Diode help... HELP!

From: Dave McGuire <mcguire_at_neurotica.com>
Date: Tue Feb 22 15:24:37 2000

On February 22, Bill Sudbrink wrote:
> Once again demonstrating my vast quantities of ignorance...
> I need a diode which completely blocks current in one direction
> and presents as little resistance in the other direction
> as possible. I bought a fist full of little glass ones at
> Radio Shack for 50 cents. On my Ohm meter, they show no
> conductance in one direction and 1400KOhm the other way.
> What do I need to get? RS (which is the only resource I
> have available, I need them like _NOW_) has many different
> kinds of diodes, ranging up to two dollars per pair.

  Hmm...keep in mind that all semiconductor diodes exhibit a forward
voltage drop...0.3v for germanium and 0.7v for silicon diodes. If
your multimeter isn't using more than that forward voltage drop to
measure that "conducting-mode" resistance, you won't get anywhere with
that measurement method.

      -Dave McGuire
Received on Tue Feb 22 2000 - 15:24:37 GMT