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MOSFET internal diode

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allanw:
I'm using one of these as a switch for a small electromagnet (200mA at 5V):

http://www.irf.com/product-info/datasheets/data/irl530n.pdf

I believe electromagnets are slightly inductive loads, so I'll need a diode to prevent back-emf damage. However, it seems like the MOSFET I have already has an integrated diode going from source to drain. Does that mean I can just wire the drain to ground, source to the load (which is flipped from how I'd normally wire a MOSFET) and have this integrated diode do the same job?

Example circuits online show their diodes are in parallel, not in series, as this setup would be. Would it still do the job?

Pyr0Beast:
Don't use the mosfet's parasitic diode as a real one since it is slow as hell.

If you need to do that, you can get mosfets with internal diode.

Or use an external one.

It would be good to omit zener diode, these things can cause ringing on the gates. If you are worried about excess voltage on gate, use it at the driver part.


Electromagnets are inductive loads, same with relays.

Clamping diode is installed (paralel) at the inductive load. A simple diode in series doesn't do a thing.

EMF can be reduced with ferrite rings, chokes and snubbers.

You can install a ferrite ring on the drain of a mosfet and a good snubber across it - 100nF multilayer cap with ~20-100 Ohm resistor in series

allanw:
Hmm, I think I measured the inductance of my electromagnet at 50mH to 100mH at 100Hz. That seems like a lot. Simulating this in LTspice, there's a 100V spike. I'll put a diode in parallel then.

Simon:
I think the simulation may produce larger spikes as its working on theory and not practical parts, however yes you need to be careeful, as other said don't use the mosfets diode for this i tried it once and it made the thing run hotter and it is not designed for it, it is just for emergency only, I was doing some testing on an air con system at work recently where the "engineer" did not realize he needed diodes on ALL inductive loads (some had diodes) and i got up to 400 V out of the thing, infact i got a shock off it.

Pyr0Beast:
Any inductance will degrade mosfet over time if left untreated, same with transistors, ic's and other silicone chips.
Inductive kickback can go all the way up and downstream, causing all sorts of weird errors, like pushing powersupply into overvoltage protection, perhaps causing it to oscillate wildly, reset or freeze uC's, etc.

IRL530n is a good part at such a small load. Perhaps watch gate capacitance if you see gate going up and down not fast enough, such as the mosfet is in its linear region, heating wildly.



Even some old bells, working at about 6V DC could give you a nasty shock.

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