BRIDGES !
Have a few of those as well, 33 it looks like. A bit a of everything size and package wise.... some small 4 and 6 pin DIP, small round ones, TO220, big SIL packages, and one big square.
They'll all be double diodes right, so technically not a bridge. ![Flogging A Dead Horse :horse:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/DeadHorse.gif.pagespeed.ce.kBWvHKqCd1.gif)
How do you know it's not a bridge ?
The pins are identified like a bridge would : an ' AC ' symbol on two pins, and a ' - - negative polarity symbol one the last pin. All my dual diodes were marked clearly with actual diode looking symbols, not polarity symbols. So when I hastily sorted these bridges earlier this year, as a first pass trying to sort through all my components, I based my judgement on that. I figured the missing ' + ' pin would just be connected to the metal and that's it.
OK just buzzed it, turns out it 's not. Metal tab is not the positive, it's connected to the negative pin... so it's indeed a dual diode not a bridge, but it could have been a bridge, tehcnically.. you just had no way to be 100% sure.... so sorry but I don't count that as win for you, merely luck.
![Evil >:D](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xevil.gif.pagespeed.ic.tdrs7Uj5gu.png)
All 10 of them, are identical it turns out. Al marked " S5KC20R ".
Couldn't find a datasheet for it, only an old scanned catalog page from some chinese company : " SHINDENGEN Semiconductor ". Never heard of them ? Well now thanks to me, you have !
![Laughing :-DD](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiley_laughing.gif.pagespeed.ce._hfWAz_QHO.gif)
That page also shows an interesting product of theirs, that they named, I quote : " SIDAC bit-directional diode thyristor ".
I don't know what a SIDAC is, and I don't see how it can be a dual diode and a thyristor at the same time. I guess I am just too ignorant again... why don't all manufacturers make this wonderful product...
![Evil >:D](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xevil.gif.pagespeed.ic.tdrs7Uj5gu.png)
OK so I shall be adding them to diode inventory then, I guess....
So they are 200V 5A 300ns fast recovery diodes.
Problem, with any dual diode : for some of them the datasheet says they are rated, say, at 20A... then somewhere else they will say no it's just marketing BS. 20A is the "total" current... but each diode can only take 10A.
So the problem is that now, it casts a doubt of shadow on EVERY other diode. Most of them don't state if the current they specify is for one individual diode, or the total current for both diodes combined...
So in fact you just can never be 100% sure what current your freaking dual diodes can really take !!
![Scared :scared:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/scared.gif.pagespeed.ce.oZptHNcbsD.gif)
Sometimes I hate datasheets !!! They are supposed to help you understand what the device can do... NOT add CONFUSION instead !
![Face Palm :palm:](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xfacepalm.gif.pagespeed.ic.EBDwh1hCfo.png)