North Star High Voltage
North Star High Voltage is a privately held US manufacturer of precision high voltage measurement probes (25 kV–400 kV) and thyratron/ignitron drivers, serving research institutions, semiconductor equipment makers, and industrial/defense customers worldwide through direct sales and regional distributors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersBainbridge Island, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What North Star High Voltage does
North Star High Voltage is a privately held, founder-led US manufacturer of precision high voltage measurement probes and support circuits for switching tubes, headquartered in Bainbridge Island, Washington (with a manufacturing/operations facility in Marana, Arizona). The company sells two principal probe lines — the PVM series (portable, 25–100 kV DC, up to 140 MHz bandwidth) and the VD series (floor-standing, up to 400 kV DC, up to 25 MHz bandwidth) — along with bare probe versions for OEM integration into oil or SF6 tanks, thyratron/ignitron drivers, spark gap drivers, and supporting accessories (meter adapters, attenuators, fiber converters). Its core technology is a proprietary RC circuit design using parallel resistance and capacitance with factory-calibrated stray capacitance compensation, low temperature and voltage coefficient components, and field-defining toroids (VD series) to deliver DC accuracy below 0.1%–0.15% and risetimes as fast as 2.5 ns.
The company generates revenue through one-time hardware sales priced from $85 for accessories to $7,650 for premium probes, with custom configurations and OEM bare probes available on quote. It employs 1–10 people and reaches global markets through direct sales for the United States and a network of regional distributors covering the UK, Germany/Austria/Switzerland, France, Japan, Taiwan, and China, supplemented by an e-commerce storefront for standard products. Customers include research and scientific institutions (particle accelerators, national laboratories), television tube and radar manufacturers, semiconductor processing equipment users (ion implantation, excimer lasers), pulsed power systems operators, and industrial RF equipment manufacturers.
The business is differentiated by more than 100 years of combined measurement experience, 400+ references in technical literature spanning applications from radar to ion implantation, and a 2025 PPPS Erwin Marx Award to President Richard Adler. The company operates with no disclosed external funding, no PE/VC backing, and no institutional ownership, functioning as a specialized niche supplier serving research, defense, semiconductor, and industrial customers worldwide.
North Star High Voltage firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- North Star High Voltage
- Legal name
- North Star High Voltage
- Website
- https://highvoltageprobes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- North Star High Voltage is a privately held US manufacturer of precision high voltage measurement probes (25 kV–400 kV) and thyratron/ignitron drivers, serving research institutions, semiconductor equipment makers, and industrial/defense customers worldwide through direct sales and regional distributors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where North Star High Voltage is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bainbridge Island
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
North Star High Voltage business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- High Voltage Probe Sales: Direct hardware sales of high voltage probes including PVM series (portable, up to 100 kV), VD series (floor standing, up to 400 kV), and specialty bare probes for OEM applications. Products are sold with standard and custom configurations including various ratio options (1000:1, 2000:1, 10,000:1).
- Driver and Accessory Sales: Sales of thyratron drivers, ignitron drivers, spark gap drivers, and accessories including meter adapters, attenuators, and fiber converters.
- Support Circuits and Components: Sales of support circuits for closing tubes including thyratrons and ignitrons, as well as spare and replacement parts such as damping resistors with banana plug connectors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Specialty Adapters and Accessories ($85-$300) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | PVM Series Portable High Voltage Probes ($2,475-$7,650) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | VD Series Floor Standing High Voltage Probes ($4,600-$5,900) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Ignitron and Thyratron Drivers ($2,950) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels12 records
Marketing channels4 records
North Star High Voltage product offering
Product offeringCore offering
North Star High Voltage develops and manufactures high voltage measurement probes (PVM portable series and VD floor-standing series, plus specialty bare probes for OEM integration) and support circuits for closing tubes including thyratron drivers, ignitron drivers, and spark gap drivers. Products are designed for precision high voltage measurements from 25 kV to 400 kV DC with bandwidths up to 140 MHz and DC accuracy better than 0.1%, and are sold to research institutions, electronics manufacturers, semiconductor equipment makers, and pulsed power system operators worldwide.
Product overview
North Star High Voltage develops and manufactures high voltage probes which define the state of the art in high voltage measurements, along with support circuits for closing tubes including Thyratrons and Ignitrons. The product portfolio consists of two main high voltage probe series (PVM and VD), specialty probes, ignitron/thyratron drivers, spark gap drivers, and accessories. The PVM series probes are portable units designed for wide bandwidth and ease of use with models ranging from 25-100 kV DC. The VD series probes are floor-standing units for higher voltages (60-400 kV DC) with maximum physical stability. Specialty probes include bare probes for OEM installation and high frequency probes. Supporting products include the IG5-F Ignitron Driver, TT-G1/G2 Thyratron Driver, and Spark Gap Drivers (SP-35, SP-55). Accessories include 10 Meg Meter Adapters, Attenuators, and BNC to HFBR Fiber Converters. All probes use standard 50 ohm or 93 ohm coaxial cable for connection to oscilloscopes or digitizers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Probes found in over 400 technical literature references across diverse applications including particle accelerators, radar, television manufacturing, and semiconductor processing
Companies that use North Star High Voltage
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
North Star High Voltage technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature6 records
North Star High Voltage partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PPM (United Kingdom)coreRegional sales representative for the United Kingdom handling voltage probe product distribution.
