Value of compressor clutch flyback diode

['68OrangeSunshine]

Diode and Rectifier were pretty much considered synonymous in common usage in those days.

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Shoot me if I'm wrong -- I took Basic Electricity & Electronics at NAS Memphis 47 years ago -- but the silver stripe indicates the Positive side of the Diode's polarity.


--Strike That -- dmjlambert says it's the Negative.
I Stand Corrected.

I have always looked at it like this: The point of the arrow on a diode is the direction where you want to power to go. The band stops it from coming back.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by MARKDTN

I have always looked at it like this: The point of the arrow on a diode is the direction where you want to power to go. The band stops it from coming back.

I didn't have the whole picture. Also I drank a lot at the E-Club in those days.

[Rich72C10]

I think, the more amperage the diode can handle the longer / less likely it will get blown. say for a unusual spike. Since it has to be "beefer" to handle more current (amperage) it cost more. To us, replacing one isn't a big deal (though I'd be surprised if you could just buy one). But for GM, that fraction of cost more could have made them use smaller/larger as time went by - if in fact the values were changed. Or if they went up in amperage they found the diode needed to be beefer to be more bullet proof.

Or that is my take little solid state parts - when if comes to amperage difference alone.

I used to do some side work in East Texas and kept a dirt track's time lap board working. It was a pretty simple board where the lights were (more or less) 120v 100 watt light bulbs. The darn transistors were always blowing and when enough died I was called out before race night to repair it on the spot.

My dad helped me at the beginning and told me the transistors were way underpowered and I needed to go "x" to handle a better load and not be so prone to spikes (the whole setup/building could have used better grounding too) - he actually had a crap ton of them on his peg board. I said, then I'll not have easy money anymore and free race night! Perhaps a bit dishonest but I wasn't the one that designed the thing - I replaced it with what the manufacturer called out in the schematic. On a happy note, my last repair I replaced them all with what my dad suggest as I was moving to Austin. I slammed a proper copper ground rod off the garage for a proper direct ground. Far as I know, that thing never died again.

Though my point is, don't sweat the 1N400X value. Granted I suppose you could go to big and somehow blow up something up with a crazy big spike but I could not image that happening with this diode - plus that is what a fuse is for - not a diode.