WhatSMD: identify an unknown SMD component

3 parts are printed AD

Not sure which one you have?

Answer up to 4 quick questions and these 3 parts are ranked, with a meter test that settles it. It works on a dead part too.

PESD12VL1BASOD-323ESD protection diode, 2 pins, NexperiaESD protection diode2 pinsNexperia
What it is
ESD protection diode
Maker
Nexperia
Package
SOD-323
Pins
2
Details
Low capacitance bidirectional ESD protection diode
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, from the protected line to ground, part lifted if you can.
Working, it reads
A one-way part reads about 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse. A two-way part reads open both ways. Arrays with several lines read as the datasheet's diagram draws them.
Dead, it reads
From the line to ground, the same reading both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep: shorted.
A reading both ways on a one-way part: leaky.
A one-way part open both ways: failed open.
On the board:
On the board, a line reading shorted to ground can be this part or anything else on that line. Lift it: if the short goes with it, it has failed.
Compare:
The same part on the next line or connector pin is the healthy reading to compare with.
Watch for:
A two-way part reads open both ways when it is good, exactly like one that has failed open. The meter cannot tell them apart; an identical part on the next line can.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor PESD12VL1BA, opens in a new tab
2 more parts have no package on record. Nothing rules them out, so they stay.
- BFS469L6RF transistor, InfineonRF transistorNot recordedInfineon
  What it is
  RF transistor
  Maker
  Infineon
  Package
  Not recorded
  Pins
  Not recorded
  Source
  From the manufacturer's datasheet
  Is it dead?
  Diode range, part lifted or its base leg off the pad.
  Working, it reads
  From the base, one probe colour reads about 0.6 to 0.75 V to the emitter and to the collector, and open the other way round. Collector to emitter reads open both ways.
  Dead, it reads
  Collector to emitter the same both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep: shorted. The commonest failure.
  The base the same both ways to another pin, near 0 V or a middling value: a shorted junction.
  Only one junction reads, or none: a junction has failed open. It then looks like a diode.
  A reading the wrong way round, where it should be open: leaky.
  On the board:
  On the board this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
  Compare:
  If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
  Watch for:
  A pair of diodes with a common pin reads just like a transistor, and some transistors carry a built-in diode or resistor. The datasheet says which.
  A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
  Datasheetfor BFS469L6, opens in a new tab
- BZX884B3V0LZener diode, VishayZener diodeNot recordedVishay
  What it is
  Zener diode
  Maker
  Vishay
  Package
  Not recorded
  Pins
  Not recorded
  Details
  3 V Zener diode
  Source
  From the manufacturer's datasheet
  Is it dead?
  Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.
  Working, it reads
  About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.
  Dead, it reads
  The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
  Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
  Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
  A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
  On the board:
  On the board this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
  Compare:
  If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
  Watch for:
  A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.
  A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
  Datasheetfor BZX884B3V0L, opens in a new tab

4 more parts are printed with a code easy to misread as AD

Printed with a code easy to misread

One character differs, and it is one that is easy to confuse under a lamp. The odd one out is marked on each.

