What is a zener diode?
Ғылым және технология
A tutorial on zener diodes and how to use them as voltage clamps, voltage regulators, and how to create audio distortion circuits.
300 assorted zener diodes on Amazon for $10: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASI... Check out my webpage for more videos about electronics! www.afrotechmods.com
Пікірлер: 298
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Are you planning on doing a kickstarter for your Fartduino. It sounds promising ;-)
@Afrotechmods
9 жыл бұрын
GreatScott! I am launching it on Kickfarter!
@TheBrightPixel
9 жыл бұрын
Afrotechmods Much better than Stinky-gogo
@ahmedelwan9129
9 жыл бұрын
Afrotechmods hahahaha nice names
@ozzie_goat
9 жыл бұрын
The Bright Pixel What about Fartreon?
@LNW54
8 жыл бұрын
+Bogdi Gaming and More! you've taken that too far....
This is the video that best explains the operation of zener diodes throughout KZread!! ... THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
We use Zener diodes a lot. 0.4W for reference and clamping circuits drawing up to a few milliamps and larger 1.3W versions for regulating rail voltages on comparator circuits with loads up to 50mA in some cases. Zeners only handle the surplus current in a circuit where the load at a given voltage is continuous. It is a very useful component.
Really appreciated the video :) More easier to understand than what the proffesor said.
Your videos are very nice
I found you from your transistor video, and I'm so happy to see you have other fantastic tutorials You're channel is exactly what I was looking for.
I'd heard of diode distortion in modern guitar amps but didn't know where to start - thanks so much! :o)
Would you consider doing a followup to this video with more circuit "protection", with how to more completely protect an analog input from both negative and high voltage and high currents, for example from a magnet switch in an alarm system, which could be subject to sabotage of hundreds or thousands of volts/amps? How would you easily but very efficiently protect against that? Great video, as always, I love these! =)
i hope you come back one day its been a few years hope your ok bud, btw you taught my 10 year alot she going to take an electronics course one day.
WOW, YOU REALLY MAKE A GREAT TUTORIAL... IF ONLY I HAD THESE VIDEOS IN MY EE CLASSES CIRCA 1976!
@dont.ripfuller6587
3 жыл бұрын
I'd be surprised if they even had normal diodes back then much less zenith's. Its amazing how much farthered we are the then back then, thinking about a black and white tv, kids idk how they enjoyed cartoons and probably explains that they were always taking drugs in the world.
Thank you thank you thank you! I was not grasping Zener diodes in my Introduction to Electronics class at all! You've helped clarify ALOT!
@darkside5770
3 жыл бұрын
Hi
@justadreamerforgood69
2 жыл бұрын
@@darkside5770 Desperado
the TL431 can be used as a programmable voltage regulator (reference). That means you can actually use a Voltage divider to get the output you want. I hope you make a small tutorial about the TL431 and its uses. great video thanks
Very clear, this video an be my whole analog ckt lab report for zener diodes. Thank yousir!
Thanks for uploading the tutorial I have asked for!
THANK YOU I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOR FOREVER
Terrific ! This is very well explained ! I understand for the first time the Zener diode. Thanks !!!!
The best electronics videos out there keep up the good work
Thank you. As always, very interesting and informative.
شكراً لكم على الترجمة Thanks for translation
Awsome explanation your videos continue to help me a tonne with electronics
The description I've heard more often is, it is like a regular diode with a very low breakdown voltage, constructed in such a way as to allow the breakdown voltage to be exceeded without damage. I've wondered how accurate an analogy based description can be, though.
love your video on zener diode thanks
your videos are so beneficial , thank you
This was really helpful. Thank you!
I like it...at 5min alligator clips on breadboard show previous "high voltage" or grounding experiments etc... NICE touch.
Another great video, in one of them you mentioned that diodes don't always work well in parallel could you make a video to explain this? Alternators of high amp output frequently use multiple parallel diodes.
@maxxiang8746
3 жыл бұрын
really late but basically, diodes don't have a linear voltage to current curve like a resistor, and if the voltage is above its forward voltage, the current will increase dramatically if not limited. each diode is slightly different, so if more than one diode is used in parallel, one will likely end up overheating while the others do not heat up at all. I'm not sure why some devices still do that though
Another excellent video. Thanks.
