7 parts are printed J8. 10 printed with a similar-looking code.
7 parts are printed J8
Not sure which one you have?
Answer up to 4 quick questions and these 7 parts are ranked, with a meter test that settles it. It works on a dead part too.
BZD17C20PSOD-123FZener diode, 2 pins, VishayZener diodeSOD-123F2 pinsVishay
- What it is
- Zener diode
- Maker
- Vishay
- Package
- SOD-123F
- Pins
- 2
- Details
- 20 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.
BZX84C3V9SOT-23Zener diode, 3 pins, DiotecZener diodeSOT-233 pinsDiotec
- What it is
- Zener diode
- Maker
- Diotec
- Package
- SOT-23
- Pins
- 3
- Details
- SMD Planar Zener Diodes
- 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.
MMSZ5248SOD-123Zener diode, 2 pins, VishayZener diodeSOD-1232 pinsVishay
- What it is
- Zener diode
- Maker
- Vishay
- Package
- SOD-123
- Pins
- 2
- Details
- 18 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.
MMSZ5248-GSOD-123Zener diode, 2 pins, VishayZener diodeSOD-1232 pinsVishay
- What it is
- Zener diode
- Maker
- Vishay
- Package
- SOD-123
- Pins
- 2
- Details
- 18 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.
S9018SOT-23NPN transistor, 3 pins, JSCJNPN transistorSOT-233 pinsJSCJ
- What it is
- NPN transistor
- Maker
- JSCJ
- Package
- SOT-23
- Pins
- 3
- Details
- Bipolar transistor, NPN, 15 V, 0.05 A
- Source
- From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted or its base leg off the pad.
Working, it reads
Red probe on the base 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.
TPS3703A5500DSEWSONVoltage supervisor, 6 pins, Texas InstrumentsVoltage supervisorWSON6 pinsTexas Instruments
- What it is
- Voltage supervisor
- Maker
- Texas Instruments
- Package
- WSON
- Pins
- 6
- Details
- High Accuracy Overvoltage and Undervoltage Reset IC With Time Delay and Manual Reset
- 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.
1 more part has no package on record
BZT52C6V2KZener diode, Taiwan SemiconductorZener diodeNot recordedNot recordedTaiwan Semiconductor
- What it is
- Zener diode
- Maker
- Taiwan Semiconductor
- Package
- Not recorded
- Pins
- Not recorded
- 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.
10 more parts are printed with a code easy to misread as J8
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.
BAV99printed JBSOT-23Switching diode, 3 pins, PanjitSwitching diodeSOT-233 pinsPanjit
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- Switching diode
- Maker
- Panjit
- Package
- SOT-23
- Pins
- 3
- Details
- Dual surface-mount switching diode, series
- Source
- From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted or one leg off the pad. Red probe on the anode.
Working, it reads
About 0.5 to 0.8 V anode to cathode, and open the other way. Small switching diodes read about 0.6 to 0.7 V; large rectifiers can read a little lower.
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: failed open.
- A reading the wrong way round as well: 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 three-pin body can hold two diodes. With a common pin they read two junctions from that pin, just like a transistor; in series they read two drops end to end. Test each pair the datasheet names.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
BAV99-AUprinted JBSOT-23Switching diode, 3 pins, PanjitSwitching diodeSOT-233 pinsPanjit
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- Switching diode
- Maker
- Panjit
- Package
- SOT-23
- Pins
- 3
- Source
- From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted or one leg off the pad. Red probe on the anode.
Working, it reads
About 0.5 to 0.8 V anode to cathode, and open the other way. Small switching diodes read about 0.6 to 0.7 V; large rectifiers can read a little lower.
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: failed open.
- A reading the wrong way round as well: 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 three-pin body can hold two diodes. With a common pin they read two junctions from that pin, just like a transistor; in series they read two drops end to end. Test each pair the datasheet names.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
BAV99Sprinted JBSOT-363Switching diode, 6 pins, PanjitSwitching diodeSOT-3636 pinsPanjit
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- Switching diode
- Maker
- Panjit
- Package
- SOT-363
- Pins
- 6
- Details
- Switching diode, 75 V, 150 mA
- Source
- From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted or one leg off the pad. Red probe on the anode.