PJGBLC03Cprinted AQSOD-323ESD protection diode, 2 pins, PanjitESD protection diode2 pinsPanjit
Printed AQ on the part. Easy to misread as AD. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
What it is
ESD protection diode
Maker
Panjit
Package
SOD-323
Pins
2
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, from the protected line to ground, part lifted if you can.
Working, it reads
A one-way part reads about 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse. A two-way part reads open both ways. Arrays with several lines read as the datasheet's diagram draws them.
Dead, it reads
From the line to ground, the same reading both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep: shorted.
A reading both ways on a one-way part: leaky.
A one-way part open both ways: failed open.
On the board:
On the board, a line reading shorted to ground can be this part or anything else on that line. Lift it: if the short goes with it, it has failed.
Compare:
The same part on the next line or connector pin is the healthy reading to compare with.
Watch for:
A two-way part reads open both ways when it is good, exactly like one that has failed open. The meter cannot tell them apart; an identical part on the next line can.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor PJGBLC03C, opens in a new tab
PJGBLC03C-AUprinted AQSOD-323ESD protection diode, 2 pins, PanjitESD protection diode2 pinsPanjit
Printed AQ on the part. Easy to misread as AD. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
What it is
ESD protection diode
Maker
Panjit
Package
SOD-323
Pins
2
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, from the protected line to ground, part lifted if you can.
Working, it reads
A one-way part reads about 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse. A two-way part reads open both ways. Arrays with several lines read as the datasheet's diagram draws them.
Dead, it reads
From the line to ground, the same reading both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep: shorted.
A reading both ways on a one-way part: leaky.
A one-way part open both ways: failed open.
On the board:
On the board, a line reading shorted to ground can be this part or anything else on that line. Lift it: if the short goes with it, it has failed.
Compare:
The same part on the next line or connector pin is the healthy reading to compare with.
Watch for:
A two-way part reads open both ways when it is good, exactly like one that has failed open. The meter cannot tell them apart; an identical part on the next line can.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor PJGBLC03C-AU, opens in a new tab
2 more parts have no package on record. Nothing rules them out, so they stay.
- BZX884B6V2Lprinted AOZener diode, VishayZener diodeNot recordedVishay
  Printed AO on the part. Easy to misread as AD. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
  What it is
  Zener diode
  Maker
  Vishay
  Package
  Not recorded
  Pins
  Not recorded
  Details
  6.2 V Zener diode
  Source
  From the manufacturer's datasheet
  Is it dead?
  Diode range for the forward check, part lifted, red probe on the anode. A bench supply for the Zener voltage.
  Working, it reads
  About 0.6 to 0.8 V forward and open in reverse on the diode range. Its Zener voltage shows only on a supply: feed it through a resistor that sets about 5 mA, cathode to positive, read quickly, and it should hold near its rated voltage.
  Dead, it reads
  The same reading both ways round, near 0 V with a continuous beep or the same middling value: shorted.
  Open both ways, forward too: failed open.
  Holds well off its rated voltage on the supply test: drifted.
  A soft knee, or a voltage that creeps on the supply test: leaky.
  On the board:
  On the board this is a first look only: the meter reads every path between those pins, and a short can be a neighbour. Lift one leg before you condemn it.
  Compare:
  If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
  Watch for:
  A meter's diode range stops at about 2 to 3 V, so almost every Zener reads open in reverse on it, good or bad; a 3 V meter may just show a 2.4 or 2.7 V part. Above about 3 V the meter cannot tell a Zener from a plain diode.
  A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
  Datasheetfor BZX884B6V2L, opens in a new tab
- TLV70734DQNprinted AQLDO regulator, 4 pins, Texas InstrumentsLDO regulator4 pinsTexas Instruments
  Printed AQ on the part. Easy to misread as AD. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
  What it is
  LDO regulator
  Maker
  Texas Instruments
  Package
  Not recorded
  Pins
  4
  Details
  200-mA, Low-IQ, Low-Noise, Low-Dropout Regulator for Portable Devices
  Source
  From the manufacturer's datasheet
  Is it dead?
  Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground. Then ohms with the power off.
  Working, it reads
  Input pin at the supply, output pin at its rated voltage, and the enable pin high if it has one.
  Dead, it reads
  Output equal to the input: the pass element has shorted. Everything after it may have taken the full input.
  Input present, enable high, no output: failed open, or holding itself off into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
  Power off, input to output near 0 Ω: shorted.
  On the board:
  An output at 0 V is often a shorted load with the regulator in current limit. Lift the output pin: if the short stays on the board, the regulator may be fine.
  Compare:
  The same regulator on another rail or another board shows the right voltages and the right resistances.
  Watch for:
  Makers put input, output and ground on different pins in the same package, so take them from this part's datasheet. Diode or ohms readings between its pins say little; check it powered.
  A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
  Datasheetfor TLV70734DQN, opens in a new tab

11 more parts have codes that begin with AD

Codes that begin with AD

For a marking with its end worn or burnt off. Each one shows its full printed code.

all Alpha & Omega Semiconductor. What differs:

