Introduction
Do you like the idea of tesla coils and other high-voltage sparking stuff, but don't have the time, money or patience to build something that elaborate? If cheap loud and long sparks are your aim, a Marx generator delivers them with ease and simplicity! Big versions of them are used in museums to demonstrate electricity and lightning(along with Cockcroft Walton Multipliers), but nothing beats the low-cost, ease, and amazing results capable of a Marx generator.
Basically, a Marx Generator is a simple but clever way to generate lots of voltage. A Marx generator is a type of voltage multiplier and the idea is surprisingly straightforward - charge up a stack of high voltage capacitors in parallel such as with a several kV flyback or other HV source, and discharge them in series. When you use high voltage capacitors and spark gap, the resulting sparks are quite impressive. Unlike Cockcroft-Walton multipliers, the Marx Generator needs no expensive diodes, and only uses one capacitor per stage. This reduces their cost enormously, at the expense of the mechanical complexity of the spark gaps.