4 ms·

I've never understood why germanium diodes are special here. Am I missing something? Does the diode have to be germanium for this trick to work?

• baybal2 6y ago
  The lower the voltage drop, the better. I guess, in their part of the world, germaniums are cheaper than schottkys
  • nynyny7 6y ago
    Simple: The germanium diode was the first suitable diode I found in my parts collection. :-) A regular silicon diode will not work. An appropriate Schottky silicon diode will do the job; see the Infineon app-note in the "PPS" of the website. Also, the point-contact (regardless of the semiconductor material) reduces the diode's junction capacitance, making it faster, i.e., more suited for RF applications.
    • cushychicken 6y ago
      What's the typical forward voltage of the germanium diode vs a silicon diode's 0.7[V]? It's a neat hack! Long live the Rigol DS1054Z!
      • nynyny7 6y ago
        I didn't measure it, but literature has a value of about 0.3 V for a germanium diode's forward voltage.