> I currently have my lock module taken apart to "upgrade" the internal > relays in it. While I was looking over all of the electronics, I > noticed a yellow diode that was looking pretty bad. [snip] > I am somewhat familiar working with electronics, > so I know how to replace it if I had the proper replacement. However, > since I'm no electrical engineer I'm baffled as to the purpose it > serves. It is directly connected to the positive and negative inputs to > the unit, so I'm guessing that is why it has taken such a beating. With my knowledge of electronics I would say it's there for protection of the other internals: it gives negative spikes a way to travel past all other parts without doing damage... It can also protect the internals from being wired the wrong way round by effectively shorting out the circuit and thereby blowing a fuse, this is the so-called "crowbar"-polarity-protection... As I see it there are two possibilities why the diode looks fried: -1 it took a negative current which was too high and/or too long and the fuse didn't blow -2 there was positive current that was too high; higher that the threshold-voltage (the maximum pressure a one-way valve can hold before the seals collapse to put it simple) which simply burned out the diode. I haven't got my original lock-module here right now, but I'll check this weekend if there are any markings on it for identification. Greetings and good luck with upgrading, JAN van de Wouw Thinking Different... Using a Mac... Living the Dream... Driving a DeLorean... #05141 "Dagger" since Sept. 2000 check out the Delorean-Files at: http://www.deloreanfiles.nl/ ------------------------------