Diode selection

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fum

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 3, 2004
Messages
861
Location
Seattle
Over time, looking at schematics for different units, I've of course seen a variety of 1N4000 series diodes specified.

If I look at the spec sheets, say for example the 1N4001-4007 range, they have the same specs, except for the column titled:

Peak Repetitive Reverse Voltage

Which goes from 50V to 1000V.

Can anyone explain what this property is, and how it factors into diode selection?

Regards

ju
 
yeah, basically it's the voltage that they can stand to block before breaking down. -Often when the fail, they fail short, which in a Bridge rectifier sort of application can be a disaster.

Remember also that for Bridge rectification, the peak is a little more than 1.4 times the RMS voltage. Remember also that the off-load voltage can rise by as much as 20% also. -Basically it's a habit of mine to at least double the RMS voltage when specifying dioddes for this application.

Keith
[small][edited for bad math!][/small]
 
Oh, I've already got a handful of several types, just was making a dc supply, and the question hit me " Why does this one use 1N4003, and that one 1N4007 =)

That's what I like about this place. questions answered..... with a smile :grin:

next thing you know, Brad will be throwing in a set of ginsu knives with his free volts :wink:
ju
 
[quote author="fum"]Oh, I've already got a handful of several types, just was making a dc supply, and the question hit me " Why does this one use 1N4003, and that one 1N4007 =)[/quote]
If you buy large quantities there is a (very) small price difference.

Best regards,

Mikkel C. Simonsen
 
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