I'm just a hobbyist, but I have deep love for electronics. Videos like these also keep us amateur students interested in the subject. Thank you for taking the time to make it. I loved it. I'm going to binge watch all the fundamental videos in the series!
Dave ... I just retired from the industry a year ago after 52 years. I've been watching your video blogs for months and must say that you do the very best job explaining concepts in a very entertaining manner than any other I've found. GREAT JOB !! I have seen in the comments trolls troubleshooting your videos. Don't let them bother you. You have something really good going on here.
Working 35 years in the professional electronics industry and i never considered the iconic shape of the zener symbol. We are never too old to learn something new! Thanks Dave :)
+rovku and many others don't bother watching tutorials and only watch the mailbag and teardowns. They have an equally valid opinion. In fact data seems to show that they outnumber the tutorial people.
Well, that made me feel old - in college days, before they stopped students from sneaking into the faculty dining room, I sat at the table next to Clarence Zener. Woo Hoo - brush with greatness!
i wish i had watched these videos in school. i'm working now and these are great for building the intuition i should have built as an EE graduate (instead of getting bogged down with math).... i'm learning way more here than i did in my 2 semesters of analog electronics courses.
You are a very good teacher. Funny at the right times, light but full of info that's easy to digest, and you have a pleasant voice. I think the way things are taught, especially how they are said, plays a big role in students being capable of absorbing the concepts.
Love your work Dave. I’m currently studying an AD in electrical and electronics engineering and your videos are much easier to understand than any of the material provided by the university.
Man I wish I could hang out with you for a week. This stuff comes so naturally to you. I am learning so much and I have been working with electronics for 20 years.
I do not know if you will ever read this, but i want you to know that your videos helped me a great deal through my exams and I can't express how gratefull I am. I am 27 yold from Greece studying for my 2nd Class Marine Enginneering Certificate after a long time away from the profession due to health problems and I've been through a lot lately. So many setbacks i can't even begin with. Your videos where helpfull and cheered me up while in a really bad place. As a mechanical engineer my electronics knowledge was limited to the stuff i learned at school and it has been a very long time in marine engine rooms's noise and heat since the last time i studied about electronics, so your style of explaining helped me fill many of my knowledge gaps in and pass my exams. I will never forget your help. I will also try to donate a little something as I am in a realy bad place right now... I wish i could do more. May you always have good health and keep up the good job. I wish you the best with the new lab .You have my everlasting gratitude and respect.
Man congrats. I was googling in order to understand but without lack. The real secret of zener diode is actually its dynamic resistant that explains exactly how it regulates the voltage. Thanks so much for educating us.
I would also cover speed, repetitiveness and energy surge ability of all those components - which to use in specific conditions and how to design a reasonably good protection circuit. If we are talking about protection...what about poly-switches.....
Thank you!! I was aware of the basic properties of the Zener diode, and didn't understand why people avoided them as a solution for voltage regulation, and your tutorial helped me to understand why.
I wanted to thank you especially for the videos like this. The amount of knowledge you share is vast, but the way you share it is the greatest part about it. Thank you for sharing your time with us and teaching with clarity, vigor, and enthusiasm. Cheers!
Thanks Dave, I always appreciate the fundamentals videos. They might never bring in the number of views that the mailbag or teardown videos do but they will be on TH-cam for many many years to come (hopefully), helping out future newbies and also rusty oldies like me that need reminding.
Even though I'm quite familiar with this topic I found this to be quite interesting. Let's hear more of this kind of stuff on the EEVBlog! Tear downs only go so far...
Very nice. Best video about zener diode seen so far. Comprehensive enough to get the idea and simple enough not to lose interest/attention till the end of the video.
Mr.Dave, you are so great man. You deserve a lot. thanks is not enough for you. I learned a lot from you. I wish all professors would be like you. This will change the future of education. On no account, do not stop making videos, please. Big thanks from Egypt.
These are the videos that made EEVBLOG what it has become. Well this and test equipment reviews... This video hasn't aged one bit after all these years and I can see this being the standard for many years to come...
