Semiconductors
Model class: Standard approximation
TVS diode screening
Estimate instantaneous TVS current and power from a resistive source and one entered clamp-voltage point.
Interactive engine
Start with the stated conditions.
Values stay in this browser. Choose a representative scenario, then calculate deliberately.
Example ready
Calculate to inspect the result.
The result will identify the direct answer, assumptions, and any warning that changes the next decision.
Assumptions to check
- The entered TVS-diode-screening values represent the stated operating condition.
- This standard approximation is evaluated in the declared lumped or first-pass model.
- A TVS-diode-screening calculation is not a component qualification or safety approval.
What this TVS-diode-screening calculation establishes
Estimate instantaneous TVS current and power from a resistive source and one entered clamp-voltage point. The useful result is the stated electrical quantity and the decision it supports, not an unstated claim about a finished product. This engine keeps the governing relationship visible so an input, unit, condition, or model boundary can be reviewed before a value becomes a component or layout choice.
TVS current is the difference between source voltage and clamp voltage divided by source impedance; instantaneous power is that current times the clamp voltage. Treat the number as a first-pass result for the declared operating point. When a source, load, temperature, frequency, waveform, component tolerance, or measurement condition changes, repeat the calculation at the relevant corner rather than assuming the nominal answer persists.
Worked decision context
A 30 V source limited by 2 Ω and clamped at an entered 20 V estimate produces 5 A and 100 W instantaneous TVS power. That example verifies the equation and illustrates the scale of the result, but it does not select a part by itself. Compare the result with available values, ratings, tolerance bands, and the receiving circuit or physical environment before implementation.
Use the primary output to identify the binding constraint. If it leaves little margin, document which input dominates and use selected-part data, a higher-fidelity model, simulation, or measurement. This is especially important when a small numerical difference changes a thermal, timing, noise, or reliability decision.
Limits and validation handoff
Real clamp voltage rises with current; iterate with the selected part's clamp curve, and check pulse energy and repetition rate against its rating. The calculation does not silently include omitted parasitics, installation conditions, manufacturing variation, or product policy. Those conditions can be decisive even when the arithmetic is exact for the selected model.
Record inputs, units, model assumptions, and the intended decision with the result. Verify the leading risk against the selected component data sheet and a representative measurement when the circuit has consequential energy, high voltage, safety, compliance, or reliability requirements.
Common mistakes
- Treating the TVS-diode-screening result as a guaranteed operating limit rather than a first-pass standard approximation estimate.
- Mixing a data-sheet value measured under one condition with this TVS-diode-screening calculation performed at another.
- Selecting a component before checking the boundary this calculation names: real clamp voltage rises with current; iterate with the selected part's clamp curve, and check pulse energy and repetition rate against its rating.
Model limit and handoff
Keep the entered TVS-diode-screening conditions with the calculation, then validate the binding limit using the selected component, physical implementation, and representative operating corner.
FAQs
Is this TVS-diode-screening result sufficient to approve a design?
No. It applies standard approximation reasoning to the entered TVS-diode-screening values and names the checks that still need selected-part data, a higher-fidelity model, or measurement. Real clamp voltage rises with current; iterate with the selected part's clamp curve, and check pulse energy and repetition rate against its rating.
What does this TVS-diode-screening calculator assume that could make the result wrong?
TVS current is the difference between source voltage and clamp voltage divided by source impedance; instantaneous power is that current times the clamp voltage. If the entered values do not match the real operating condition, the result no longer describes the actual circuit.
Where should this TVS-diode-screening result go next?
Compare this TVS-diode-screening result with Electronic circuit protection planning, then use the stated next decision below the calculator to move from this first-pass number toward an implementation.