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Diode Switch Circuit Quiz
July 1961 Popular Electronics

July 1961 Popular Electronics

uly 1961 Popular Electronics Cover - RF CafeTable of Contents

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Popular Electronics, published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.

Test your diode switch analysis skills here with six circuits designed by Mr. Robert P. Balin in the July 1961 issue of Popular Electronics. When evaluating the equivalent circuits with the diodes biased on or off, don't make the job more difficult for yourself by considering whether there is enough voltage or current to turn a particular diode on or not, just whether the diode is forward or reverse biased. Doing so reduces everything to simple series and parallel combinations. Redrawing each circuit either with a short for a forward biased diode and an open for a reverse biased diode makes the task easier.

If you like diode quizzes, here is another from the August 1965 issue of Popular Electronics.

Diode Quiz, July 1961 Popular Electronics - RF Cafe

Diode Quiz

By Robert P. Balin

Keeping in mind that a diode can pass current in one direction only, see if you can find the effective resistance across the battery in the circuits below. Assume that every resistor measures six ohms, and that the diodes have zero resistance in the forward direction, infinite resistance in the reverse direction.

Diode Quiz Circuit #1 - RF Cafe Diode Quiz Circuit #2 - RF Cafe Diode Quiz Circuit #3 - RF Cafe
 Diode Quiz Circuit #4 - RF Cafe Diode Quiz Circuit #5 - RF Cafe Diode Quiz Circuit #6 - RF Cafe

 

See answers below.

Quizzes from vintage electronics magazines such as Popular Electronics, Electronics-World, QST, Radio-Electronics, and Radio News were published over the years - some really simple and others not so simple. Robert P. Balin created most of the quizzes for Popular Electronics. This is a listing of all I have posted thus far.

RF Cafe Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

Diode Quiz Answers

1.   2 ohms

2.   6 ohms

3.   3 ohms

4.   9 ohms

5.   6 ohms

6.   2 ohms

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About RF Cafe

Kirt Blattenberger - RF Cafe Webmaster

Copyright: 1996 - 2025
Webmaster: Kirt Blattenberger,
   BSEE - KB3UON - AMA92498

RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line, and a lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...

Copyright  1996 - 2026

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