Abstract: A flyback converter high voltage power supply which includes two switches operating in push pull fashion to provide alternate polarity energy pulses to a load. A main component of the power supply is a transformer, the primary winding of which is divided into halves. The secondary may be also be split into halves, or may be configured without a split so long as the secondary and rectifier combination result in full wave rectification. The first of the two switches couples an input voltage across the first primary half to store energy in the magnetic core during a first time interval, and at the end of the first time interval disconnects the first primary half from the input voltage. During a second time interval, the energy stored in the magnetic core during the first time interval is delivered to the load via the secondary winding.

Abstract: A high voltage power supply current regulator includes at least one high voltage rectifier diode having a plurality of pn junctions, said diode being adapted to be connected between a high voltage power supply whose current is to be regulated and a load such that the diode is reverse biased. A control circuit, operating at a voltage which is relatively low compared with the power supply voltage, controls the reverse current through the diode to the load. The reverse current constitutes the load current. The control circuit includes a light source for illuminating the pn junctions of the diode with a predetermined flux of photons, the reverse current through the diode being a function of the photon flux on the diode junctions.