Browse Good-Ark engineering articles by rectifiers, protection, automotive, MOSFET, SiC, solar, Schottky, power supply, bridge, Zener, and sourcing topics.
A 10 kΩ resistor across a gate driven to 5 V draws 0.5 mA and dissipates 2.5 mW. Those figures are small in some circuits and material in others. Changing to 100 kΩ reduces that steady load by ten, but also weakens the passive discharge path. For a buyer comparing resistor choices or an engineer … Read more
A technician disconnects the gate drive and expects the MOSFET to block every current path. A meter still finds diode-like conduction between source and drain. That can be normal behavior, not proof that the transistor is shorted. The next question is more important: can that built-in path safely carry the current that the circuit will … Read more
Two boards can use the same MOSFET and the same 10 Ω gate resistor yet show different ringing. One has a short driver loop and a clean source return; the other connects the gate through a long trace beside the switching node. The resistor value cannot explain the result by itself. This hypothetical comparison is … Read more
A diode can look normal on a cold, unpowered meter check and still cause trouble after the board warms up. That does not automatically mean the junction has failed. Its reverse leakage may have become significant under the actual voltage and temperature conditions. For an engineer investigating drift or a buyer comparing replacements, the important … Read more
At an assumed 0.4 V drop, a 1 A diode path dissipates 0.4 W. At 3 A with the same assumed drop, it dissipates 1.2 W. Those simple figures explain why Schottky diodes appear in power paths and why the same circuit can become difficult as current rises. OR-ing, series reverse-polarity protection, and switching-supply rectification … Read more
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A replacement diode sits over the old pads, yet one terminal barely reaches the solder land. Another candidate overlaps both pads but raises the body into a nearby shield. Mechanical fit has already become a circuit constraint before anyone compares forward voltage. For an SMD Schottky diode, work from the electrical requirement to a package … Read more
Imagine two schematic extracts beside the same black two-terminal package. One uses a plain diode symbol; the other adds hooks at the cathode line. Neither drawing proves which physical part is on the board. The symbol, bill of materials, and package drawing must agree. This is a hypothetical review example, not a reported assembly failure. … Read more
A diode that conducts at a low forward voltage and a diode that deliberately conducts in reverse breakdown can occupy similar-looking positions on a parts tray. In a circuit, they solve different problems. Exchanging them can remove a reference voltage or create a damaging current path. The cost of that mix-up is not usefully measured … Read more
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A difference of 0.3 V at 1 A represents 0.3 W in a simple steady-current conduction calculation. That is enough to make a diode choice visible in a small power supply. It also explains why “low Vf” attracts attention before the rest of the datasheet receives a fair reading. A Schottky diode can reduce that … Read more
“The bridge fits the board” is often the first answer in a replacement discussion. It leaves several questions open: do the terminals match, does the mounting arrangement support the current rating, and are the shortest electrical spacing paths still acceptable after assembly? For a buyer reviewing GBJL10J or an engineer approving a flat bridge package, … Read more
Consider two otherwise identical supplies. One feeds 20 mA; the other feeds 200 mA from the same capacitor. Their ripple will not be similar. Under a simple constant-current discharge approximation, the second supply loses about ten times as much capacitor voltage between charging intervals. That comparison is a useful starting point for a bridge rectifier … Read more
A circuit can use two diodes and still rectify both halves of an AC cycle. Another circuit with two power devices may be a switching half bridge that does no passive rectification at all. Counting components without tracing their connections is how the terminology becomes confusing. If a drawing or parts listing says “half bridge … Read more
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