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WhatSMDSign in

SMD marking

NTin SOT-23

Marking codes are not standardised, and the same code is reused by unrelated makers for unrelated parts. Below is every part in our tables printed with it, and any printed with a code that is easy to misread as it, from the manufacturers' own marking tables.

2 parts are printed NT

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.

  • MMDTD141SOT-23Digital transistor (resistors built in), 3 pins, Diotec
    What it is
    Digital transistor (resistors built in)
    Maker
    Diotec
    Package
    SOT-23
    Pins
    3
    Details
    SMD Digital NPN Transistors
    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 MMDTD141, opens in a new tab
  • 1 more part has no package on record. Nothing rules them out, so they stay.
    • SMBG78ATVS diode, Vishay
      What it is
      TVS diode
      Maker
      Vishay
      Package
      Not recorded
      Pins
      Not recorded
      Details
      600 W TVS diode, unidirectional
      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 SMBG78A, opens in a new tab
2 more parts are printed with a code easy to misread as NT

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.

  • DMN1019USNprinted N7SOT-23N-channel MOSFET, 3 pins, Diodes Incorporated

    Printed N7 on the part. Easy to misread as NT. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

    What it is
    N-channel MOSFET
    Maker
    Diodes Incorporated
    Package
    SOT-23
    Pins
    3
    Details
    12 V N-channel enhancement mode MOSFET
    Source
    From the manufacturer's datasheet

    Is it dead?

    Diode range, part lifted. Test drain to source first, then short gate to source and test again.

    Working, it reads

    Red probe on the source, black on the drain: about 0.4 to 0.9 V, the body diode. Open the other way. The gate reads open to both other pins, both ways.

    Dead, it reads

    • Drain to source the same both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep, and still so after shorting gate to source: shorted. The classic failure.
    • The gate reads low to source or drain: gate shorted. Often all three pins end up shorted together.
    • No body diode at all: failed open.
    On the board:
    On the board the gate usually has a resistor to the source, so gate to source reads that resistor, which is not a fault. A drain short can be the load. Lift a leg to be sure.
    Compare:
    If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
    Watch for:
    The diode range can charge the gate enough to turn the part on, and then drain to source reads near 0 both ways on a good part. Short gate to source and test again before you condemn it.

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

    Datasheetfor DMN1019USN, opens in a new tab
  • 1 more part has no package on record. Nothing rules them out, so they stay.
    • TLV70718APDQNprinted N7LDO regulator, 4 pins, Texas Instruments

      Printed N7 on the part. Easy to misread as NT. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.

      What it is
      LDO regulator
      Maker
      Texas Instruments
      Package
      Not recorded
      Pins
      4
      Details
      200-mA, Low-IQ, Low-Noise, Low-Dropout Regulator for Portable Devices
      Source
      From the manufacturer's datasheet

      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.

      Datasheetfor TLV70718APDQN, opens in a new tab

Open this in the search to correct a character or try another package.