I am working on fuel injection circuit (12v 2.1ohm solenoid) trying to protect 555 timer / arduino driver. Thanks for this help.
your videos is great and very helpful.. thank you
Very informative video as always. Can you make a tutorial on making short-range radio transmitters? Would be cool to learn how to transmit digital data with radio. I know there are already modules like zigbee but it would be awesome to make a crude DIY digital transmitter.
perfect explanation, thanks.
I have a fartduino...however when I received it in the package it smelled a bit... off.
@automationsolution
6 жыл бұрын
lol
Well done, nice video,thanks for sharing it with us :)
we want more Afrotechmods : )
really great video thansk for share your knowledges.
Very well done.
One of my bikes, a1973 Norton Commando, orginally had a battery charging circuit involving a large (physically) ziner across the battery to prevent over charging. It used the large hunk of metal the foot peg was attached to in order to disapate the heat generated.
Not really understanding or absorbing much of this but it's still really interesting to watch.
Dope video bruh!
Thank you for the clarification. The question on my mind: is it ok to use Zener Diode as a rectifier diode? I wasn't aware until I learn of your demonstration.
@ewhartiii
3 жыл бұрын
In the late 80s and early 90s I worked rebuilding alternators and starters. In the mid 80s GM started making the CS series of alternators, which used 28 V Avalanche (Zener) diodes for the rectifiers. I believe this was to protect the electronics in the ECU from voltage spikes. These alternators were rated up to 120 A @ 12 V. I actually mounted a 120 A GM alternator in place of a 60 A Ford alternator on a 1983 LTD. I modified the GM alternator to use a heavy duty Ford external regulator, and used to jump start semis with it. edit: Oops, I forgot to answer your question. As long as the Zeners are rated to handle the anticipated current and voltage, they will work fine.
Thanks . It really helps
btw love your vids
A reliable variable power supply is quite a lot of work to design. It's a rabbit hole if you're doing it for the first time. Lots of things to learn. For easy solutions of a fixed voltage there are some simple voltage regulator ICs that work well though. Throw in a capacitor too and you can get a pretty stable dc out of the end. Higher power ones require cooling though. Also if you want to start from AC you usually have to take a few prerequisite steps too sadly.
Thanks for sharing
Its actually used in LED power supplies, or everywhere where constant current is needed.I think there are a lot of circuit designs on the internet about it if you search for it.
great tutorials ^_^
Thank you for these videos, once I'll make a donation once I start applying this knowledge to my bank account.
I am working on a small weather emergency broadcast radio with a lot of static in it looking inside it I found a broken zener diode. on the printed circuit board it says 3.9 volt ZD 3 do I need to concern myself with more than 3.9 volt ? is there different amperage on a 3.9v zener diode ? the glass is broken and I could hardly read what it says on it. thank you and have a good day
Great video!! Thanks!
@shwethal7427
8 жыл бұрын
nice.....
hi, nice tut, can i use zener diode to clamp the voltage output to 5.1v 50ma from a 72v input?
Hey afrotechmods Great video but could you tell me how to use a 15v zener to reduce 40v to 15v for my MOSFET
Great tutorial, I'll be looking out for the "fartduino"! On a more serious note I know you can add a transistor to the zener circuit when more power is needed. The collector goes to +, the base connects to where the resistor and zener meet, and the load connects to the emitter and ground, that kind of circuit has been around for years.
@Afrotechmods
9 жыл бұрын
CoolDudeClem Yes that's a very common way to make a linear regulator!
@power-max
9 жыл бұрын
CoolDudeClem Yup! To achieve better _load regulation_, (lower the apparent output impedance) then use a transistor with a high gain, because when you use a BJT as an emitter-follower like you describe, you create effectively a feedback loop within the transistor, and higher gain is like a higher 'P' factor, so better regulation. You can use a darlington to further improve load regulation, but the disadvantage is that the "dropout voltage" will be considerably higher. If instead you use the complementary darlington pair, you will get the advantages of a low Vbe saturation voltage (which is the main culprit for dropout voltage) as well as additional gain, and better line regulation! :D I actually use this set up a lot when I cannot find a suitable regulator in my junk bin! However, if you are simply using resistors to bias the zeners instead of a proper current source, then the current through the zeners will be proportional to the input voltage, and since the zener voltage changes a bit with respect to that current, the overall line regulation will be pretty crap, but good enough for most non-critical things. You can actually use a small regulator as a voltage reference to replace the zener diodes and improve performance.
