I'm trying to order a few items to experiment with on a breadboard. I don't know much about component nomenclature. But I found the below diode in price range that was easy.

Basically I just want to plug a diode into a circuit with an AC low 12 voltage supply and see how it acts or when it saturates etc. But I'm a bit confused as to what all the specs mean. I notice the volt rating is quite high, is this the maximum it can handle ? Just any enlightenment on the below specs meanings would help.

Semikron Standard Recovery Diodes, SKE4F1 Series
Package Type: Axial Lead, Vrrm (volts): 800 Volts,
IF (rms) Amps: 7 Amps, IF (avg) Amps: 1.2 Amps,
Ifsm Amps: 70 Amps, I2T@50Hz (A2Sec): 18,
Vfm (volts): 1.4 Volts, Junction Temp.: 266 Degrees F

 

Should do for your need, or making a 1 A power supply. Similar to a 1N4007.

 

Should do for your need, or making a 1 A power supply. Similar to a 1N4007.

Excuse my ignorance but what is type of diode is a 1N4007 ?

If a person is building a low voltage (20 or less volts) circuit and they want to recitfy AC to DC what parameters should they be looking for ?

Or say they want to use the diode to test the acurracy of a cheap multimeter, can one read the parameters off a diode to compare with what the meter reads ?

 

The 1N4007 is a general purpose rectifier diode. It is in a family of diodes that have different peak reverse voltage capabilities that range from 50V to 1000V, the latter being the 1N4007. They all have the same max forward average current of 1 amp.

When a person is building a power supply for their circuit and need to rectify AC to DC, some of the key things to look at when considering a diode is the current the circuit will draw and the voltage levels of the AC input. There are other things that may need to be considered, but these two are the basic ones that most hobbyists need.

As to your last question... Well I don't think that any particular diodes would be good to test the accuracy of a meter. The voltage drop given in a datasheet for a diode is just a range or typical drop. There are other more specialized equipment used to calibrate a meter and test its accuracy.