3 Nov
1999
3 Nov
'99
9:20 a.m.
From: "Richard Erlacher"
<edick(a)idcomm.com>
If you have a diode of any kind which behaves more as a resistor and less as
a diode, i.e. it measures more or less the same in both directions, though
differently on different settings on your DMM, I'd say it's broken.
I'd say you have a modern meter, and neither of you knows how to use
it. The "diode" range on the meter is there because the other
resistance ranges are not useful for testing diodes. Read the manual
for the meter, or buy a curve tracer, or build a continuity tester from
an old flashlight (two-cell preferred), or ...
I'm curious. Have you tried the same family of (mostly misleading)
tests on a known-good, plain-old silicon diode?
> From: jpero(a)cgocable.net
<jpero(a)cgocable.net>
> ...
> says "good" but I know it's very low current also low voltage so that
> would usually not screen out sick diodes.
The current and voltage for the resistance ranges are probably much
lower, which is why the readings are so useless. (Repeat previous rant
here.)
That why I used resistance ranges just to be sure.
This must be some new meaning of "sure".
There are some subtle defects possible in a diode which will not be
revealed by the "diode" test on a multimeter, but that's almost
certainly the best test offered by the meter.
Wizard
Apparently a misnomer.
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