Clarence Zener was a remarkable scientist. Besides discovering the Zener effect, that lead to the development of the Zener diode, he did quite a lot of discoveries in metallurgy (my field of study).
Very good info
gud explanation sir 👍
Mentioning some of the benefits (as you just did at the end) for a patreon subscription sounded really enticing,m! If I had the cash to spare, I'd love having advanced access to your videos lol :) most other people I've seen on KZread just mention patreon, but they don't always mention the benefits of a subscription it seems.
Superb. Thanks.
thats exaclty what i was missing for my analogy of subway trams and ac current
Useful video
Nice Channel thanks for the info
good explanations
Nice vid.
nice clear
As a fun thing to look at and explore for a future video is the joule thief and how it's able to light an led from a battery considerd flat/dead :)
A great making thanq clear to me
bi-directional diodes? HERESY!
@allanrichardson1468
6 жыл бұрын
hornylink Actually, all semiconductor diodes exhibit Zener behavior at high enough reverse bias voltages. Even though the carrier depletion layer at the P-N junction becomes thicker (which is also the basis of another diode device called a varicap) with reverse voltage, eventually the tiny trickle of electrons crossing the layer becomes so energetic that they knock other electrons out of their shells, creating electron-hole pairs which allow more current to flow, which creates more electron-hole pairs, etc. When a certain voltage is reached, this happens very quickly, like an avalanche (Zener diodes are also called avalanche diodes), the voltage needed to sustain the avalanche drops, and current increases without restraint unless limited by a resistance in series. This can destroy a general purpose rectifying diode, and is the reason for the reverse voltage breakdown specification on a diode. A Zener diode is one that is designed to have a lower and precisely defined breakdown voltage, and to recover normal rectifying action (ie stop current flow) at almost exactly the same voltage (rather than at a much lower voltage). And external current limiting resistors prevents destruction of the diode on the first avalanche event. Now how about a video on the varicap diode, which is used to frequency-modulate an oscillator and to keep its frequency constant?
@marceichelsheim1740
3 жыл бұрын
They totally missed the chance to call them biodes.
You could have mentioned that you can use a power transistor in the common collector or "emitter follower" configuration to buffer the voltage and provide more current. This would have helped me a while back...
@alejandroperez5368
Жыл бұрын
How dare you speak like that to him?
So then, are there zener transistors you could buy? This would be super useful in a transistor package!
Hi, I'm designing a simple radiation detector. The GM tube requires 400VDC. I found a nice plan for the step-up itself, but it still needs some kind of feedback, so when the output reaches the desired voltage, a transistor would pull the base of the oscillator transistor to ground. The best idea seemed to be using a 400V zener diode, but the store I oder from only sells 100V zeners... So my question is the following: Is there an alternative - apart from putting 4 in series - to make the feedback?
I was planning to make an oscilloscope "divider" for a mobile phone oscilloscope. Placing two 2v2 zeners, to clamp voltage to a safe limit, not to burn down the mic input. Does this sound like the correct way to do it? Of course voltage would be dropped with a resistor voltage divider first and zeners would be used just as extra protection.
Fartduino! lol how is that trademarked XD
@CurtisEFlush5962
9 жыл бұрын
BigShack By the power of his keyboard
@marcfoster715
5 жыл бұрын
Along with the Strawberry Rho®, I guess.
@KermitFrazierdotcom
3 жыл бұрын
Unicode, I guess... I've already Trademarked "New Age" a couple times, but it never made me any money...
Howdy. Nice. An idea is to use zener diodes to kill switch on / off spikes. The approach is good but zener diodes are too slow to work as spike killers. Varistor resistors are a much better choice. Regards.
