×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Unknown component

Unknown component

Unknown component

(OP)
Does anyone know what this component is? please see attached picture

This component is in a AM car amplifier. It is connected to VCC and ground in parallel with a electrolitic capacitor, this block is where the amplifier is feed. It could be a transil, not sure, some kind of protection.

RE: Unknown component

I can't open a .CPT file. What is that? Corel?  You'd probably get a better response if you post the picture in .JPG or .GIF format.  
 

RE: Unknown component

Is this for a product you are working on?

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
100 % recycled posting: Electrons, ideas, finger-tips have been used over and over again...

RE: Unknown component

Boy,that is a poor quality picture!

It is hard to see, but my guess would be that it is some sort of surface mount ceramic carrier, with a semiconductor device wirebonded inside of it with some epoxy on top.  What does it look like looking straight down with a microscope.

RE: Unknown component

(OP)
Hi again,

thanks for your replies.

I have taken a couple of pictures with the microscope. However, I found it difficult to take a clear shot. The attached document has the two pictures and a simple sch.

This component is placed in an automotive FM LNA. There is no regulation as the amplifier is fed from the battery or the ouput of the radio using phatom feeding.

Any ideas?  

RE: Unknown component

It's a monitoring device installed on behalf of the government. They're watching your every move. winky smile

More seriously, can you desolder it and then measure it? Or temporarily cut some traces and do the same thing?

Obviously it's something to do with the power supply (making the voltage better in some way), and for that reason is slightly... ...boring. What I'm saying is that you could probably conclude that it is an unknown thing-a-ma-bob across the rails, and then carry on with the rest of the circuit.

RE: Unknown component

I repeat: Is this a product you are working on? The question seems to be quite far away from an engineering question. Is it a one off amplifier you are trying to repair?

What about trying Tek-Tips?

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
100 % recycled posting: Electrons, ideas, finger-tips have been used over and over again...

RE: Unknown component

(OP)
Hi all,

I am working designing LNA´s. I have seen this component in other LNA´s regularly and I was wondering what does it do, so I can learn more!.

Anyway, thanks for you comments.

RE: Unknown component

Since it is a car application, it seems to be something that takes care of a load dump or just a transient suppressor.

Seems to be physically small for a load dump, though.

But, given that we cannot read the photos very well, it is difficult to tell. Wouldn't a normal digital camera in macro mode produce a readable picture?

It would also be nice if you told us what an LNA actually is. Most people would guess a Low Noise Amplifier, but there is no way telling it. I guess there are dozens of meanings for LNA.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
100 % recycled posting: Electrons, ideas, finger-tips have been used over and over again...

RE: Unknown component

(OP)
Yes, you are right. LNA stands for Low noise amplifier.

I tried to take a shot using the macro option but I think I have a problem with light.

I agree it looks is a transient suppressor. It seems that´s the farthers I will get.

Anyway thanks for your comments.

RE: Unknown component

Without a series resistance (none shown in the partial schematic), then it would be trying to protect the entire vehicle (at least back to the nearest fast-blow fuse).

That's fairly brave for a little tiny surface-mount fellow.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources