Read the full blog post here: http://www.thediyworld.com/blog/?p=1610
I had a blocking diode fail on me a few days back. It was the diode between the wind turbine and my battery bank. This diode actually became a zero resistance two way conductor and drained my battery bank through the DC wind turbine.
A diode is like a one way valve. It allows electricity to flow in one direction but blocks it from flowing in the other direction.
When a diode fails it can sometime short right out and conduct electricity in both directions. This is what happened to mine.
There is a silver band on a diode. This is the negative side. The other end is the positive side. So if you want power to flow from your wind turbine like mine, for example, then you would have the positive wire form the wind turbine connected to the positive side of the diode. Then the negative side of the diode on the battery bank plus terminal.
You can test a diode with a multimeter set on Ohms scale. Using the meter on a medium Ohms setting simple connect the test leads to the diode. Either way, it is not important for this test.
In one direction you will measure some resistance. In the other direction the flow of electricity will be blocked and you will measure infinite resistance.
When a diode blows out like mine did, you will have energy being conducted in both directions. My blown diode actually shows zero resistance in both directions. This is quite surprising. It is no wonder my battery bank was drained through the wind turbine.
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Good
Good sir
Chines diode, Chinese harbor freight multimeter and insert The Norm Show theme song here.
Oh by the way, it’s called Turbine. Not Turban. Turban is what you put on your head.
Do they have to be out of the circuit board?
get a better meter and after teach others
Thanks for this video. As a beginner to electronics this provided a great explanation especially the polarity of these diodes and how to test them. It's exactly what I needed.
Can tell me the name of the kit please?
What is the name of the kit? Thanks
Can i tell me what do i need… my new car bumper doesn’t have fog lights i removed bulbs but i get error on dash, what sort of drainer or smth that can make the car ecu theres a bulb ? Thanks
he'll dear ..
pleas put your what's up No
Hi, how can we know if blocking diode is present in the solar panel just by looking at it? I am layman. I have been given a task to identify whether a blocking diode is present in the solar panel or its part.
Is there a possibility that your heat shrink tubing process used enough heat to kill the diode? Others have already mentioned the use of heat sinks when soldering. I did not notice if you said the diode failed right away or if it did serve for a period of time before failing. Good video, otherwise, though.
Use more of those in series so that if one fails the others will back it up and your circuit will keep working
never say cannot..say should not, lol..I've done industrial electrical maintenance 45 years..never saw this happen, lol
Why not just use a small charge controller like used for solar panels?
Thanks Troy of the past. That was very helpful.
which type of diode do i get meaning do i get the solar panel rated diode or battery rated diode
how do i know what kind of one way doide to use when it up to 3 amps and up to 18 volt from the solar panel???
Thank you. I want to set up 12v battery charging. Pedal/wind/water/solar whichever I find suitable. Where can I find info on 12v permanent magnet motor to size of diode I'd need to put in loop? I understand split charge from car. Thanks I'm fresh to this.
I don't think you need a blocking diode if you have a good charger/controller. I have 300 watts of solar panels and a decent controller that doesn't seem to be draining my battery bank at night. But then, I have another solar setting with just one small solar panel and a cheap controller I bought for $10. And that one drains battery at night all the way down to 10 volts. I definitely need a blocking diode for this one.
When your checking OHMs its a good idea to keep your body out of the circuit…don't put your thumbs and fingers on both leads or conductors.Also all diodes build some heat since they all dissipate some current while passing current for this reason you should never use heat shrink around the diode or leads as it is a very good thermal insulator.
Most diodes used in a DC blocking scenario are mounted in a heat sink to help the diode dissipate the heat.
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It was not the voltage that killed the diode it was the 25amps you said you had 25 x 15v would be 375 watt and that diode is maybe rated for 10amps
good one. was useful for me.
now, how can you prevent this diode from failing?
Ok so i have a question i have a 12V DC Motor on an actuator that extends pushing the load with no issues but when it retracts it seems like the (Push) from the load is somewhat making the DC motor Generate electricity and backed into it's controller box causing weird noises and also causing the motor to Slow down. would a blocking diode fix this? and how do i wire one in?
I actually paid quite a few dollars for it….. aka $2
yes it helped me for sure
On that specific tester there is a diode symbol that you would check a diode with! It will tell you if a diode will back feed! I actually bought the same one then upgraded to one with a buzzer that will identify shorts in the diode function, works great on electronics repair! It was only $10!
Great vid Troy.
Hi Troy I just purchased a 1000 volt 50 amp (with a 400 Amp Peak Spike) bridge rectifier, that I am going to use just one of the diode sections of as a blocking diode on my home made wind turbine. It was a cheap one from E-Bay but I am 100% sure it will survive longer than that small blocking diode you have there. It was about $4 on E-Bay. worth thinking about for your one as well. It also has an aluminum case so it can be bolted to a heat sink or metal framework somewhere. 🙂 cant wait to see the results with your wind turbine running again, as it was looking promising before the diode shorted out 🙂
Is there anything that you could hook up to that diode that if it failed again it would turn on a light or make a beeping noise so you could catch it before drains the battery