Cracked Diode - Ruined?

[orbiterred]

Hi All, first post here.

I'm building my first kit (Squarewave from Musikding) and upon preparing to put my first diode in place, when I bent the lead a small piece of "plastic" from the diode broke off. Is it cooked? should I even bother putting it in?

Thanks in advance!

[idy]

The glass ones are fragile, but plastic? I would test it. If you don't have a multimeter with diode or continuity test, you could use your LED (and its current limiting resistor) to test it. It should conduct in one direction and not in the other.

[Fancy Lime]

Hi there and welcome to the nuthouse!

Do you know the part number of the diode? That may help deciding if it is glass or plastic. A photo may also help us help you. If you have a multimeter with a diode test function, you can obviously test it but depending on the test conditions (especially current, which is normally very low in a multimeter but may be high in the actual circuit), this may or may not tell you all you need to know.

Cheers,
Andy

[idy]

Welcome and quite right, depends what you are using it for. If it's just a clipper in a overdrive, doesn't maybe even matter! It is a zener providing a  voltage for some sensitive application....you need part number and etc.

[Rob Strand]

From what I can make out, assuming I've got the right pedal:  there are four diodes used for clipping at the output.  The diodes are wired two in series then the two sets of two are wired in parallel.

The continuity/diode check would be the best this to do.   Running with an open diode might not be so good.  You could short out the broken one.  That will work and probably sound OK but then the pedal won't be what it supposed to be.  If you just put it in and it's broken the pedal won't be what it supposed to be either.  A continuity/diode test is the only way you can be sure it's working.

[eh la bas ma]

sorry to intrude, I have the same situation with a ge diode. Glass is brocken near the negative side but the diode test reads 0.320 v.

Can i still use it  ?

[Rob Strand]

If it measures OK it should perform 100% OK.  It's possible severe damage could work today and fail tomorrow.

[idy]

Please as link to the pedal. I don't see anything under "squarewave."

[Jdansti]

Just a note about avoiding breakage.  Before bending leads, grab the lead near the component (or wherever you want the bend) with a pair of skinny needle nose pliers or a hemostat, and use your finger or another pair of pliers to make the bend. This will protect the component from damage.  If you want to get fancy, there are lead bending jigs available online.

[Rob Strand]

Just a note about avoiding breakage.  Before bending leads, grab the lead near the component (or wherever you want the bend) with a pair of skinny needle nose pliers or a hemostat, and use your finger or another pair of pliers to make the bend. This will protect the component from damage.  If you want to get fancy, there are lead bending jigs available online.

The other way to say it is use the pliers to hold the part end and then bend the free end of the lead.