To measure a zener diode’s breakdown voltage, you need a dc voltage source whose voltage exceeds that of the zener voltage. In Figure 1, resistor R SER provides voltage drop between V IN and V ZEN. In ...

This Design Idea describes a versatile test circuit for zener diodes after yet another misread zener diode had infiltrated the ranks of 1N4148 diodes assembled on a pc board. As a bonus, the circuit ...

Normally, when you want a low DC voltage from the AC line, you think about using a transformer of some kind. [RCD66] noticed that an AC monitor meter must have some sort of power supply but had no ...

According to Microsemi, its new family of ultra-sharp knee Zener diodes offers four times the voltage regulation and a 40-fold improvement in typical lower leakage current versus comparable devices.