High Voltage supply

make an oscillator that runs at 12 volts, at 30 Khz. Feed that into the primary of a small toroidal transformer with a 50:1 turns ratio = 1200 Volts AC.

Use a voltage quadrupler.

This can be made to use about 50 ma from 12 volts and give you the DC you want. After you have the DC but a low pass filter coil to keep any AC out of the ES membranes

Hi Jonas

There is a lot of those little devils in old photo copiers, some 12V or 24V used to impart a static charge on the drum. Don't know if suitable for continuous running.

Still there's a source if you wish to rummage around.

That is an excellent suggestion. Almost any scrap yard will have a few dozen old copiers. You can find these by looking for the thick high tension lead that leads to a suspended thin wire. Laser printers also have these.

Go and get dirty...yes, black toner will soon cover you :)

Hi Jonas,

Use technique like in night vision devices. My colleague makes (and sells 25000 per year in USA) power supplies for night vision devices with output voltage 1kV and 6kV. PS consumes a current 6mA at voltage 3V without load. The voltage multiplier has the factor 25 for 6kV.

You may ON-OFF power supply to minimize input averaged current.

Krass

Have you tried battery powered "ionizers"? They put out 7-14Kv at low current.

Tad

If you do only need the static voltage then the above post is the way to get it....

Just start off with a simple low power oscillator 'banging' the primary of a small ferrite transformer then from the secondary use as many multiplying stages as necessary to get your dc 4kV.

Simple - John.

I think you can use Camera-Flash cct, but all is that any of the following can be used with a care & hard work:

Old B/W TV HV Cct, etc