Great design teardown, good references to the data sheet with explanations,practical use of hardware,basic circuit calculations with various loads and input supply .All in all, this video sets the standard.
I know this is an old Vid Dave, but your channel is invaluable. I've been binge watching for days now, and really cleaning up on the theory I missed out on in college some 20 plus years ago.
My instructors in college (40 years ago) may have been good engineers but were poor teachers. Dave here surely is good at being both. Liked and subbed!
Great job! In Poland in my university, professor recommend your videos - so it is the best proof that there videos are immensely educational. Thank you.
Interesting. Now I know why my DIY EPROM programmer wasnt working (very tight voltage requirements and I was using zeners with no knowlege of the internal resistance etc). These videos are absolute gold dust. Thankyou for taking the time to make them.
Audiophile reasons for using Zener diodes: 1) Input protection (clamping) to avoid damaging or latching op-amps or ADCs down the chain. 2) As a peak limiter (high ratio dynamics compression) to limit the signal level -- e.g., to control the clipping point before ADCs (which may sound even worse than analog clipping when overdriven) or to protect speakers from over-excursion (typically for high-power PA stuff.) 3) Intentional distortion (as in effects pedals.)
Thank you for the information on the component symbol. It is interesting that component symbols are based on a characteristic of the component. This makes complete sense, but I find it fascinating when I discover why the symbol is used. Great video
very helpful. i was confused to understand the diode as normal voltage regulator but as you cleared things up that it isn't a good device when load is connected.
Informative and interesting video. It's good to refresh your memory on the basics of electronics one in a while! I tend to disagree with some other comments that prefer specifically this type of content - I quite like your usual mix of things including teardowns and mail bag as well. After all, variety is the spice of life!
Thank you for making these long form videos reviewing electrical components in depth. I've been out of practice for a while... I graduated college 9 years ago and have been working in other industries. I was in dire need of fundamentals review. I just absolutely nailed a HUGE interview thanks in large part to your channel (specifically op-amp and transistor circuit analysis). Your energy and presentation made these topics very fun to watch and easy to follow along with. Lets see if i get this job... :)
Hi amazing teacher, the only part that was missed how to test it on the board and how know if it was healthy or not. That is very important for fixing stuff. Many thanks again
Dave ... one of your best presentations .. tho my elder brain had to use more watts to keep up with your rapid-fire discourse!! GREAT job .. especially cuz wE are able to 'stop' y9u in mid-sentence, and replay at our leisure ....!!! THAANKS
29:01 I could be wrong but that looks like the zener's capacitance is acting as a low-pass filter, and putting a lower value resistor in place (29:32) is gonna charge it faster so gives a faster rise of the output. The dynamic resistance comes into play at the zener voltage, not below it.
Dave, Very nicely done. I have learned a lot and appreciate how well you put the concepts and related functional specifications into perspective. Keep up the excellent work! Thanks, Bob
You cannot compare a tutorial with a University class. When we went to University we were tired, younger and some even didn't want to study. But in TH-cam, you select what videos to watch and what you like; we watch TH-cam for entertainment and then we develop a better response to study and to adquire new knowledge. It's a question of human psychology: humans do better when we like what we do (and all of us here like to watch videos in TH-cam) -> more motivation and less stress here than in University.
Thx Dave. Yep I'm a late comer. Welcome to the shunt regulator. Tricky if you are using a fixed resistor input & high dissipation. Every since the monolithic regulators came out they pushed Zener based regulators into the dustbin of time. So, except for niche uses, like you said, they are done. Obviously they are popular enough that they are still available. I for one am glad Bob Widlar came on the scene and gave us bandgap references that are embedded in all these regulators. Again thx Dave for taking the time do this video.
Always love the fundamental video, partly because it is recognition what you know (of course gratifying 🤓) and picking up additional information! Can't go far and deep enough.
Thank you Dave, I have to say your videos are very helpful and informative. With the knowledge of EMC testing, I have always dreamt of working as in EMC design but at least with your videos I am extensively increasing my knowledge on the basics. Who knows something might Knock the door and will remember you for sure. Thank you again!
