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Solid State Amplifiers => The Newcomer's Forum => Topic started by: saturated on April 24, 2025, 10:48:08 PM

Title: Stuff that blew my mind
Post by: saturated on April 24, 2025, 10:48:08 PM
A zener diode can act like a normal diode when it is forward biased

IMG_20250424_214340228.jpg

 xP

Seems kinda obvious now that I think about it.

 :grr  :lmao:
Title: Re: Stuff that blew my mind
Post by: g1 on April 26, 2025, 11:20:31 AM
The 'original' zener was just a defective regular diode.  Someone very smart realized it could be controlled and utilized.  Like a lot of discoveries, I guess. 
Always analyze your mistakes.  ;)
Title: Re: Stuff that blew my mind
Post by: saturated on April 26, 2025, 01:15:50 PM
Thanks guys
I'm gonna use this thread to post stuff that I was surprised to learn.

Like how a dc power supply is a ground to ac.

 xP
Title: Re: Stuff that blew my mind
Post by: J M Fahey on April 27, 2025, 01:00:24 AM
Quote from: g1 on April 26, 2025, 11:20:31 AMThe 'original' zener was just a defective regular diode.  Someone very smart realized it could be controlled and utilized.  Like a lot of discoveries, I guess. 
Always analyze your mistakes.  ;)
Hey, Penicillin came out of moldy bread  :o

First Vaccin (smallpox) came out of a rural Doctor noticing that girls milking cows caught a "light" version of Smallpox, including (small) scars, but never ever got the "real" one.

Observation and deduction is everything.

May remember wrong, but Zeners came out of WAY overdoped regular diodes.
Title: Re: Stuff that blew my mind
Post by: saturated on September 12, 2025, 01:06:39 PM
Something else I found to be interesting  :tu:

Working out of one of my old books

Look at this diagram

IMG_20250912_115300421 (1).jpg

They said the voltage at the base and emitter were the same.  :grr


Then pointed out the ratio of each voltage divider being....the same  xP

Which...some simple math would have pointed out.


 :trouble
Title: Re: Stuff that blew my mind
Post by: g1 on September 15, 2025, 10:30:07 AM
That seems a bit of over simplification as there are still parallel paths through the transistor.
They may have found them to be insignificant in this example, but I think they should have at least mentioned them being possible factors.
Title: Re: Stuff that blew my mind
Post by: Tassieviking on September 15, 2025, 03:35:16 PM
I find it fascinating that Saturated has decided to self learn all the theory the hard way, I am very impressed that he is sticking to it the way he is, it would be hard for most people with no teacher to explain what is going on.
Great work saturated, keep it up and keep surprising us with your progress.

Cheers
Mick
Title: Re: Stuff that blew my mind
Post by: saturated on September 15, 2025, 04:46:36 PM
Thanks that's very kind and means a lot to me  :dbtu: but it's you guy's help that keeps me going and for that I'm always grateful so I try to tread lightly and not muck up the heavy lifting that takes place here.   xP