AOZ1364DILprinted AD00Load switchLoad switch
Printed AD00. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
Load switch
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Smart load switch
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Voltage, board powered, black probe on ground.
Working, it reads
Switched on, the output pin sits at the input voltage. Switched off, it sits near 0 V.
Dead, it reads
Output at the input voltage while switched off: the pass element has shorted.
Input present and switched on, no output: failed open, or shut down into a shorted load. Power off and measure output to ground.
On the board:
An output near 0 Ω to ground is usually the load. Lift the output pin to see which.
Compare:
If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
Watch for:
The pinout and whether the enable is active high or low differ between parts. The datasheet gives both.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOZ1364DIL, opens in a new tab
AOZ2153LQI-30printed ADLMDC DC converterDC DC converter
Printed ADLM. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
DC DC converter
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Synchronous buck regulator
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Voltage with the board powered; ohms from each pin to ground with it off.
Working, it reads
Supply pin at its voltage and the output doing what the datasheet says. Readings between pins depend on the part.
Dead, it reads
A pin near 0 Ω to ground or to the supply pin where an identical part does not read that: failed short.
Supply present, output stuck: failed, or its load has.
On the board:
A pin shorted to ground on the board can be anything on that net. Lift the pin to be sure.
Compare:
The surest reference is the same IC on a working board, measured pin by pin.
Watch for:
Its protection diodes can read like junctions between pins, even like a transistor. That proves nothing either way.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOZ2153LQI-30, opens in a new tab
AOZ2254LQI-30printed ADLMDC DC converterDC DC converter
Printed ADLM. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
DC DC converter
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Synchronous buck regulator
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Voltage with the board powered; ohms from each pin to ground with it off.
Working, it reads
Supply pin at its voltage and the output doing what the datasheet says. Readings between pins depend on the part.
Dead, it reads
A pin near 0 Ω to ground or to the supply pin where an identical part does not read that: failed short.
Supply present, output stuck: failed, or its load has.
On the board:
A pin shorted to ground on the board can be anything on that net. Lift the pin to be sure.
Compare:
The surest reference is the same IC on a working board, measured pin by pin.
Watch for:
Its protection diodes can read like junctions between pins, even like a transistor. That proves nothing either way.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOZ2254LQI-30, opens in a new tab
AOZ2254TQI-11printed ADTBDC DC converterDC DC converter
Printed ADTB. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
DC DC converter
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Synchronous buck regulator
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Voltage with the board powered; ohms from each pin to ground with it off.
Working, it reads
Supply pin at its voltage and the output doing what the datasheet says. Readings between pins depend on the part.
Dead, it reads
A pin near 0 Ω to ground or to the supply pin where an identical part does not read that: failed short.
Supply present, output stuck: failed, or its load has.
On the board:
A pin shorted to ground on the board can be anything on that net. Lift the pin to be sure.
Compare:
The surest reference is the same IC on a working board, measured pin by pin.
Watch for:
Its protection diodes can read like junctions between pins, even like a transistor. That proves nothing either way.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOZ2254TQI-11, opens in a new tab
AOZ2254TQI-20printed ADTNDC DC converterDC DC converter
Printed ADTN. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
DC DC converter
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Synchronous buck regulator
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Voltage with the board powered; ohms from each pin to ground with it off.
Working, it reads
Supply pin at its voltage and the output doing what the datasheet says. Readings between pins depend on the part.
Dead, it reads
A pin near 0 Ω to ground or to the supply pin where an identical part does not read that: failed short.
Supply present, output stuck: failed, or its load has.
On the board:
A pin shorted to ground on the board can be anything on that net. Lift the pin to be sure.
Compare:
The surest reference is the same IC on a working board, measured pin by pin.
Watch for:
Its protection diodes can read like junctions between pins, even like a transistor. That proves nothing either way.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOZ2254TQI-20, opens in a new tab
AOZ6606PIprinted AD00DC DC converterDC DC converter
Printed AD00. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
DC DC converter
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Synchronous buck regulator
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Voltage with the board powered; ohms from each pin to ground with it off.
Working, it reads
Supply pin at its voltage and the output doing what the datasheet says. Readings between pins depend on the part.
Dead, it reads
A pin near 0 Ω to ground or to the supply pin where an identical part does not read that: failed short.
Supply present, output stuck: failed, or its load has.
On the board:
A pin shorted to ground on the board can be anything on that net. Lift the pin to be sure.
Compare:
The surest reference is the same IC on a working board, measured pin by pin.
Watch for:
Its protection diodes can read like junctions between pins, even like a transistor. That proves nothing either way.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOZ6606PI, opens in a new tab
AOLF66412printed AOLFMOSFETMOSFET
Printed AOLF. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
MOSFET
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Medium-voltage (40-400 V) MOSFET
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted. Test drain to source first, then short gate to source and test again.
Working, it reads
One way between drain and source reads about 0.4 to 0.9 V, the body diode, and the other way open. The gate reads open to both other pins.
Dead, it reads
Drain to source the same both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep, and still so after shorting gate to source: shorted. The classic failure.
The gate reads low to source or drain: gate shorted.
