No a zener isn't the same as a diode, if you really want to add one, try either a 15V or 18V 1.3W zener.
Sorry nigel, my brain was working faster than my fingers when i typed the title, i meant to say the same as a 'shunt diode'
Bill, how would I use a choke for this circuit?
I need to get this stable as its the power feed my ECU, so I dont want it dying, frying, or any other nasty sounding nouns.
On a side not, how can i eliminate fuses from my Kit Car, I want to use some kind of circuit that detects a short, or possibly other problems on the powerline and disables the power to the load.
I want it to be a very modern car, with loads of modern toys.
Im thinking that it could mabey disconnect the the load, then check every so often to see if the problem is still there. If the problem is gone then restore power - if not wait a bit (until mabey 5 repeats, that make human interaction needed to reset)
is this doable - i dont mind if i need a uP in the circuit as there will be one there anyway.
Let me know if you think this should be a seperate thread - but they are bother power circuits.