Dave has been always a great contributor to Electronics World. A session from him, and u r good to go to rock your circuits. I always follow u. I wish one day world recognize u as Father of Electronics World. Good Luck!
Awesome video and a very interesting and useful topic. Love fundamentals videos. Demonstrates the potential of some people to explain what others can’t in the classroom. If you have the video about how to calculate the Rz and Zener, it would be great to put link in the description.
I'm most familiar with Zeners as voltage clamping devices; they're commonly used on automotive computers on the injector control and ignition control circuits to limit field collapse spikes from feeding back to the driver transistors. I've never quite understood exactly how they work, but I've got a much better understanding now! Thank you! Yes, I'm an automotive guy. Sorry!
Thank you for explaining Zeners. It's interesting to know the history behind it's invention, too. And thank you for telling me not to be scared of the triangle, so it's Delta, not illuminati...feels much better.
Hooking a 5V Arduino to drive a 3.3v BlueTooth board, I used a zener to clamp the signal. NOPE. If I had watched this vid first, I would have known that the zener effect doesn't work at low currents - and signals are usually very low current. Great job, Dave!
Dave, Great Video!! Any chance you could do a follow-up to this video showing when you use a Zener at the base of a transistor to increase current capacity of the regulator? You made it easy to follow all the characteristics of the Zener, but when you add the emitter-base junction to the mix, I get a bit confused, as you now have two devices being affected by temperature, volts, amps, resistance, etc. Thanks!
I think this video need to be in part# 2 and 3, we need to know about the Normal Diodes and the Shockley as well, and how could we test the reverse Voltage & the Current of that diodes, Please Dave could you please make 2 additional videos?
@32:30 Zener diode torture session begins. Is that actually permanently degrading the doping layer inside the Zener diode? And if so, in what way does the performance characteristics of the Zener diode get affected? What characteristics of the diode will be different after prolonged junction temperature abuse?
I had the privilege to have a curve tracer in my shop in the Navy in 1973. The Zener breakdown was fascinating for me. Shunt regulators were common back then. However, the current needed to provide regulation of Zeners with voltage specs below 5 volts went up due to the knee characteristics were not as sharp. This was at the time that the LEDs were being available to the hobbyist. I put the available LEDs on the curve tracer and found that the knee characteristics in forward mode were a lot sharper with 2 red LEDS in series at 3.6 v than the nearest spec Zener diode at lower current. When my squadron upgraded their aircraft, we went from peanut tubes and early transistors to ICs. When I went to be schooled on the new system, I mentioned the voltage drop of a typical red LED at my turn at the blackboard and one of my instructors had an epiphany. He figured out what the LEDs on the board hidden from view in a piece of test equipment were for. A low voltage shunt voltage source operating at less than 5 ma. The student taught the instructor that day. LEDS from that time: IR, 1.6 v; Red, 1.8 v; Amber, 2.0 v; Green, 2.2 volts with a less sharp knee.
Hi dave. Nice video. I like that you talk about the power dissipated in the zener, but you don't mention the power loss in the current limiting resistor. At 12v in and 100mA through it, power used in the resistor is P=(12-5.1)*0.100=0.69W! Most regular resistors aren't rated to anything better than 0.25W! Gonna need a power resistor for this...
+MaxAirGo "usual" resistors are rated at 0.25W and at 0.5W they are indeed too hot to touch. Sorry I can't answer your temperature-prediction question though.
I'm just a hobbyist, but I have deep love for electronics. Videos like these also keep us amateur students interested in the subject.
Thank you for taking the time to make it. I loved it. I'm going to binge watch all the fundamental videos in the series!
Dave ... I just retired from the industry a year ago after 52 years. I've been watching your video blogs for months and must say that you do the very best job explaining concepts in a very entertaining manner than any other I've found. GREAT JOB !! I have seen in the comments trolls troubleshooting your videos. Don't let them bother you. You have something really good going on here.
As a very “young player,” it’s great to hear that kind of endorsement from a seasoned pro.
Working 35 years in the professional electronics industry and i never considered the iconic shape of the zener symbol. We are never too old to learn something new! Thanks Dave :)
I like these sort of videos the most Dave. Very educational. More of this would be great.