No body diode at all: failed open.
On the board:
On the board the gate usually has a resistor to the source, which reads as that resistor and is not a fault. Lift a leg to be sure.
Compare:
If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
Watch for:
The diode range can charge the gate enough to turn the part on, and then drain to source reads near 0 both ways on a good part. Short gate to source and test again before you condemn it.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOLF66412, opens in a new tab
AOLF66413printed AOLFMOSFETMOSFET
Printed AOLF. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
MOSFET
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Medium-voltage (40-400 V) MOSFET
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted. Test drain to source first, then short gate to source and test again.
Working, it reads
One way between drain and source reads about 0.4 to 0.9 V, the body diode, and the other way open. The gate reads open to both other pins.
Dead, it reads
Drain to source the same both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep, and still so after shorting gate to source: shorted. The classic failure.
The gate reads low to source or drain: gate shorted.
No body diode at all: failed open.
On the board:
On the board the gate usually has a resistor to the source, which reads as that resistor and is not a fault. Lift a leg to be sure.
Compare:
If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
Watch for:
The diode range can charge the gate enough to turn the part on, and then drain to source reads near 0 both ways on a good part. Short gate to source and test again before you condemn it.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOLF66413, opens in a new tab
AOLF66417printed AOLFMOSFETMOSFET
Printed AOLF. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
MOSFET
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Medium-voltage (40-400 V) MOSFET
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted. Test drain to source first, then short gate to source and test again.
Working, it reads
One way between drain and source reads about 0.4 to 0.9 V, the body diode, and the other way open. The gate reads open to both other pins.
Dead, it reads
Drain to source the same both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep, and still so after shorting gate to source: shorted. The classic failure.
The gate reads low to source or drain: gate shorted.
No body diode at all: failed open.
On the board:
On the board the gate usually has a resistor to the source, which reads as that resistor and is not a fault. Lift a leg to be sure.
Compare:
If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
Watch for:
The diode range can charge the gate enough to turn the part on, and then drain to source reads near 0 both ways on a good part. Short gate to source and test again before you condemn it.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOLF66417, opens in a new tab
AOLF66610printed AOLFMOSFETMOSFET
Printed AOLF. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
MOSFET
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Medium-voltage (40-400 V) MOSFET
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted. Test drain to source first, then short gate to source and test again.
Working, it reads
One way between drain and source reads about 0.4 to 0.9 V, the body diode, and the other way open. The gate reads open to both other pins.
Dead, it reads
Drain to source the same both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep, and still so after shorting gate to source: shorted. The classic failure.
The gate reads low to source or drain: gate shorted.
No body diode at all: failed open.
On the board:
On the board the gate usually has a resistor to the source, which reads as that resistor and is not a fault. Lift a leg to be sure.
Compare:
If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
Watch for:
The diode range can charge the gate enough to turn the part on, and then drain to source reads near 0 both ways on a good part. Short gate to source and test again before you condemn it.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOLF66610, opens in a new tab
AOLF66910printed AOLFMOSFETMOSFET
Printed AOLF. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.
What it is
MOSFET
Maker
Alpha & Omega Semiconductor
Package
Not recorded
Pins
Not recorded
Details
Medium-voltage (40-400 V) MOSFET
Source
From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted. Test drain to source first, then short gate to source and test again.
Working, it reads
One way between drain and source reads about 0.4 to 0.9 V, the body diode, and the other way open. The gate reads open to both other pins.
Dead, it reads
Drain to source the same both ways, near 0 V with a continuous beep, and still so after shorting gate to source: shorted. The classic failure.
The gate reads low to source or drain: gate shorted.
No body diode at all: failed open.
On the board:
On the board the gate usually has a resistor to the source, which reads as that resistor and is not a fault. Lift a leg to be sure.
Compare:
If an identical part sits elsewhere on the board, measure it the same way: that is what this one should read.
Watch for:
The diode range can charge the gate enough to turn the part on, and then drain to source reads near 0 both ways on a good part. Short gate to source and test again before you condemn it.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
Datasheetfor AOLF66910, opens in a new tab

One code, several parts

Marking codes are not unique. In the standard code book, 6H on a SOT-23 is an NPN transistor, a varicap, an N-channel JFET, two digital transistors, a 3.6 V voltage detector: six parts from five makers. So a search shows the parts we hold under that code and under codes easily misread as it, with only the columns that tell them apart.

6Hon a SOT-23, in the code book

NPN transistor
Varicap
N-channel JFET
Digital transistor ×2
3.6 V voltage detector

When more than one is left

Tap Help me choose. Up to 4 quick answers: whether the part has failed, then what separates the parts left. Those get ranked with the reasoning and a test that settles it. That uses one identification; 3 a month are free.

When you cannot read it

Tap the camera in the field. We read the characters, keep the ones we are unsure of, and search every reading. A photo too soft to read is turned back on your phone first; if it is the only one you can get, you can still send it.

What’s printed on it?

3 parts are printed AD

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Printed with a code easy to misread

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Codes that begin with AD

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

Is it dead?

One code, several parts

When more than one is left

When you cannot read it