THANK YOU MUCH
HaY!!! I love this channel!!! Do you have any suggestions for me? I want to become nothing short of an electrical master. I have been learning here on KZread it is very useful! especially considering I'm fairly lacking in financial endowment. Afrotechmods and GreatScott! and mjorton are the best sources I have found thus far. I would like to know if you have any recommendations if I was to seek formal education. Specifically: What would be my best choice to get a deep understanding of electrical and electronic workings and inner workings. I want to know everything! :D
@LoganDark4357
6 жыл бұрын
It's called... school....
@yurigagarin4974
6 жыл бұрын
I agree with you youtube is great for learning electronics 🇬🇧😎👍
Afrotechmods i saw one of your videos about speed control H-bridge. So i was thinking if you can build same think but for more power and amps. I builded fan from old motor for windscreen whipers and it is drowing around 5.5 amps on 7.2 v whit load (fan in this case).So can you build one or sand me schematics.
Make a video on logic gates & also on photodiode please
Can the zener diode be used at the end of the 12 V phone charger to regulate the output voltage and what is the highest ampere it can be allowed to pass through? Thank you.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
this guy knows what he talks about .
Good video!! Is avalanche diode the same like zener diode? Thanks
@silasfatchett5693
7 жыл бұрын
'Zener diodes' operate on two different principles, 'avalanche breakdown' which predominates above approx. 5.6V and below 5.6V by 'quantum tunneling' which is known as the 'Zener effect' after its discoverer, Clarence Melvin Zener.
Very nice and interesting videos! They are really helpful for electronic projects. How about a video about ground loops?
When you say reverse biased, that current starts to flow in the opposite direction, do you mean from cathode to anode? (rather than the normal anode to cathode direction for fwd bias) So if you built a circuit specifically to utilize the reverse bias of a zener, you wire in the zener backwards so it starts conducting when it hits a certain threshold? So + to cathode and - to anode?
Expensive oscope.... You own it or just using the one on cam??
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this phenomenon is technically referred to as compression in audio, not distortion. Distortion happens with compression (along with practically any other signal processing regime), but sawing off peaks is pretty clearly in the domain of compression.
@altimmons
5 жыл бұрын
That’s exactly what distortion is. Cutting the peaks means that the signals line up way more often producing lots of harmonics. (They only have to align in the x dimension.) not x and y-amplitude. Compression is the opposite, you take the small peaks and amplify them to reach the top of some range (the compression ratio). This makes quiet sounds louder.
nice clip.
GREATE GREATE THANK YOU
dose it drop off, 3.3 volt, or limit it to 3.3 volt, and 1 volt?
What about a relay with a big electromagnet that turns on with only (for example) a small amount of electricity? All the extra electricity is converted to magnetism. The common and normally open contacts bring in whatever voltage you need (as long as the source can supply the needed current its good ). It may not be fancy but it is a beginning.
Afrotechmods......i have small diode like you show on the video....but my diode has writen code which is 23 on the first line on the second line OB or 0B......please can you tell me what does it mean? and what kind of diode it is? thank you.
it is clear all my doubts..................
Wow i like this video
In college I was taught to say zen-er not zeener. I'm the only one I know who says it that way. I'm looking for a video on it's development where Robert Zener is referenced or interviewed. I was also taught pie-ee-zoh, same deal,lol.
@cbcdesign001
5 жыл бұрын
No you are not the only one. It is pronounced zener, similar to never.
In Holland we have a "free current of 5V" coming from the telephone line in.Is this when using it traceable ???by the company
I need help to find a diode number 5G2.G ? It is used in door lock actuator.
anyone help me ? i want to protect voltage over 5.50v but i cant seem to select correct zener. i have tried a 5.10v zener but it does not work
What advantages does this offer over a voltage divider circuit (swap the zener diode with another resistor)?
@alejandroperez5368
Жыл бұрын
Voltage dividers don't provide any kind of regulation. Plus, they will heat up pretty quickly.
him could you advuse me uf a zener diode of 4.7v will wirk in my situation. i have a set of leds ws2812 programmamable. but they have a mind of there own over 4.7v. can i use input of 5v - diode - led will this work ?
that symbol is seldom used in service manuals, I don't know why. used to work in a repair shop. of course you can tell by looking at them the no. on it or the color they are different.
is there a way to identify a smd glass diode with a black stripe