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THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIODES

THEORY TIPS

There is a very common marketing point that we

see all the time with "boutique" guitar pedals: the
famous vintage ultra-rare licorn-made type of
diodes! Germanium diodes are often associated
with a vintage and warm tone, whereas silicium
diode sound harsher and fuzzier...

Time for a blog post about it!


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What is a diode?
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How do
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work? Which
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one
should I use when making guitar effects?

What exactly is a diode?

In order to understand the differences between
the types of diodes, let's see how a diode work. Do
not worry, it is not that complex!

A diode is a semiconductor. Unlike a resistor,

they are polarized with an anode and cathode that
is represented on their symbol:

As its name implies, a semiconductor does not

conduct current in a normal way. I will try to
explain it as simply as possible. If you are an
electronics-aficionado, the following text is rated R
for you and will probably shock you!

A diode is composed of two parts: 

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A part
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poor in electrons
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(P junction,
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like
"Positive conduction")
A part rich in electrons (N junction like
"Negative conduction")
Practically speaking, there is a part where the
electrons feel good (the P-junction), and a part
where it is difficult for them to go through (N
junction, there are already too many electrons in
there)

At first, electrons do not manage to go through

the part rich in electrons and accumulate in
the P-junction. When there are enough electrons
accumulated, they have enough "power" to cross
the N-junction: current is flowing throught the
diode!

This phenomenon causes what is called the

forward voltage (also called voltage drop):
bellow a certain voltage threshold, the current
cannot go through the diode. The voltage drop is
around 0.7V for a classic silicium diode for
instance: below 0.7V, the current will not pass!


If we trace a current vs voltage graph for this, we
will have something like this:
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Below 0.7V, current does not go through the

diode. Above it: it passes!
The voltage drop also diminishes the voltage
out the diode. If you make 9V goes through a
silicium diode, you will have a 8.3V voltage after
the diode!

Finally, another very important thing with diodes is

that the current can only go through them in one
direction! There is often a really small current that
can go the other way, named current leakage. If
the current applied is too big, the diode breaks
passed what is called the breakdown voltage.

That makes a graph that look like this:


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You can find this type of graph in any diode

datasheet. You can now read it like a pro! 😃

Depending on the type of diode, the forward

voltage / voltage drop changes !

Finally, last but not least, there is of course a

maximum forward voltage current, which is
the maximum amount of current a diode can
handle. In guitar pedals we do not have this
problem because currents are somehow quite low
in our little stompboxes, but it can be very

important when making amplifiers or high-
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The different types of diodes

There are lots of type of diodes! Here are the most
common ones that you will find in guitar effects.

Germanium diodes

Here are the famous ones! They are used in

vintage effects, but also in modern ones for their
special characteristics. They are easy to recognize
with their glass capsule style. Their voltage drop
is low, around 0.35V, but it can change depending
on the model.

Here is a D9E germanium diode, used in the

famous Klon Centaur:

They are mainly used to distort the signal, but

can also be used to correct temperature bias of
vintage germanium transistors. Read my circuit 
analysis of the Tonebender MkIII, there is a
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germanium
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diode for that.
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Ex: 1n34A, D9E...

Small silicium signal diodes

They are smaller than their germanium

counterparts. However, their forward voltage is
higher at 0.7V. They are the most used in
overdrives and distorsions to generate saturation.

The Big Muff has four of them in its circuit for

instance !

Ex: 1n4148, 1n914...

Silicium power diodes

These bulky diodes are a big bigger than signal

diodes. Their breakdow voltage is also way
higher: they can handle bigger voltages in their
wrong polarity. Same voltage drop though, around 
0.7V.
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They are mainly used to prevent shorts and

polarity inversions.

Ex: 1n4001

LED

Often forgotten, they are still diodes and can be

used as such!

Their voltage drop is quite high and depend on 

the LED color :
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Red 1.7V

Orange 2.0V

Yellow/ 2.1V

Green 2.2V

Blue 3.2V

Ex: red LED, green LED...etc

Schottky Diode

These diodes, named after M. Schotty, a German

physicist, have the lowest forward voltage among
diodes : around 0.15V.