- HVP High Voltage Products GmbHcoreRegional representative for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and France (for VD and Driver products). Contact: +49 89 891 374 80.
- Pulse MC2 (France)coreRegional representative for France handling PVM probes only. Contact: +33 1 60 86 21 26.
- Kurita Co. (Japan)coreRegional distributor for Japan handling product sales and support.
- Iwatsu Electric Company (Japan)coreRegional representative in Japan based in Tokyo. Contact: Mr. Kenji Matsumoto.
- Upton Technical & Trading Limited (Taiwan)coreRegional distributor for Taiwan. Contact: +886 (0) 3 572 4342.
- PEMCH (China)coreRegional distributor for China (君亿道科技有限公司). Contact: +86 (0) 755-26830682.
- Beijing Sheng Da Trading Co. (China)coreRegional distributor for China (北京智联兴达科贸有限公司). Contact: +8610-88635757.
- Shanghai Berling Trading Co. (China)coreRegional distributor for China (上海铂鳞贸易有限公司). Contact: (+86)-021-31156786.
- CAVI East Technology Co. (China)coreRegional distributor for China (中航易思特(北京)科技有限责任公司). Contact: (+86)-010-6436 6808.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
North Star High Voltage competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Haefely Hipotronics (Hubbell): Swiss/US provider of high-voltage test and measurement instruments, including capacitive/resistive HV dividers and probes. Comparable on HV test instrumentation used in labs and power equipment qualification.
- PMK Mess- und Kommunikationstechnik GmbH: German specialist in high-voltage probes and oscilloscope accessories, offering both passive and active HV probes across kV ranges. Closest direct competitor to NSHV in the European market for precision HV oscilloscope probes.
- T&M Research: US vendor of high-voltage oscilloscope probes and pulse transformers used in pulsed power, accelerator, and defense applications. Same narrow product category and same end customers as NSHV.
- Ross Engineering Corp. Long-established US manufacturer of high-voltage probes, dividers, and related HV measurement equipment. Directly comparable to NSHV in product category (HV measurement probes for oscilloscopes/meters) and target buyer (research labs and pulsed-power engineers).
- Stahl Electronics (DEKRA): Manufacturer of high-voltage probe heads and pulse transformers widely used in HV laboratory testing. Directly comparable to NSHV in HV divider/probe technology and pulsed-power buyer base.
Others
- Kistler Instrumente: Swiss manufacturer of high-precision measurement sensors (pressure, force, acceleration, and electrical). Comparable as an adjacent premium measurement-instrument supplier in HV-relevant test and OEM channels rather than a direct HV probe competitor.
- Spellman High Voltage Electronics: Manufacturer of high-voltage power supplies, X-ray generators, and pulsed-power subsystems rather than HV probes. Adjacent in the HV/pulsed-power ecosystem and shares some of the same lab and OEM customers, but does not directly compete in measurement probes.
Broad incumbents
- Teledyne LeCroy: Leading oscilloscope manufacturer whose HV differential probes and accessories overlap with NSHV's offerings. Comparable as a broader T&M incumbent serving pulsed-power and power-electronics test buyers.
- Tektronix: Major oscilloscope vendor with a high-voltage probe accessory line (e.g., P5200/P5210 series). Not a niche specialist, but the dominant incumbent in the same HV oscilloscope-probe adjacency that NSHV serves with higher-end units.
- Keysight Technologies: Global T&M leader with HV probe and oscilloscope product lines. Comparable as the incumbent large player in the HV oscilloscope adjacency where NSHV competes on the high-end, high-kV segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
North Star High Voltage financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
North Star High Voltage leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
North Star High Voltage funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
North Star High Voltage M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about North Star High Voltage
What does North Star High Voltage do?
North Star High Voltage develops and manufactures high voltage measurement probes (PVM portable series and VD floor-standing series, plus specialty bare probes for OEM integration) and support circuits for closing tubes including thyratron drivers, ignitron drivers, and spark gap drivers. Products are designed for precision high voltage measurements from 25 kV to 400 kV DC with bandwidths up to 140 MHz and DC accuracy better than 0.1%, and are sold to research institutions, electronics manufacturers, semiconductor equipment makers, and pulsed power system operators worldwide.
Is North Star High Voltage a public or private company?
North Star High Voltage is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was North Star High Voltage founded?
North Star High Voltage was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is North Star High Voltage based?
North Star High Voltage is headquartered in Bainbridge Island, United States, in the North America region.
How does North Star High Voltage make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. High Voltage Probe Sales are the primary driver. The others are driver and Accessory Sales and support Circuits and Components.
Who are North Star High Voltage's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Haefely Hipotronics (Hubbell), PMK Mess- und Kommunikationstechnik GmbH, T&M Research, Ross Engineering Corp. and Stahl Electronics (DEKRA). Others are Kistler Instrumente and Spellman High Voltage Electronics. Broad incumbents are Teledyne LeCroy, Tektronix and Keysight Technologies.
Does North Star High Voltage have an API?
No public API is recorded for North Star High Voltage.