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2 parts are printed XM.

2 parts are printed XM

Not sure which one you have?

Answer up to 4 quick questions and these 2 parts are ranked, with a meter test that settles it. It works on a dead part too.

  • SMAJ15CASMATVS diode, Vishay
    What it is
    TVS diode
    Maker
    Vishay
    Package
    SMA
    Pins
    2
    Details
    400 W TVS diode, bidirectional
    Source
    From the manufacturer's datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range, from the protected line to ground, part lifted if you can.

    Working, it reads

    A one-way part reads about 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse. A two-way part reads open both ways. Arrays with several lines read as the datasheet's diagram draws them.

    Dead, it reads

    • From the line to ground, the same reading both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep: shorted.
    • A reading both ways on a one-way part: leaky.
    • A one-way part open both ways: failed open.
    On the board:
    On the board, a line reading shorted to ground can be this part or anything else on that line. Lift it: if the short goes with it, it has failed.
    Compare:
    The same part on the next line or connector pin is the healthy reading to compare with.
    Watch for:
    A two-way part reads open both ways when it is good, exactly like one that has failed open. The meter cannot tell them apart; an identical part on the next line can.

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

    Datasheetfor SMAJ15CA, opens in a new tab
  • 1 more part has no package on record
    • BCR583Digital transistor (resistors built in), Infineon
      What it is
      Digital transistor (resistors built in)
      Maker
      Infineon
      Package
      Not recorded
      Pins
      Not recorded
      Source
      From the manufacturer's datasheet

      Is it dead?

      Ohms range, part lifted. The datasheet gives the built-in resistors: R1 in series with the base, R2 from base to emitter.

      Working, it reads

      Base to emitter reads about R1 plus R2 either way round, about 20 kΩ on a 10 k and 10 k part, give or take their wide tolerance. Collector to emitter reads open. A part with no R2 reads a junction behind R1 one way instead.

      Dead, it reads

      • Collector to emitter the same both ways, near 0 Ω with a continuous beep: shorted.
      • From the base, open or far above R1 plus R2: R1 has failed. Static damage shows here most often.
      • Base to emitter near 0 Ω: failed short.
      On the board:
      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:
      The readings depend on the resistor values, so an identical part elsewhere on the board is the surest reference. Measure it the same way.
      Watch for:
      On the diode range a good part with 10 kΩ resistors reads open on every pair, so a good part looks dead there. Use the ohms range.

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

      Datasheetfor BCR583, opens in a new tab

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.