Gordin wrote:

Hello
I know that this may be a dumb question but I have found conflicting
info about this on a few web pages.

If one takes say 5 capacitors each with a value of 500wv @ 150uf and
connects them in series the result wold be 2500v @ 30uf. Correct?

Now if one takes another string just like the one above, and connects
both strings across the output of the rectifier parallel to each other
does this still give the 2500v but @ 60uf? or does the voltage drop?

Thanks


Others have correctly answered your question. I'll
add something: one should always derate the voltage
that a capacitor "sees" in a circuit from the cap's
rating. Using a 500 volt cap at 500 volts is asking
for trouble. (Or using 5 of them in series at 2500
volts.) If your circuit runs at 2500 volts, add at
least one cap to the string.

And do not forget the bleeder/equalizing resistors.
You'll need 2 resistors in series per cap. I'd use
2 51K 2 watt resistors in series across each cap, to
give a very good safety margin on the resistors' power
dissipation and voltage exposure. Others might recommend
a single 100K 2 watt resistor across each cap. But that
way, each resistor "sees" about 416 volts, and dissipates
a little over 1.7 watts. With two in series, each resistor
"sees" about half the voltage - and the power dissipation
capability is doubled.

Gordon