Working, it reads
About 0.5 to 0.8 V anode to cathode, and open the other way. Small switching diodes read about 0.6 to 0.7 V; large rectifiers can read a little lower.
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: failed open.
- A reading the wrong way round as well: 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 three-pin body can hold two diodes. With a common pin they read two junctions from that pin, just like a transistor; in series they read two drops end to end. Test each pair the datasheet names.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
BAV99S-AUprinted JBSOT-363Switching diode, 6 pins, PanjitSwitching diodeSOT-3636 pinsPanjit
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- Switching diode
- Maker
- Panjit
- Package
- SOT-363
- Pins
- 6
- Source
- From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted or one leg off the pad. Red probe on the anode.
Working, it reads
About 0.5 to 0.8 V anode to cathode, and open the other way. Small switching diodes read about 0.6 to 0.7 V; large rectifiers can read a little lower.
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: failed open.
- A reading the wrong way round as well: 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 three-pin body can hold two diodes. With a common pin they read two junctions from that pin, just like a transistor; in series they read two drops end to end. Test each pair the datasheet names.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
BAV99Wprinted JBSOT-323Switching diode, 3 pins, PanjitSwitching diodeSOT-3233 pinsPanjit
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- Switching diode
- Maker
- Panjit
- Package
- SOT-323
- Pins
- 3
- Details
- Switching diode, 75 V, 150 mA
- Source
- From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted or one leg off the pad. Red probe on the anode.
Working, it reads
About 0.5 to 0.8 V anode to cathode, and open the other way. Small switching diodes read about 0.6 to 0.7 V; large rectifiers can read a little lower.
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: failed open.
- A reading the wrong way round as well: 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 three-pin body can hold two diodes. With a common pin they read two junctions from that pin, just like a transistor; in series they read two drops end to end. Test each pair the datasheet names.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
MMBTA56printed JBSOT-23Transistor, 3 pins, DiotecTransistorSOT-233 pinsDiotec
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- Transistor
- Maker
- Diotec
- Package
- SOT-23
- Pins
- 3
- Details
- SMD General Purpose PNP Transistors
- 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.
4 more parts have no package on record
BAR74printed JBPIN diode, InfineonPIN diodeNot recordedNot recordedInfineon
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- PIN diode
- Maker
- Infineon
- Package
- Not recorded
- Pins
- Not recorded
- Source
- From the manufacturer's datasheet
Is it dead?
Diode range, part lifted or one leg off the pad. Red probe on the anode.
Working, it reads
About 0.6 to 0.9 V anode to cathode, and open the other way.
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: failed open.
- 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 varicap that has drifted in capacitance reads normal on a meter. Only a capacitance meter or the tuning itself shows it.
A dead part still carries its marking. A short or an open says it has failed, not that it is a different part.
PE4707L1Qprinted JBESD protection diode, PanjitESD protection diodeNot recordedNot recordedPanjit
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- ESD protection diode
- Maker
- Panjit
- Package
- Not recorded
- Pins
- Not recorded
- 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.
PE4707L1Q-AUprinted JBESD protection diode, PanjitESD protection diodeNot recordedNot recordedPanjit
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- ESD protection diode
- Maker
- Panjit
- Package
- Not recorded
- Pins
- Not recorded
- 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.
TPS7A2045PDQNprinted JBLDO regulator, 4 pins, Texas InstrumentsLDO regulatorNot recorded4 pinsTexas Instruments
Printed JB on the part. Easy to misread as J8. Check that character with a loupe before you order anything.
- What it is
- LDO regulator
- Maker
- Texas Instruments
- Package
- Not recorded
- Pins
- 4
- Details
- 300mA, Ultra-Low-Noise, Low-IQ, High PSRR LDO
- 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.
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.
- 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.