Another diode question

[kristoffereide]

Hi
I searched the forum for this but the posts were old and the links were dead so I ask again:D

When required upon using a specific diode ex.1n4002, to I have to use that exact one?

What I remember from school (long time ago) is that diodes whatever kind, do the same job.
I understand that there are characteristic dif's, but the circuit will still work right?

Are there some articles on this, or a yes/no answer?

[nelson]

Hi
I searched the forum for this but the posts were old and the links were dead so I ask again:D

When required upon using a specific diode ex.1n4002, to I have to use that exact one?

What I remember from school (long time ago) is that diodes whatever kind, do the same job.
I understand that there are characteristic dif's, but the circuit will still work right?

Are there some articles on this, or a yes/no answer?

The simple answer is that it depends, sometimes.

If you're more specific with where the diode(s) is(are) in the circuit, maybe I could be more specific.

[kristoffereide]

I'm sorry, the question was "in general".

[bipedal]

No 'in general' Yes/No answer to this one.  Depends on what purpose the diode plays in the circuit.

For example, if the diode is being used for clipping, you'll have some flexibility and things will likely still work fine with a different diode  -- for example, the pair of 1n914s in a Tube Screamer could be substituted with a pair of similar Si diodes and you'd probably get a similar sound, or with different types of diodes (like Ge) for a different flavor of clipping.

Sometimes diodes are used for a different purpose in the circuit, and those you may have less flexibility -- like the 1n400x series are rectifier diodes, I believe (though they can be used as clipping diodes).  I don't know enough about how interchangeable those when being used for non-clipping purposes, so I'll leave others to expand...

- Jay

P.S. there's this on the wiki.

[nelson]

No 'in general' Yes/No answer to this one.  Depends on what purpose the diode plays in the circuit.

For example, if the diode is being used for clipping, you'll have some flexibility and things will likely still work fine with a different diode  -- for example, the pair of 1n914s in a Tube Screamer could be substituted with a pair of similar Si diodes and you'd probably get a similar sound, or with different types of diodes (like Ge) for a different flavor of clipping.

Sometimes diodes are used for a different purpose in the circuit, and those you may have less flexibility -- like the 1n400x series are rectifier diodes, I believe (though they can be used as clipping diodes).  I don't know enough about how interchangeable those when being used for non-clipping purposes, so I'll leave others to expand...

- Jay

P.S. there's this on the wiki.

In effects pedals 1N400x are generally used as reverse polarity protection. In that case you could swap it with another diode like the 1N4148 (not an LED) as long as the circuit doesn't exceed the chosen diodes power rating. Of course, zener diodes are a diff story, as are a multitude of other types of diode.

So, it depends, sometimes.

[kristoffereide]

thank you!