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An electronic disabling device includes first and second electrodes positionable to establish first and second spaced apart contact points on a target having a high impedance air gap existing between at least one of the electrodes and the target. The power supply generates a first high voltage, shor

An electronic disabling device includes first and second electrodes positionable to establish first and second spaced apart contact points on a target having a high impedance air gap existing between at least one of the electrodes and the target. The power supply generates a first high voltage, short duration output across the first and second electrodes during a first time interval to ionize air within the air gap to thereby reduce the high impedance across the air gap to a lower impedance to enable current flow across the air gap at a lower voltage level. The power supply next generates a second lower voltage, longer duration output across the first and second electrodes during a second time interval to maintain the current flow across the first and second electrodes and between the first and second contact points on the target to enable the current flow through the target to cause involuntary muscle contractions to thereby immobilize the target.

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What is claimed is: 1. An electronic device for disabling a target, the device for use with a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second electrodes for conducting a current through the target, wherein a gap exists between the first electrode and skin of the target, the device comp

What is claimed is: 1. An electronic device for disabling a target, the device for use with a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second electrodes for conducting a current through the target, wherein a gap exists between the first electrode and skin of the target, the device comprising: a power supply for operating in a first mode to generate a first voltage output across the first and second electrodes during a first time interval to ionize air within the gap to reduce a high impedance across the gap to enable the current to flow across the gap and for subsequently operating in a second mode to generate a second voltage output less in absolute magnitude than the first voltage, across the first and second electrodes during a second time interval, longer than the first time interval, to maintain the current flow through the first and second electrodes and through the target to cause involuntary muscle contractions to thereby disable the target. 2. The electronic device of claim 1 wherein the power supply comprises: a first capacitor having a third voltage across the first capacitor; a voltage multiplier coupled between the first capacitor and the gap for providing a multiplied voltage across the gap higher than the third voltage; and a first switch for operating, after the third voltage reaches a first magnitude, to release energy from the first capacitor to generate through the voltage multiplier the first voltage output. 3. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the power supply further comprises a second capacitor for releasing energy to generate the second voltage output. 4. The electronic device of claim 3 wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor each receive a charging current before the first switch is operated. 5. The electronic device of claim 3 wherein the first capacitor has a first capacitance and the second capacitor has a second capacitance substantially less than the first capacitance. 6. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein the first switch comprises a voltage activated switch. 7. The electronic device of claim 6 wherein the first switch operates in response to the third voltage. 8. The electronic device of claim 2 wherein: the voltage multiplier comprises a transformer; the transformer comprises a primary winding and a secondary winding; the power supply further comprises a second capacitor; and the second capacitor discharges through the secondary winding for generating the second voltage output. 9. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising a controller for repeatedly activating the high voltage power supply to maintain a desired pulse repetition rate of the current. 10. The electronic device of claim 1 further comprising the first electrode and the second electrode. 11. The electronic device of claim 10 further comprising a cartridge that contains the first electrode and the second electrode and comprises a propellant to propel the first electrode and the second electrode toward the target. 12. An electronic device for disabling a target, the device for use with a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second electrodes for conducting a current through the target, wherein a gap exists between the first electrode and skin of the target, the device comprising: a high voltage power supply; and an output circuit, coupled to the power supply, that generates for a first period a first voltage output across the first and second electrodes for ionizing air within the gap thereby reducing an impedance across the gap to enable current flow across the gap and for subsequently enabling a second voltage output having less absolute magnitude than the first voltage output, for a second period longer than the first period to cause current to flow through the first and second electrodes and through the target thereby producing involuntary muscle contractions to disable the target. 13. The electronic device of claim 12 wherein the output circuit comprises: a first capacitor having a third voltage across the first capacitor; a voltage multiplier coupled between the first capacitor and the gap for providing a multiplied voltage across the gap higher than the third voltage; and a first switch for operating, after the third voltage reaches a first magnitude, to release energy from the first capacitor to generate through the voltage multiplier the first voltage output. 14. The electronic device of claim 13 wherein the output circuit further comprises a second capacitor for releasing energy to generate the second voltage output. 15. The electronic device of claim 14 wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor each receive a charging current before the first switch is operated. 16. The electronic device of claim 14 wherein the first capacitor has a first capacitance and the second capacitor has a second capacitance substantially less than the first capacitance. 17. The electronic device of claim 13 wherein the first switch comprises a voltage activated switch. 18. The electronic device of claim 13 wherein: the voltage multiplier comprises a transformer; the transformer comprises a primary winding and a secondary winding; the power supply further comprises a second capacitor; and the second capacitor discharges through the secondary winding for generating the second voltage output. 19. The electronic device of claim 12 further comprising a controller for controlling operation of the high voltage power supply to thereby control the output circuit. 20. The electronic device of claim 12 further comprising a controller for repeatedly activating the high voltage power supply to maintain a desired pulse repetition rate of the current. 21. The electronic device of claim 12 further comprising the first electrode and the second electrode. 