What Does an Electronic Component’s Name Means?

When you are arranging a circuit board to make a certain electronic devices or to repair a damaged board, you certainly have to know every electronic component that is mounted or etched on it. There are various electronic components that can be placed on a circuit board and each of those components has a specific name based on JEDEC (Joint Electron Devices Engineering Council) nomenclature. Each named component has specific characteristics. If you buy a 2N2222 bipolar junction transistor, for example, you are referring to a metal-canned transistor that has a maximum of 625 miliwatts of power dissipation and a maximum of 60 volts of voltage rating. Of course this nomenclature system is established because a specific type of electronic component has many variants. The aforementioned bipolar junction transistor, for example, has an almost similar duplicate called PN2222, whose only difference from this transistor is that PN2222 uses plastic can instead of metal can. If you want to buy a certain electronic component to be mounted on your circuit board, make sure you know the name of the component that you want to buy.

Among many electronic components that you can buy from any electronic stores, either local or online, signal diode is possibly one of components that have the most variants. The primary function of such signal diodes as 1N4148 diode is to force electricity to flow to only one direction. Signal diodes are made from such semiconductors as germanium and silicone. Semiconductors are materials that neither allow electricity to flow as effectively as it does on conductors nor resist electricity as strongly as insulators do. Diode is made from semiconductor so that it can resist electricity to flow alternatively in two directions and at the same time allow electricity to flow in one direction. Signal diode has many uses, one of which is to emit light when current flows through it. A variant of diode that is used for this function is called LED.

Just like other named electronic components, a signal diode with a specific name also has specific characteristics. BAV99 signal diode, for example, is one whose maximum repetitive reverse voltage is 70 volts, average rectified forward current is 200 mA, storage temperature range is between -55 to 150 degree Celsius, and operating junction temperature range is the same with that of its storage temperature. Make sure you define the name of signal diode that you want to buy so that you don’t choose the wrong item.