ParkingLotLust
Member
Awhile ago I was talking about a way to drop 12v @ 1.5A to ~10v using the fewest possible components. I decided on diodes, specifically 1N4002's (I had a pack of 100 kicking around). I hooked up 3 in parallel, then those 3 with another 3 in series, than those 6 in series with another 3 to form a 3x3 array kinda deal. Here's a better visual:
**broken link removed**
Basically, my logic was that three diodes in series would drop (.6v * 3) = ~1.8v and since each one can carry a maximum of 1A, in parallel that would give me 3A of current-handling. However, when I hook up my LED board, which draws a little under 1.5A, the diodes get hot. Im not sure how hot they should get, but I didnt expect them to get hot at all. Am I missing something?
**broken link removed**
Basically, my logic was that three diodes in series would drop (.6v * 3) = ~1.8v and since each one can carry a maximum of 1A, in parallel that would give me 3A of current-handling. However, when I hook up my LED board, which draws a little under 1.5A, the diodes get hot. Im not sure how hot they should get, but I didnt expect them to get hot at all. Am I missing something?