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SMD code search: identify a part by its marking

4 parts are printed T3BA. 13 printed with a similar-looking code.

4 parts are printed T3BA

Not sure which one you have?

Answer up to 4 quick questions and these 4 parts are ranked, with a meter test that settles it. It works on a dead part too.

LDO regulator, 5 pins. What differs:

  • FC6209A31AMSOT-23-5First SilionSOT-23-5First Silion
    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    First Silion
    Package
    SOT-23-5
    Pins
    5
    Details
    Linear voltage regulator IC: LDO, 3.15V±2%, 150mA, +CE, PDR
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.

    Working, it reads

    Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.

    Dead, it reads

    • Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
    • Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
    • Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
    On the board:
    An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
    Compare:
    The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
    Watch for:
    Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • FC6209A31APSOT-89-5First SilionSOT-89-5First Silion
    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    First Silion
    Package
    SOT-89-5
    Pins
    5
    Details
    Linear voltage regulator IC: LDO, 3.15V±2%, 150mA, +CE, PDR
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.

    Working, it reads

    Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.

    Dead, it reads

    • Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
    • Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
    • Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
    On the board:
    An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
    Compare:
    The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
    Watch for:
    Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • ML6209A31AMSOT-23-5MiniLogic DeviceSOT-23-5MiniLogic Device
    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    MiniLogic Device
    Package
    SOT-23-5
    Pins
    5
    Details
    Linear voltage regulator IC: LDO, 3.15V±2%, 150mA, +CE, PDR
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.

    Working, it reads

    Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.

    Dead, it reads

    • Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
    • Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
    • Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
    On the board:
    An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
    Compare:
    The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
    Watch for:
    Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • ML6209A31APSOT-89-5MiniLogic DeviceSOT-89-5MiniLogic Device
    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    MiniLogic Device
    Package
    SOT-89-5
    Pins
    5
    Details
    Linear voltage regulator IC: LDO, 3.15V±2%, 150mA, +CE, PDR
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.

    Working, it reads

    Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.

    Dead, it reads

    • Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
    • Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
    • Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
    On the board:
    An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
    Compare:
    The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
    Watch for:
    Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

13 more parts are printed with a code easy to misread as T3BA

Printed with a code easy to misread

One character differs, and it is one that is easy to confuse under a lamp. The odd one out is marked on each.

  • 1SMA4738printed 738ASMAZener diode, 2 pins, Taiwan SemiconductorZener diodeSMA2 pinsTaiwan Semiconductor

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    Taiwan Semiconductor
    Package
    SMA
    Pins
    2
    Source
    Manufacturer datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • 1SMA4738Aprinted 738ASMAZener diode, 2 pins, HXYZener diodeSMA2 pinsHXY

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    HXY
    Package
    SMA
    Pins
    2
    Details
    Zener diode, VZ 8.2 V, 1 W
    Source
    Manufacturer datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • 1SMA4738Hprinted 738ASMAZener diode, 2 pins, Taiwan SemiconductorZener diodeSMA2 pinsTaiwan Semiconductor

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    Taiwan Semiconductor
    Package
    SMA
    Pins
    2
    Source
    Manufacturer datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • 1SMAF4738Aprinted 738ASMAFZener diode, 2 pins, YFWZener diodeSMAF2 pinsYFW

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    YFW
    Package
    SMAF
    Pins
    2
    Source
    Manufacturer datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • 1SMAF4738A-HFprinted 738ASMAFZener diode, 2 pins, ComchipZener diodeSMAF2 pinsComchip

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    Comchip
    Package
    SMAF
    Pins
    2
    Details
    8.2 V 1 mW zener diode
    Source
    Manufacturer datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • SMA4738Aprinted 738ASMAZener diode, 2 pins, LeiditechZener diodeSMA2 pinsLeiditech

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    Leiditech
    Package
    SMA
    Pins
    2
    Details
    Zener diode, VZ 8.2 V, 1000 mW
    Source
    Manufacturer datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • ZS4738A-AFprinted 738ASMAFZener diode, 2 pins, Formosa MicrosemiZener diodeSMAF2 pinsFormosa Microsemi

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    Formosa Microsemi
    Package
    SMAF
    Pins
    2
    Source
    Manufacturer datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • FC6209A382Mprinted T38ASOT-23-5LDO regulator, 5 pins, First SilionLDO regulatorSOT-23-55 pinsFirst Silion

    Printed T38A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    First Silion
    Package
    SOT-23-5
    Pins
    5
    Details
    Linear voltage regulator IC: LDO, 3.8V±2%, 150mA, +CE, PDR
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.