Exactly!
200% agree. these are my favorite type of videos too...
I fully agree. This is why I subscribe to EEVBlog. I never bother watching mailbags or teardown videos.
I totally agree!
+rovku and many others don't bother watching tutorials and only watch the mailbag and teardowns. They have an equally valid opinion. In fact data seems to show that they outnumber the tutorial people.
Well, that made me feel old - in college days, before they stopped students from sneaking into the faculty dining room, I sat at the table next to Clarence Zener. Woo Hoo - brush with greatness!
Brush with brush with statistics fame: my doctoral advisor took a stats course from Rensis Likert, inventor of the now ubiquitous Likert Scale.
Fundamental Fridays has to be the best segment on the EEVBLOG.
You are fifty times better than my instructor, Dave. You should record these kind of videos more often. Thank you.
Yes
i wish i had watched these videos in school. i'm working now and these are great for building the intuition i should have built as an EE graduate (instead of getting bogged down with math).... i'm learning way more here than i did in my 2 semesters of analog electronics courses.
Amen!
Still good to go to school to get graders you dont even need
@@Rainbow__cookie
You need the grades/knowledge to perform better at work.
You are a very good teacher. Funny at the right times, light but full of info that's easy to digest, and you have a pleasant voice.
I think the way things are taught, especially how they are said, plays a big role in students being capable of absorbing the concepts.
You have to respect a guy who’s so enthusiastic about explaining things.
Love your work Dave. I’m currently studying an AD in electrical and electronics engineering and your videos are much easier to understand than any of the material provided by the university.
Man I wish I could hang out with you for a week. This stuff comes so naturally to you. I am learning so much and I have been working with electronics for 20 years.
thanks dave
I do not know if you will ever read this, but i want you to know that your videos helped me a great deal through my exams and I can't express how gratefull I am. I am 27 yold from Greece studying for my 2nd Class Marine Enginneering Certificate after a long time away from the profession due to health problems and I've been through a lot lately. So many setbacks i can't even begin with. Your videos where helpfull and cheered me up while in a really bad place. As a mechanical engineer my electronics knowledge was limited to the stuff i learned at school and it has been a very long time in marine engine rooms's noise and heat since the last time i studied about electronics, so your style of explaining helped me fill many of my knowledge gaps in and pass my exams. I will never forget your help. I will also try to donate a little something as I am in a realy bad place right now... I wish i could do more. May you always have good health and keep up the good job. I wish you the best with the new lab .You have my everlasting gratitude and respect.
Fundamentals Friday is my favorite episodes. I have no idea if they are popular, but over time, these will be the most important episodes you do.
Man congrats. I was googling in order to understand but without lack. The real secret of zener diode is actually its dynamic resistant that explains exactly how it regulates the voltage. Thanks so much for educating us.
Dave, any chance you could talk about more circuit protection stuff? MOVs, spark gaps, etc. and *when* each of them should be used?
Yeah, that's on the cards.
good. because abstinence-only education doesn't work with electronics hobbyists.
I would also cover speed, repetitiveness and energy surge ability of all those components - which to use in specific conditions and how to design a reasonably good protection circuit. If we are talking about protection...what about poly-switches.....
What does Dave mean by its on the cards
He is thinking about making vid about it...
Thank you!! I was aware of the basic properties of the Zener diode, and didn't understand why people avoided them as a solution for voltage regulation, and your tutorial helped me to understand why.
Fundamentals Friday!!!
YES!!!
MY FAVORITE!
From a beginner, thank you very much, that answered my questions perfectly on using a zener diode as clamping protection.
I wanted to thank you especially for the videos like this. The amount of knowledge you share is vast, but the way you share it is the greatest part about it. Thank you for sharing your time with us and teaching with clarity, vigor, and enthusiasm. Cheers!
Vigor and enthusiasm indeed! Much appreciation Dave.
Who needs a degree when you have Dave!
I am literally gonna say in a job interview that I watched a lot of eevblog
If they don't know him then they suck
Thanks Dave, I always appreciate the fundamentals videos. They might never bring in the number of views that the mailbag or teardown videos do but they will be on TH-cam for many many years to come (hopefully), helping out future newbies and also rusty oldies like me that need reminding.
