BYW29 instead of MUR860

[endia]

hi,
i've found some byw29s at nearly no cost.. may i use it in gainclone power supply instead of mur860s? is there any drawback or advantages over murs?
thanks in advance..

[jazzy939]

After looking at the datasheet, the byw29 should be able to do the job.

[Stuey]

I think Hugh uses those in his Aksa kits, so I'd guess they'd be good.

[endia]

thanks a lot for the "super fast" replies

[jazzy939]

Not at all. I am about to build one GC myself and the BYW29 is a little cheaper than the MUR860.. I might just use it too!

[lgreen]

Very early on people who made gainclones used and recommended MUR860s (I think Peter Daniel started it) and everyone has been blindly putting them in ever since. Other diodes are fine and don't feel bad about using them, you may discover a superior combination.

[Eva]

There is no reason to use ultrafast diodes for 50Hz/60Hz rectification, particularly when they are 600V devices. They require a bigger heatsink and are weaker when it comes to whitstand inrush current. They are intended to be used in switching power supplies.

MUR860 is not a very good choice. BYW29 is a 200V device, it will perform better than MUR860 in applications not requiring more than 200V blocking. Lower voltage diodes are faster and feature lower voltage drop.

If you want to use something better than conventional diodes, use schottkys. See MBR40250, it has probably the highest voltage and current ratings in a TO-220 case (250V 40A).