Who makes this Zener diode? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: masster
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2014, 11:10:32 pm
content: hiPlease help me find the manufacturer and type of this Zener diode.It looks to be a 6V8 Zener, but it doesn't look like BZX55C6V8 or 1N4736.Thanks

author: David_AVD
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2014, 11:43:11 pm
content: Very hard to read anything in those pix.Maybe post back with what's written on it?

author: masster
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 01:42:45 am
content: Sorry, these are the only photos. But perhaps somebody can trace the manufacturer based on colors used.I have no doubt it's a 6V8 Zener, you can see clearly the '6V8' and above '500' or '560', but that is all I can recognize.

author: Legion
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 02:31:21 am
content: Looks like AVX from the picture:http://www.avx.com/They make electronic components according to their website.

author: masster
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 06:00:50 am
content: I browsed all their products catalog and didn't find anything similar. They don't make Zener diodes.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 06:23:56 am
content: maybe 6.8V 500mW? I can't find the exact one.Things that might help, what board does it come from, and is a schematic from the manufacturer available?Usually if you find the service manual it will have a list of the components and the manufacturer code and what manufacturer that code belongs to.And I looked at the avx site too, didn't see anything about zener diodes either.

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 06:29:37 am
content: Does it have 50v printed on it?Could be a tvs?What is printed on it?

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 06:36:23 am
content: Looks like it says either500 or 50V6V8But the OP mentioned 560 as well and he can see it better than us via his picture.

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 07:10:40 am
content: 6V8 is the voltage 500mw or 1/2 watt pretty common

author: masster
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 07:29:17 am
content: The diode is used on a 2001 car instrument cluster board. And no, the German manufacturer VDO doesn't make the schematic public. The resolution of the photo you see in here is exactly the same to what I have. I was hoping somebody will recognize the manufacturer by the not-so-common red color with a white stripe for a diode.

author: David_AVD
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 08:54:49 am
content: Quote from: masster on April 07, 2014, 07:29:17 amYou're kidding, right? There must be hundreds of diode types that use that colour scheme.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 09:15:31 am
content: Quote from: David_AVD on April 07, 2014, 08:54:49 amDon't know about hundreds, I can't find one with that color scheme, if you can please share with the OP.

author: lewis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 10:12:35 am
content: If you're replacing the diode, you don't need to worry which manufacturer it is, any old zener will do as long as it is the correct voltage and power rating. It's 500mW, and looks to be 6.8V, so stick one of those in.If you're not replacing it, or you're designing something new, don't worry about what manufacturer they've chosen, just use any zener from a reputable brand like Vishay.I have seen literally THOUSANDS of diodes with that red/white colour scheme in my career, but have absolutely no idea who manufactures them.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 10:16:25 am
content: Quote from: miguelvp on April 07, 2014, 09:15:31 amMaybe not now, but that colour was common for small glass diodes - signal and zener - for years. For example, look in just about any radio from the 70's & 80's. AFAIK the colour means nothing and is not manufacturer or series-specific.Some zeners were banded with a colour code (a lot of MELF ones still are), which is usually manufacturer/series specific - but these aren't those.Also, in my experience, any small zeners like that with special characteristics (e.g. low tempco, high breakdown, etc) had an additional alpha character or two printed on them e.g. 6V8 / 500 /Yor similar.I agree with everyone else; it's just a bog-standard 500mW zener.

author: masster
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2014, 03:15:53 pm
content: I was told on another forum that what I thought to be '500' it is in fact '55C' and the diode is basically an older version of BZX55C6V8. They are using now the clear glass + black stripe version. Probably they save 0.0001 cents worth of dye per pieceWould you agree on the assumption about the type?PS On further examining the board, the Zener diode is used to regulate the rather spiky RMS 12V pulses coming from the low voltage side of the ignition coil before feeding the signal to a rev counter custom chip.