    Working, it reads

    Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.

    Dead, it reads

    • Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
    • Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
    • Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
    On the board:
    An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
    Compare:
    The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
    Watch for:
    Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • FC6209A382Pprinted T38ASOT-89-5LDO regulator, 5 pins, First SilionLDO regulatorSOT-89-55 pinsFirst Silion

    Printed T38A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    First Silion
    Package
    SOT-89-5
    Pins
    5
    Details
    Linear voltage regulator IC: LDO, 3.8V±2%, 150mA, +CE, PDR
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.

    Working, it reads

    Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.

    Dead, it reads

    • Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
    • Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
    • Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
    On the board:
    An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
    Compare:
    The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
    Watch for:
    Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • ML6209A382Mprinted T38ASOT-23-5LDO regulator, 5 pins, MiniLogic DeviceLDO regulatorSOT-23-55 pinsMiniLogic Device

    Printed T38A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    MiniLogic Device
    Package
    SOT-23-5
    Pins
    5
    Details
    Linear voltage regulator IC: LDO, 3.8V±2%, 150mA, +CE, PDR
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.

    Working, it reads

    Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.

    Dead, it reads

    • Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
    • Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
    • Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
    On the board:
    An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
    Compare:
    The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
    Watch for:
    Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • ML6209A382Pprinted T38ASOT-89-5LDO regulator, 5 pins, MiniLogic DeviceLDO regulatorSOT-89-55 pinsMiniLogic Device

    Printed T38A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    MiniLogic Device
    Package
    SOT-89-5
    Pins
    5
    Details
    Linear voltage regulator IC: LDO, 3.8V±2%, 150mA, +CE, PDR
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.

    Working, it reads

    Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.

    Dead, it reads

    • Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
    • Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
    • Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
    On the board:
    An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
    Compare:
    The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
    Watch for:
    Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • SMAJ4738Aprinted 738ASMAZener diode, 2 pins, Micro Commercial ComponentsZener diodeSMA2 pinsMicro Commercial Components

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    Micro Commercial Components
    Package
    SMA
    Pins
    2
    Details
    Zener diode: 8.2V±5%, Izt=31mA, Zzt=4.5, 1W
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

  • SMF4738Aprinted 738ASOD-123FZener diode, 2 pins, High diode SemiconductorZener diodeSOD-123F2 pinsHigh diode Semiconductor

    Printed 738A on the part. Easy to misread as T3BA. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    Zener diode
    Maker
    High diode Semiconductor
    Package
    SOD-123F
    Pins
    2
    Source
    Published code list

    Is it dead?

    Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.

    Working, it reads

    About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.

    Dead, it reads

    • The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
    • Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
    • Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
    • A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
    On the board
    this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.

    A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.

Did you find your part?

One code, several parts

Marking codes are not unique. In the standard code book, 6H on a SOT-23 is an NPN transistor, a varicap, an N-channel JFET, two digital transistors, a 3.6 V voltage detector: six parts from five makers. So a search shows the parts we hold under that code and under codes easily misread as it, with only the columns that tell them apart.

6Hon a SOT-23, in the code book
  • NPN transistor
  • Varicap
  • N-channel JFET
  • Digital transistor ×2
  • 3.6 V voltage detector

When more than one is left

Tap Help me choose. Up to 4 quick answers: whether the part has failed, then what separates the parts left. Those get ranked with the reasoning and a test that settles it. That uses one identification: 2 a month are free without an account, and 3 with a free account.

When you cannot read it

Tap the camera in the field. We read the characters, keep the ones we are unsure of, and search every reading. A photo too soft to read is turned back on your phone first; if it is the only one you can get, you can still send it.

Get the app

The same search on your phone, and a camera with a light, zoom and tap to focus for a marking you cannot read. Sign in with your email address to use the same account.

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