The circuit was designed to provide a means for measuring the operating voltage of zener diodes before applying on a circuit. Zener Diode – a special kind of diode that permits the flow of current in ...

To measure a zener diode’s breakdown voltage, you need a dc voltage source whose voltage exceeds that of the zener voltage. In Figure 1, resistor R SER provides voltage drop between V IN and V ZEN. In ...

Many embedded systems require a stable, low-noise DC reference. This reference can be a stable current or voltage source. These references are used in many ways. Some typical uses are listed as ...

Zeners are commonly used as low-current sources for bias voltage functions, but the proper voltage reference can give the same result and with much-lower dissipation and no performance tradeoffs.