Blog — component selection, explained for the people who specify and buy parts
Device explainers, comparisons and circuit-design notes from the Haiben team: how diode families differ, how MOSFETs and BJTs behave, how to design buck and boost rails, and how to select protection parts — written for hardware engineers and purchasing staff.
Types of Diodes: A Practical Guide to the Main Families
The main types of diodes — rectifier, Schottky, Zener, TVS, switching, fast recovery and more — what each does and where it is used.
Using a Zener Diode as a Voltage Regulator
How a Zener diode works as a shunt voltage regulator: circuit, series resistor calculation, load limits and when to choose a regulator IC instead.
What Is a Zener Diode? Breakdown, Ratings and Uses
What a Zener diode is, how reverse breakdown regulates voltage, the ratings that matter, and where Zener diodes are used in real circuits.
Schottky Diode vs Zener Diode: Key Differences
Schottky vs Zener diode: forward conduction against reverse breakdown, forward drop, speed and typical jobs — a side-by-side comparison.
What Is a MOSFET? Terminals, Types and Uses
What a MOSFET is: gate, drain and source, N-channel and P-channel, enhancement mode, and the parameters on a datasheet that decide selection.
How Does a MOSFET Work? Enhancement Mode Explained
How a MOSFET works: threshold voltage, the channel, ohmic and saturation regions, gate charge and why the gate is driven the way it is.
MOSFET vs BJT: Which Transistor Fits Your Design?
MOSFET vs BJT compared: voltage-driven against current-driven, switching losses, saturation, drive circuitry and the jobs each device wins.
Buck Converter Circuit Design: The Core Calculations
Buck converter circuit design step by step: duty cycle, inductor value, output capacitor, current ripple and the layout rules that keep it stable.
Boost Converter Circuit Design: The Core Calculations
Boost converter circuit design: duty cycle from the voltage ratio, inductor sizing, the right-half-plane zero, and layout for a step-up rail.
Crystal Oscillator Circuits: Pierce, Load and Layout
Crystal oscillator circuit design: the Pierce oscillator, load capacitance calculation, drive level and the layout practices that ensure start-up.
LDO vs Buck Converter: Choosing a Power Rail
LDO vs buck converter: efficiency against noise, dropout against headroom, cost and board area — a decision framework for point-of-load power.
TVS Diode Selection: Working Voltage, Clamping, Package
How to select a TVS diode: working voltage, breakdown, clamping voltage, peak pulse power, capacitance and package — with an ESD protection walk-through.