Clipping detector led circuit series#

Clipping detector led circuit series#

LED - Very Open and Dynamic Saturation - Least Compression and DistortionĪs with anything circuit based - it's how the core component is deployed which really matters - so you can 'soften' the clipping of a Diode by combining it with appropriate value capacitors and resistors, or stack them in series - evens (symmetrical) or odds (asymmetrical).

Silicon - Classic/Standard Overdrive and Distortion - some degree of Compression.Germanium - High Distortion, Significant Compression.Schottky - Very High Distortion, Maximum Compression.The lower the value of Vf the greater the degree and onset of distortion.īenoit of Coda Effects provides this handy guide : The sufficient numbers of electrons or voltage threshold here is defined as Forward Voltage (Fv) or Voltage Drop and ranges from a median value of c0.25Vf for Schottky type diodes, through c0.35Vf for Germanium, c0.70Vf for Silicon and c2.0Vf for LEDs. In fact a degree of capacitance occurs as electrons 'gather' on the P-Type surface until there are sufficient numbers to 'leap' / bridge the gap from the Cathode to the Anode. The nature of how the Positive P-Type and Negative N-Type areas interact results in a somewhat flawed behaviour which sort of triggers a gate-open type mechanic at certain Voltage values and results in some degree of spillover distortion. The polarized Diodes devices act not entirely unlike resistors while they restrict and limit the current flow in one direction only. Here we can see all the key constituent parts of the device - copper-wire wrapped Cathode and Anode, the Germanium N-Type Pellet/Crystal with P-Type Impurities Area and the Fine Spring Wire bridging the gap.

They are typically made of Silicon, Germanium or Gallium Arsenide but there are a number of other different types employed too as we shall see.įor sake of example here we will be using a Glass Crystal Germanium Type reference roughly similar to a 1N34A. Clipping Diodes are largely Junction Diodes or P-N Junction Diodes to be precise. Diodes are unidirectional electrical conductors and part of the Semiconductor family.