My 14yr old son enjoyed this video. You explain it way better than I do!
I love this guy. I suggest the videos made by him to anyone that wants to learn about circuits.
Even though I'm quite familiar with this topic I found this to be quite interesting. Let's hear more of this kind of stuff on the EEVBlog! Tear downs only go so far...
Very nice. Best video about zener diode seen so far. Comprehensive enough to get the idea and simple enough not to lose interest/attention till the end of the video.
Mr.Dave, you are so great man. You deserve a lot. thanks is not enough for you. I learned a lot from you. I wish all professors would be like you. This will change the future of education. On no account, do not stop making videos, please. Big thanks from Egypt.
I tried watching other TH-cam videos but they confused me even more but your sir really helpful I'm really glad I found your channel
These are the videos that made EEVBLOG what it has become. Well this and test equipment reviews... This video hasn't aged one bit after all these years and I can see this being the standard for many years to come...
Great design teardown, good references to the data sheet with explanations,practical use of hardware,basic circuit calculations with various loads and input supply .All in all, this video sets the standard.
I know this is an old Vid Dave, but your channel is invaluable. I've been binge watching for days now, and really cleaning up on the theory I missed out on in college some 20 plus years ago.
My instructors in college (40 years ago) may have been good engineers but were poor teachers. Dave here surely is good at being both. Liked and subbed!
Great job! In Poland in my university, professor recommend your videos - so it is the best proof that there videos are immensely educational. Thank you.
Cannot tell you how much i love your teaching videos. Again awesome !!!!! Thank you so much.
Interesting. Now I know why my DIY EPROM programmer wasnt working (very tight voltage requirements and I was using zeners with no knowlege of the internal resistance etc).
These videos are absolute gold dust. Thankyou for taking the time to make them.
I think I struck gold. This is one of the best videos I've seen explaining Zener diodes. Thank you!
Audiophile reasons for using Zener diodes: 1) Input protection (clamping) to avoid damaging or latching op-amps or ADCs down the chain. 2) As a peak limiter (high ratio dynamics compression) to limit the signal level -- e.g., to control the clipping point before ADCs (which may sound even worse than analog clipping when overdriven) or to protect speakers from over-excursion (typically for high-power PA stuff.) 3) Intentional distortion (as in effects pedals.)
Thank you for the information on the component symbol. It is interesting that component symbols are based on a characteristic of the component. This makes complete sense, but I find it fascinating when I discover why the symbol is used. Great video
Very good and detail explanation on Zener. Got clarity on some of my question I had in real-world application.
looked at tons of videos for zener diodes this was the best one. thanks
Dave i love, how it simply and thoroughly you explain it. I understand you more than my professor in the Uni. Good Job.
knew most of this already but still learned something interesting. Thank you! Your videos are always worth watching. Much appreciated!
You've covered the essentials very well, Dave! It doesn't hurt to refresh my memory from way back at Community College.
very helpful. i was confused to understand the diode as normal voltage regulator but as you cleared things up that it isn't a good device when load is connected.
Excellent instructor and Zener diode lesson. Thank you for teaching.
Excellent video. I like that he makes the occasional mistake and corrects it. Very real-life.
Especially after the comment at 10:48 I'm convinced that your inspiration for talking about zeners right now is the KNEE curve. :)
Your teaching style with smiling face is awesome. Thank you so much Sir.
Informative and interesting video. It's good to refresh your memory on the basics of electronics one in a while! I tend to disagree with some other comments that prefer specifically this type of content - I quite like your usual mix of things including teardowns and mail bag as well. After all, variety is the spice of life!
+Pete Allum I prefer the mixed bag as well. The channel was never meant to be a tutorial channel
I'm so happy your channel is in my life. helping lots in my mechatronics class
Dave, you sir are one hell of a teacher. If I can understand this, anyone can.
Thank you for making these long form videos reviewing electrical components in depth. I've been out of practice for a while... I graduated college 9 years ago and have been working in other industries. I was in dire need of fundamentals review.
I just absolutely nailed a HUGE interview thanks in large part to your channel (specifically op-amp and transistor circuit analysis). Your energy and presentation made these topics very fun to watch and easy to follow along with. Lets see if i get this job... :)
These are your most useful videos
A Very good video! No worries about extra length - the longer it takes, the deeper you can dig.
Awesome. Wanted to mention that I'm missing the times when you did EE lecture kind of videos. Enjoyed all of them.
Thanks! I haven't looked at this stuff since college, and I still learned something I remember having trouble with.
U R absolutely the Best teacher in this World
Hi amazing teacher, the only part that was missed how to test it on the board and how know if it was healthy or not. That is very important for fixing stuff. Many thanks again
Dave ... one of your best presentations .. tho my elder brain had to use more watts to keep up with your rapid-fire discourse!! GREAT job .. especially cuz wE are able to 'stop' y9u in mid-sentence, and replay at our leisure ....!!! THAANKS
great video Dave. takes me back a few years when I studied electronics. have long forgotten some of these principles.
Nice explanation! Looking forward to the video about clamping and protection devices.
29:01 I could be wrong but that looks like the zener's capacitance is acting as a low-pass filter, and putting a lower value resistor in place (29:32) is gonna charge it faster so gives a faster rise of the output.
The dynamic resistance comes into play at the zener voltage, not below it.
Dave, Very nicely done. I have learned a lot and appreciate how well you put the concepts and related functional specifications into perspective. Keep up the excellent work! Thanks, Bob
Better than any electronics class I ever took in university.
You cannot compare a tutorial with a University class. When we went to University we were tired, younger and some even didn't want to study. But in TH-cam, you select what videos to watch and what you like; we watch TH-cam for entertainment and then we develop a better response to study and to adquire new knowledge. It's a question of human psychology: humans do better when we like what we do (and all of us here like to watch videos in TH-cam) -> more motivation and less stress here than in University.
Thanks. Finally learned the point of Zena Diodes. Use to think they just had a lower forward voltage drop.
Zena: Electron Princess!
Thx Dave. Yep I'm a late comer. Welcome to the shunt regulator. Tricky if you are using a fixed resistor input & high dissipation.
Every since the monolithic regulators came out they pushed Zener based regulators into the dustbin of time. So, except for niche uses, like you said, they are done. Obviously they are popular enough that they are still available.
I for one am glad Bob Widlar came on the scene and gave us bandgap references that are embedded in all these regulators.
Again thx Dave for taking the time do this video.
Videos about electronic parts are very useful!. Thanks. It is also good to say where they are used.
You're a gem, dude. This is brilliant and hilarious.
Finally, I understand what the Zener is for :D thanks a lot, Dave!
Always love the fundamental video, partly because it is recognition what you know (of course gratifying 🤓) and picking up additional information! Can't go far and deep enough.
Thank you Dave, I have to say your videos are very helpful and informative. With the knowledge of EMC testing, I have always dreamt of working as in EMC design but at least with your videos I am extensively increasing my knowledge on the basics. Who knows something might Knock the door and will remember you for sure. Thank you again!
thanks Dave learn something every time from these and the older tear down videos.
Excellent vid, thanks Dave. Could you consider doing something on the difference between NPN and PNP transistors and how/when to use each?
Applied science has a great and interesting video on how to design transistor circuits which touches on this :)
Dave has been always a great contributor to Electronics World. A session from him, and u r good to go to rock your circuits. I always follow u.
I wish one day world recognize u as Father of Electronics World.
Good Luck!
perfect video! shouldn't have been shorter. i like how you not only explain, what's right but also why it is wrong to use it wrongly
Awesome video and a very interesting and useful topic. Love fundamentals videos. Demonstrates the potential of some people to explain what others can’t in the classroom. If you have the video about how to calculate the Rz and Zener, it would be great to put link in the description.
I love fundamentals Friday and teardowns! I NEED MORE!!!!
I'm most familiar with Zeners as voltage clamping devices; they're commonly used on automotive computers on the injector control and ignition control circuits to limit field collapse spikes from feeding back to the driver transistors. I've never quite understood exactly how they work, but I've got a much better understanding now! Thank you!