22. The electronic device of claim 21 further comprising a cartridge that contains the first electrode and the second electrode and comprises a propellant to propel the first electrode and the second electrode toward the target. 23. An electronic device for disabling a target, the device for use with a first electrode and a second electrode, the first and second electrodes for conducting a current through the target, wherein a gap exists between the first electrode and skin of the target, the device comprising: a high voltage power supply; and an output circuit, coupled to the high voltage power supply for switching into and operating in a first output circuit configuration for a first period to generate a first voltage output across the first and second electrodes to ionize air within the gap and to enable the current across the gap and for subsequently operating in a second output circuit configuration, for a second period longer than the first period, to generate a second voltage output, less in absolute magnitude than the first voltage, across the first and second electrodes to maintain the current through the target thereby producing involuntary muscle contractions to disable the target. 24. The electronic device of claim 23 wherein the output circuit comprises: a high voltage output circuit for generating the first voltage output across the first and second electrodes; and a low voltage output circuit for generating the second voltage output across the first and second electrodes. 25. The electronic device of claim 24 wherein the high voltage output circuit comprises: a first capacitor having a third voltage across the first capacitor; a voltage multiplier coupled between the first capacitor and the gap for providing a multiplied voltage across the gap higher than the third voltage; and a first switch for operating, after the third voltage reaches a first magnitude, to release energy from the first capacitor to generate through the voltage multiplier the first voltage output. 26. The electronic device of claim 25 wherein the low voltage output circuit comprises a second capacitor for releasing energy to generate the second voltage output. 27. The electronic device of claim 6 wherein the first capacitor and the second capacitor each receive a charging current from the high voltage power supply before the first switch is operated. 28. The electronic device of claim 25 wherein the first switch comprises a voltage activated switch. 29. The electronic device of claim 25 wherein the voltage multiplier comprises a step-up transformer. 30. The electronic device of claim 25 wherein: the voltage multiplier comprises a transformer; the transformer comprises a primary winding and a secondary winding; the low voltage output circuit comprises a second capacitor; and the second capacitor discharges through the secondary winding for generating the second voltage output. 31. The electronic device of claim 23 further comprising a controller for controlling operation of the high voltage power supply to thereby control the output circuit. 32. The electronic device of claim 23 further comprising a controller for repeatedly activating the high voltage power supply to maintain a desired pulse repetition rate of the current. 33. The electronic device of claim 23 wherein the first capacitor has a first capacitance and the second capacitor has a second capacitance substantially less than the first capacitance. 34. The electronic device of claim 23 further comprising the first electrode and the second electrode. 35. The electronic device of claim 34 further comprising a cartridge that contains the first electrode and the second electrode and comprises a propellant to propel the first electrode and the second electrode toward the target. 36. A method performed by an electronic device to disable a target, the method comprising: charging a first capacitor and a second capacitor; coupling the first capacitor to a voltage multiplier when a voltage across the first capacitor crosses a voltage threshold; discharging for a first period the first capacitor through the voltage multiplier to generate a multiplied voltage across a first electrode and a second electrode; and in response to the multiplied voltage, discharging, for a second period longer than the first period, the second capacitor through the first electrode and through the target to cause involuntary muscle contractions to disable the target. 37. The method of claim 36 wherein charging is completed when the first and second capacitors are charged to substantially equal voltage magnitudes. 38. The method of claim 36 wherein discharging the second capacitor comprises conducting a current across a gap, between the first electrode and skin of the target, comprising air that was ionized by the multiplied voltage. 39. The method of claim 36 further comprising propelling the first electrode and the second electrode toward the target. 40. A method for disabling a target comprising: sourcing, for a first period, electricity to ionize air in a gap at the target thereby starting a current through the target; reducing an output voltage magnitude capability of the source; and after the first period and after reducing, sourcing electricity for a second period longer than the first period, to continue the current through the target to cause muscle contractions to disable the target. 41. The method of claim 40 wherein: sourcing for the first period comprises conducting current in a first closed current path that does not comprise the target; and sourcing for the second period comprises conducting current in a second closed current path that comprises the target. 42. The method of claim 40 wherein: sourcing for the first period comprises discharging a first capacitance; and sourcing for the second period comprises discharging a second capacitance. 43. The method of claim 42 further comprising: storing a first energy in the first capacitance; and storing a second energy, less in magnitude than the first energy, in the second capacitance. 44. The method of claim 42 wherein the first energy is less than or about 0.28 joules. 45. The method of claim 42 wherein the second energy is less than or about 0.04 joules. 46. The method of claim 42 wherein a ratio of the first energy to the second energy is about 7. 47. The method of claim 42 wherein the first capacitance comprises less than or about 0.14 microfarads. 48. The method of claim 42 wherein the second capacitance comprises less than or about 0.02 microfarads. 49. The method of claim 42 wherein the first capacitance has a capacity greater than a capacity of the second capacitance. 50. The method of claim 42 wherein the first capacitance has a capacity of about 0.07 microfarads. 51. The method of claim 42 wherein the second capacitance has a capacity of about 0.01 microfarads. 52. The method of claim 42 wherein a ratio of capacities of the first capacitance to the second capacitance is about 7. 53. The method of claim 40 wherein: sourcing for the first period comprises voltage multiplication; and sourcing for the second period does not comprise voltage multiplication. 54. The method of claim 40 wherein: sourcing for the first period expends a first energy; and sourcing for the second period expends a second energy less than the first energy. 55. The method of claim 40 wherein the first period extends about 1.5 microseconds. 56. The method of claim 40 wherein the second period extends about 50 microseconds. 57. The method of claim 40 wherein a ratio of the second period to the first period is about 33.