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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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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! =)
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).
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
i think it would be better discussing biasing voltage and reverse breakdown voltage. all diodes have these properties, just zener diodes have them controlled to lower specified values
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?
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 UA-cam just mention patreon, but they don't always mention the benefits of a subscription it seems.
Misleading, regular diodes can also conduct in reverse bias, this is known as avalanche breakdown. Which is also the same mechanism for reverse bias conduction in zener diodes. The only difference is that zeners are engineered to breakdown at a lower voltage on purpose.
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.
'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.
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.
hey.. i am about to start up with some project... i am an electronics engineer.. your videos are great help. please get back to me if i need some help.
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?
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
Not sure I completely understand the last part of your video. As the load current goes up, the voltage drop across the resistor goes up. This seems to have the biggest impact on the output voltage, not the zener. E.g. at 50mA, the voltage drop is 220*.05 = 11volts. If you have a 12v power source, then the voltage available at the output is a maximum of 1 volt, regardless of the zener presence. In other words, the bad voltage regugation is due to the inline resistor, not the zener.
The series resistor is chosen so that the zener is passing close to its maximum rated current (say 30mA) with no load. A load draws current which is diverted from the zener current so that the load current plus the zener current flowing in the series resistor remains almost the same at 30mA. The voltage across the zener changes only slightly as it passes less current so the current through the resistor and therefore the voltage across it also remain relatively constant. If the load draws more current than the 30mA maximum current set by the series resistor regulation ceases and the extra current is drawn through the series resistor causing the voltage across it to increase and the voltage at the cathode of the zener to fall.
I'm confused where you start showing the oscilloscope - maybe starting with negative voltage is what confused me. Why does it produce -1 volt? Why not -9 volts? And you talk about some current flowing through the diode and some flowing from 'the output' - what is 'the output' ???
I have 2 suspected bad zener diodes in a vintage Sony receiver with 3 leads - what the heck is that? Only 2 leads give a reading. Manufactures have 'replacements' that are typical 2 lead diodes - can they work to replace the 3 lead?
Interested in learning about wireless power? Subscribers can get up to 80% off Wireless Power to the People - Wireless Charging 101 on udemy using the coupon code "UA-cam"
www.udemy.com/wireless-power-to-the-people-wireless-charging-101/?couponCode=UA-cam
Are you planning on doing a kickstarter for your Fartduino. It sounds promising ;-)
GreatScott! I am launching it on Kickfarter!
Afrotechmods Much better than Stinky-gogo
Afrotechmods hahahaha nice names
The Bright Pixel What about Fartreon?
+Bogdi Gaming and More! you've taken that too far....
This is the video that best explains the operation of zener diodes throughout UA-cam!! ... 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.
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.
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!
Hi
@@darkside5770
Desperado
I'd heard of diode distortion in modern guitar amps but didn't know where to start - thanks so much! :o)
I like it...at 5min alligator clips on breadboard show previous "high voltage" or grounding experiments etc... NICE touch.
Your videos are very nice
WOW, YOU REALLY MAKE A GREAT TUTORIAL... IF ONLY I HAD THESE VIDEOS IN MY EE CLASSES CIRCA 1976!
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.
Really appreciated the video :)
More easier to understand than what the proffesor said.
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
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.
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.
THANK YOU I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOR FOREVER
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.
I have a fartduino...however when I received it in the package it smelled a bit... off.
lol
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! =)
Not really understanding or absorbing much of this but it's still really interesting to watch.
Very clear, this video an be my whole analog ckt lab report for zener diodes. Thank yousir!
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).
Thanks for uploading the tutorial I have asked for!
The best electronics videos out there keep up the good work
Terrific ! This is very well explained ! I understand for the first time the Zener diode. Thanks !!!!
I am working on fuel injection circuit (12v 2.1ohm solenoid) trying to protect 555 timer / arduino driver. Thanks for this help.
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.
CoolDudeClem Yes that's a very common way to make a linear regulator!
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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. As always, very interesting and informative.
we want more Afrotechmods : )
Awsome explanation your videos continue to help me a tonne with electronics
شكراً لكم على الترجمة
Thanks for translation
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...
How dare you speak like that to him?
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.
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.
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 :)
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.
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.
So then, are there zener transistors you could buy? This would be super useful in a transistor package!
this guy knows what he talks about .
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.
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.
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.
love your video on zener diode thanks
thats exaclty what i was missing for my analogy of subway trams and ac current
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.
No you are not the only one. It is pronounced zener, similar to never.
i think it would be better discussing biasing voltage and reverse breakdown voltage. all diodes have these properties, just zener diodes have them controlled to lower specified values
Another excellent video. Thanks.