Yes, I'm an automotive guy. Sorry!
Thank you so much for sharing this kind of knowledge. It was so hard to choose between engineering and human services in college!
Thank you for posting this explanation! ❤❤ Studying for my test and you explain so clearly! 😊
Thank you for explaining Zeners. It's interesting to know the history behind it's invention, too.
And thank you for telling me not to be scared of the triangle, so it's Delta, not illuminati...feels much better.
Such a simple and easy to understand explanation. Thank you.
Yep, I use the dual clamping method to protect the input of my Opamps for example, very neat when the input might peak above the limits there
I enjoyed learning from you, thank you for every second you upload to TH-cam. I wish there were more teachers like you.
Hooking a 5V Arduino to drive a 3.3v BlueTooth board, I used a zener to clamp the signal. NOPE.
If I had watched this vid first, I would have known that the zener effect doesn't work at low currents - and signals are usually very low current. Great job, Dave!
what a great presentation Dave I look forward to seeing more of your foundation series videos.
I really like your channel , and finally its Fundamental Friday , i was missing this part on your channel .
Dave, Great Video!! Any chance you could do a follow-up to this video showing when you use a Zener at the base of a transistor to increase current capacity of the regulator? You made it easy to follow all the characteristics of the Zener, but when you add the emitter-base junction to the mix, I get a bit confused, as you now have two devices being affected by temperature, volts, amps, resistance, etc. Thanks!
Thanks for you video. Helped me with my Ham Radio studies.
I think this video need to be in part# 2 and 3, we need to know about the Normal Diodes and the Shockley as well, and how could we test the reverse Voltage & the Current of that diodes, Please Dave could you please make 2 additional videos?
I'm in love with you Fundamental Friday videos, please keep up the awesome work
Really comprehensive and easy to understand. Thanks for making this Videos.
I learn so much from your vids Dave, please do more of this sort of basic theory and common application stuff..
23:15 that clipping arrangement can be used in guitar distortion pedal.
Incredible straightforward explanation! Thanks, Dave!
@32:30 Zener diode torture session begins.
Is that actually permanently degrading the doping layer inside the Zener diode? And if so, in what way does the performance characteristics of the Zener diode get affected? What characteristics of the diode will be different after prolonged junction temperature abuse?
Thanks, in particular I found the dynamic resistance part rather handy, cheers
I had the privilege to have a curve tracer in my shop in the Navy in 1973. The Zener breakdown was fascinating for me. Shunt regulators were common back then. However, the current needed to provide regulation of Zeners with voltage specs below 5 volts went up due to the knee characteristics were not as sharp. This was at the time that the LEDs were being available to the hobbyist. I put the available LEDs on the curve tracer and found that the knee characteristics in forward mode were a lot sharper with 2 red LEDS in series at 3.6 v than the nearest spec Zener diode at lower current. When my squadron upgraded their aircraft, we went from peanut tubes and early transistors to ICs. When I went to be schooled on the new system, I mentioned the voltage drop of a typical red LED at my turn at the blackboard and one of my instructors had an epiphany. He figured out what the LEDs on the board hidden from view in a piece of test equipment were for. A low voltage shunt voltage source operating at less than 5 ma. The student taught the instructor that day. LEDS from that time: IR, 1.6 v; Red, 1.8 v; Amber, 2.0 v; Green, 2.2 volts with a less sharp knee.
Hi dave. Nice video. I like that you talk about the power dissipated in the zener, but you don't mention the power loss in the current limiting resistor. At 12v in and 100mA through it, power used in the resistor is P=(12-5.1)*0.100=0.69W! Most regular resistors aren't rated to anything better than 0.25W! Gonna need a power resistor for this...
Yeah, completely forgot to mention it
How hot is a resistor dissipating 0.5W? Too hot to keep your figure on it? Is it possible to say how many degrees C that be?
+MaxAirGo "usual" resistors are rated at 0.25W and at 0.5W they are indeed too hot to touch. Sorry I can't answer your temperature-prediction question though.