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2 parts are printed AD. 2 printed with a similar-looking code.

Not sure which one you have?

Answer up to 4 quick questions and these 2 parts are ranked, with a meter test that settles it. It works on a dead part too.

  • BFS469L6RF transistor, Infineon
    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.

  • BZX884B3V0LZener diode, Vishay
    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.

2 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.

  • BZX884B6V2Lprinted AOZener diode, Vishay

    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.

  • TLV70734DQNprinted AQLDO regulator, 4 pins, Texas 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.

14 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.

  • TPS71525DCKprinted AQLSOT-353LDO regulator, 5 pins, Texas Instruments

    Printed AQL. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.

    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    Texas Instruments
    Package
    SOT-353
    Pins
    5
    Details
    50-mA, 24-V, 3.2-μA Quiescent Current, Low-Dropout Linear Regulator
    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.

  • TPS71530DCKprinted AQMSOT-353LDO regulator, 5 pins, Texas Instruments

    Printed AQM. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.

    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    Texas Instruments
    Package
    SOT-353
    Pins
    5
    Details
    50-mA, 24-V, 3.2-μA Quiescent Current, Low-Dropout Linear Regulator
    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.

  • TPS71533DCKprinted AQISOT-353LDO regulator, 5 pins, Texas Instruments

    Printed AQI. Only the start matches what you typed, so this fits only if the rest of the marking is worn off.

    What it is
    LDO regulator
    Maker
    Texas Instruments
    Package
    SOT-353
    Pins
    5
    Details
    50-mA, 24-V, 3.2-μA Quiescent Current, Low-Dropout Linear Regulator
    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.

  • 11 more parts have no package on record. Nothing rules them out, so they stay.
    • AOZ1364DILprinted AD00Load switch, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOZ2153LQI-30printed ADLMDC DC converter, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOZ2254LQI-30printed ADLMDC DC converter, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOZ2254TQI-11printed ADTBDC DC converter, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOZ2254TQI-20printed ADTNDC DC converter, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOZ6606PIprinted AD00DC DC converter, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOLF66412printed AOLFMOSFET, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOLF66413printed AOLFMOSFET, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOLF66417printed AOLFMOSFET, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOLF66610printed AOLFMOSFET, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

    • AOLF66910printed AOLFMOSFET, Alpha & Omega Semiconductor

      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.

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.