I'm adding LEDs to my model city, but my primary voltage is 12v ac phase to ground. I need 5v to power the LEDs without burning them out
@colinmitchell7760 Thank you. Will that work with 17V ac as well? I upgraded my grid to 30Y/17V. I can use the same thing, right?
Well done, nice video,thanks for sharing it with us :)
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?
your videos is great and very helpful.. thank you
your videos are so beneficial , thank you
you can reverse bias any diode, it's just that zener diodes are designed to survive that
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 UA-cam just mention patreon, but they don't always mention the benefits of a subscription it seems.
Thank you for these videos, once I'll make a donation once I start applying this knowledge to my bank account.
We used to use these as a very cheap and dirty method to trick the ECU's on MAP equipped turbo cars. Nifty to see the science behind how they work.
I think you mean clipper. In a clamper the swing of the input has to match the swing of the output.
This was really helpful. Thank you!
hi, nice tut, can i use zener diode to clamp the voltage output to 5.1v 50ma from a 72v input?
"When the input voltage is minus-10V, there's enough voltage to forward bias the zener diode."
-- Confusing. Doesn't it need a positive voltage?
Make a video on logic gates & also on photodiode please
Hey afrotechmods
Great video but could you tell me how to use a 15v zener to reduce 40v to 15v for my MOSFET
Used to work on backswing diode thyristors...big ones. They don't work well when soaked in coolant. Haaa!
Dope video bruh!
Misleading, regular diodes can also conduct in reverse bias, this is known as avalanche breakdown. Which is also the same mechanism for reverse bias conduction in zener diodes.
The only difference is that zeners are engineered to breakdown at a lower voltage on purpose.
BGM ya, but they're not designed to carry in reverse. The magic smoke comes out
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.
Ad base of transistor betwen resistor and zener and you can take couple of A.
It would've been great....If you had also explained how zener diode works on the atomic level
But anyways a great video!
perfect explanation, thanks.
Very well done.
really great video thansk for share your knowledges.
gud explanation sir
👍
Good video!! Is avalanche diode the same like zener diode? Thanks
'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.
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.
Useful video
Fartduino! lol how is that trademarked XD
BigShack By the power of his keyboard
Along with the Strawberry Rho®, I guess.
Unicode, I guess...
I've already Trademarked "New Age" a couple times, but it never made me any money...
hey.. i am about to start up with some project... i am an electronics engineer.. your videos are great help. please get back to me if i need some help.
Who made the brand BEICH such a good brand
Please come back 😭
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?
Thanks . It really helps
In Holland we have a "free current of 5V" coming from the telephone line in.Is this when using it traceable ???by the company
Thanks for sharing
Why did you put 220Ohm resistor when using zener as voltage regulator ?
Very nice and interesting videos!
They are really helpful for electronic projects.
How about a video about ground loops?
btw love your vids
Great video!! Thanks!
nice.....
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
it is clear all my doubts..................
great tutorials ^_^
Expensive oscope....
You own it or just using the one on cam??
Not sure I completely understand the last part of your video.
As the load current goes up, the voltage drop across the resistor goes up. This seems to have the biggest impact on the output voltage, not the zener.
E.g. at 50mA, the voltage drop is 220*.05 = 11volts. If you have a 12v power source, then the voltage available at the output is a maximum of 1 volt, regardless of the zener presence. In other words, the bad voltage regugation is due to the inline resistor, not the zener.
The series resistor is chosen so that the zener is passing close to its maximum rated current (say 30mA) with no load. A load draws current which is diverted from the zener current so that the load current plus the zener current flowing in the series resistor remains almost the same at 30mA. The voltage across the zener changes only slightly as it passes less current so the current through the resistor and therefore the voltage across it also remain relatively constant. If the load draws more current than the 30mA maximum current set by the series resistor regulation ceases and the extra current is drawn through the series resistor causing the voltage across it to increase and the voltage at the cathode of the zener to fall.
I need one of these for a project so I bought two, and came here to see what the hell they actually were.
I'm confused where you start showing the oscilloscope - maybe starting with negative voltage is what confused me. Why does it produce -1 volt? Why not -9 volts? And you talk about some current flowing through the diode and some flowing from 'the output' - what is 'the output' ???
What advantages does this offer over a voltage divider circuit (swap the zener diode with another resistor)?
Voltage dividers don't provide any kind of regulation. Plus, they will heat up pretty quickly.
I have 2 suspected bad zener diodes in a vintage Sony receiver with 3 leads - what the heck is that? Only 2 leads give a reading. Manufactures have 'replacements' that are typical 2 lead diodes - can they work to replace the 3 lead?
Very good info
Is there a discription on the diode to tell what the voltage are? So one could tell which is which?
centaur1a You have to google the part number for the datasheet.
1N47___ look up in nte cross ref. guide . 1N47, 1N52__ are zeners, sometimes just a letter then a voltage. eg. 5.1
The video with Arabic subtitles wow