Is this a diode?

[reel-to-reel-man]

Hello, I am fixing a power supply for an Amiga hard drive side car called the GVP A530, the PSU is dead and so far I have replaced 1 bridge, 3 caps, and a power transistor. Last night I discovered two short circuit components, a 20V Zener and this thing now I think it's a diode but I can't find anything on the numbers, it has 52 in bold then 326 but it could be 326 52, either way I can't find any info, I want to be sure what it is as I don't want to kill the item I am fixing and the Zener I found did look a lot like a standard diode too.

Please can someone help?

[Diabolical Artificer]

Looks like a diode, have you checked in on your DMM ? It should read about .5 if its a normal diode. If its a zener it could be 32v or 2.6v, though it looks to big for a low voltage/ current diode.

Andy.

[reel-to-reel-man]

Thanks, its S/C so cant read it but going to look into the board and see if there are more than one, however, I now thing the last number isn't a 6 but a B, Google 5253B and you get 1N5253B - 5.6V 500mW Zener Diode

[Radio Wrangler]

There is little heat dissipation from the glass case, so the main cooling path for glass bodied diodes like this is via the leads. The fat leads on this one suggest it is a more powerful device than the usual 1N914 sort of small signal diode.

You probably need to trace out some of the circuit around it to be able to work out what it does and therefore what it is.

David

[fetteler]

Originally Posted by reel-to-reel-man

Thanks, its S/C so cant read it but going to look into the board and see if there are more than one, however, I now thing the last number isn't a 6 but a B, Google 5253B and you get 1N5253B - 5.6V 500mW Zener Diode

Sounds about right to me, since the orig has failed short and so done about as much damage as can be done by conducting both ways, why not rebuild with a zener and see what happens? Using a zener first may be less harmful than going ahead with a straight diode as whatever circuit element is supposed to be controlled by the (hypothetical) zenner will not be held to 5.6 volts and will reach a much higher voltage with a regular diode.
Just a thought...

Steve.

[reel-to-reel-man]

Cheers for the feedback, yes I agree, if it was S/C there's no damage a 5.6V Zener is going to do, the component was on a board which sits in between the mains and the power transistors which makes me think its a regulator board, once it arrived with the second known Zener and I replace a few caps i will be crossing my fingers and toes hoping it will work but there a strong chance there will be something else dead


SMPS's very rare 1 component goes, seems they like to rip themselves apart.

[fetteler]

Originally Posted by reel-to-reel-man

SMPS's very rare 1 component goes, seems they like to rip themselves apart.

Oh yes indeed! It's like a line of dominoes going down

I've got my fingers crossed for you too, don't fret though, you'll get there in the end

Steve.