Therefore, they are very useful to prevent

polarity inversion, because the voltage drop is
very limited compared to the 0.7V drop of silicium
power diodes.

Molecular diodes

For DIY crazy fools like me! In 2017, the demi-god

manufacturer Dr Scientist sold a series of
overdrives name Heisenberg using molecular 
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diodes. You
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can see these
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diodes hereABOUT
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on SIM
cards:

What is a molecular diode ? Instead of letting the

P-N junction "empty", there is nanometric layer of
organic molecules that is added here. That
changes the physical properties of diodes. For
instance, current can go both ways!

These diodes are still very hard to find in

classic retail. They are more a laboratory
experiment type of component, but has Dr
Scientist is absolutely awesome, he collaborated
with a laboratory and made an effect! There is
even a published scientific paper.

How do I choose the diodes?

With guitar effects, what is interesting to us is
mainly the voltage drop. Indeed, many
distorsions and overdrives work with diodes 

clipping the signal when it is above or below the

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forward voltage
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of diodes,
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which create
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saturation!
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Depending on the diode choosen and their

forward voltage, the saturation will be
different:

That will modulate the saturation of the effect!

This phenomenom is often called "diode
clipping", which you surely heard before. Beware:
the more you clip, the more your signal will be
compressed and dynamic will be lost. So it is
also a matter of choosing the righ clipping amount!

Germanium diode clip at 0.35V more the signal

and generate compressed, fat distorsions.
Oppositely, a LED with its 1.7V forward voltage will
have a more open sound. I use LED on my Dolmen 
Fuzz to make it sound lighter, almost like a classic
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Here is a table to sum it up:

Type Voltag Distorsion

e drop

Schott 0.15V Too much, very

ky compressed

Germa 0.35V Big, compressed

nium distorsion

Siliciu 0.6V Classic overdrive to

m distorsion sounds

LED/td 1.6V Open and dynamic

> saturation

But that is not it! You can also combine diodes!

Two diodes in series will clip the signal less for
instance:


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It is also possible to make what is called

"assymetrical clipping". Just use two diode on
one side and one on the other. You can also mix
the types of diodes.... Here is a new world of
experimentations for you!

 Beware! Of course, all of this depend on

how the diodes are disposed in the
schematic. It works most of the times, but it
sometimes can be different. Test it!

Good new is: it is very easy to test diodes with

a DPDT switch! Wire it on the diodes pads like I
did on my Pharaoh clone:


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Here, there is an assymetrical clipping with

germanium diodes and a classic clipping using two
silicium diodes. But you can try any combination
you like !

It is one of the easiest mod to do on overdrive

and distortion effects, and very useful to
understand how diodes work. So grab a soldering
iron and try it!

Protect your circuit against polarity

inversions
Diodes can also be used to protect your circuit
against polarity inversions... Lets imagine for a
minute that a customer of yours invert the battery
in your made-with-great-care-and-patience effect.


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What can go wrong if I switch the power supply

polarity?

If there is no protection diode, there are good

chances that a component of your circuit gets
damages (especially polarized capacitors...). Or
worse, that they heat too much, catch fire or even
explode!

To avoid this armagaedon apocalyptical

scenario, always add a polarity protection
diode. If the polarity of the power supply is
inverted, it will not let current pass.

Generally, we use a diode able to resist to a lot

of current like a silicium power diode. A
Schottky diode can also be a good candidate
because they have a very low voltage drop.
However they have a bit of current leakage, so
check that it is not too much for your capacitors.
(should not be in 99% of cases)

It is a very simple circuit that you should always 

add to your circuits.

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There you go! You know all the basics about

diodes! Lets experiment now!
Did you like this blog post? Like the Coda Effects
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posts releases!

To go further
Diode basics on SparkFun
Just Nick video about molecular diodes
You can buy molecular diodes
here! They are expensive though...

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