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Re: [Amps] Zener Diodes

To: amps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Amps] Zener Diodes
From: Manfred Mornhinweg <manfred@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 29 May 2017 00:42:51 +0000
List-post: <mailto:amps@contesting.com>
Ron,

   The TIP120 and TIP125 will each dissipate 65 Watts if properly heat
sunk

Their rating is 65W as long as you keep their mounting surface below 25°C. In practice that's usually impossible, so their practical power dissipation capability is significantly lower. That's why I looked at transistors with a higher power rating.

On the other hand, if the application is cathode bias of an amplifier, and just calls for around 1A at 8V, so 8W, the power rating of those transistors is plenty, of course.

and they are Darlington type with a dc gain of approaching 1,000.

Yes, and being Darlington means that they have a higher and much more variable base-emitter drop. That's why I try to avoid Darlingtons in such super-zener circuits. Their voltage stability is less good than that achieved with a non-Darlington transistor.

Again, in this application probably even with a Darlington the resulting stability is good enough. But a non-Darlington transistor in this circuit makes for a more accurate Zener replacement.

Manfred

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