallel with 12 V, then discharge them at 120 V in pulses.
I think this is how you could do it in relays: -
simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab
All the switches operate together so if you could use MOSFET SSRs I guess you'd be just about there. 2 Single SSRs can be made to form a c/o contact and you'll therefore need four per capacitor. Or just use relays.
R1 is the discharge load (whatever it may be) and you can step and repeat for as many capacitors as you wish but watch the relay contact open-circuit voltage ratings. A simpler version is this (I believe): -
Sounds like a charge pump, a voltage multiplier, a Cockcroft-Walton generator.
I often use a MAX232 level shifter ( Wikipedia: MAX232 ). While the charge pump in particular chip is designed to converts 5 V to +-10V, perhaps you might find useful the app notes Maxim and other have published explaining how charge pumps work. a b
The theory applies to any voltage. Specific implementations are generally designed for one particular output voltage. The MAX232 is designed to convert +5V to +-10V. Some Cockcroft-Walton generators are designed to generate millions of volts.
I am not sure what your application is but I think using am inductive boost would be less complicated and require fewer components. You would need an Input Cap, Output Cap, inductor and control circuitry (one FET, a diode and a controller). TI would probably have the controller. What you need to know is the output current and how much voltage ripple is acceptable.
