Publications

Optically powered firing set using miniature photovoltaic arrays

Shelton, Jason W.; Dickey, Fred M.; Thomes, William J.

A firing set capable of charging a 0.05 μF capacitor to 1.7 kV is constructed using a 2.5 mm diameter Series Connected Photovoltaic Array (SCPA) in lieu of a transformer as the method of high voltage generation. The source of illumination is a fiber coupled 3 W 808 nm laser diode. This paper discusses the performance and PSpice modeling of an SCPA used in a firing set application.