CH> I think what we have is a terminology difference, not an "electrical"
CH> one.  To you, the drop across the diode is fine.  To me, it's
CH> something I'd like to find a better way to do.  Nothing mutually
CH> exclusive there!
AC>  That word of yours "drop" annoys me. It ain't a drop, it is an
AC> opposing emf. I baulk at the impression that the diode is
AC> wasting energy, as would an "ohmic" ie resistive device. Getting
AC> hot!
AC>  It is behaving instead, as a bucking ie subtractive voltage,
AC> and stays cool with it. Being an HVAC grid man I am VERY
AC> conscious of the fact that voltage is a number not a figure of
AC> merit. Many HV lines deliver scads of MW into loads, where the
AC> load V often exceeds the sending V. That is, the  voltage rises
AC> down the line. This has NOTHING to do with solar panels, except
AC> to compel a bit of lateral thinking and willingness to
AC> comprehend the seemingly ridiculous!
 It acts like an ohmic voltage drop. It stays a relatively
constant voltage drop; but, a drop none the less.
 If this were not so, diodes would not get hot (which they
do).
 How are Zener diode wattages computed? Voltage drop times
current flowing through them. (And they can get hot)
 Try running 1 ampere through a 1 ampere diode and see how
hot it gets.
 This may be somewhat off topic; but, I feel that people
would want to know that the diode causes a small loss.
 A Schottky diode can have half the voltage drop of a
"typical" silicon diode and waste half as much power.
 TTYL.
 Robert
 * SLMR 2.1a * I'm a victim of PMS ....... My wife's!
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