A diode lets current through in one direction and blocks it in the other, which is how a power supply turns AC into DC and how a circuit survives a battery connected the wrong way round. This kit holds 200 through-hole diodes in 8 types, so the common rectifier, Schottky, fast recovery and signal parts are already on the bench when a repair or a project needs one. The 1N4007 and 1N4148 get used the most, so they come 70 each, and the other six types come 10 each.
Use them to build a small DC supply, add reverse polarity protection to a 12V project, fit a flyback diode across a relay coil or motor, clamp a signal on an Arduino input, or replace a failed diode on a power supply board. Every diode is axial with long leads, so it plugs straight into a breadboard, bends to fit 0.1 inch protoboard, or solders into a PCB. The part number is printed on each body, so a loose diode can always be identified again. If you go through 1N4007s quickly, we also sell them in packs of 1N4007 rectifier diodes.
Specifications
Datasheets
What's in the box
Wiring & getting started
- Find the band
The painted or silver band is the cathode end. Current flows from the plain end (anode) towards the band, so on a schematic the band matches the bar on the diode symbol.
- Pick the type for the job
For a mains transformer supply or general protection at 1A, use the 1N4007, or the 1N5399 or 1N5408 for 1.5A and 3A. Below 40V, where you want the smallest voltage loss (battery and solar circuits, reverse polarity protection on a 5V or 12V project), use the 1N5819 or the 3A 1N5822. Across a relay coil or a small DC motor, a 1N4007 with its band towards the positive supply does the job. In switching supplies, use the FR107 or FR207. For signals and logic, use the small glass 1N4148.
- Check it with a multimeter
Set the meter to diode test, put the red probe on the plain end and the black probe on the band. A 1N4007, 1N4148 or fast recovery diode reads about 0.5 to 0.7V, and a Schottky reads about 0.2 to 0.4V. Swap the probes and it should read OL. If it reads OL both ways or near 0V both ways, that diode is faulty, so set it aside.
