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Sam Goldwasser
 
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"klasspappa[remove]" writes:

A diod is a diod, not a resistor.
See it as a current source, and put it into a opamp to form a current
to voltage converter...


Even simpler: Just hook it to a multimeter on mA and shine a light on it.

With your laser diode, the output should be somewhere around 0.2 to 0.5 mA/mW.

For more accuracy, reverse bias it with a few V and measure the current.

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Robert Wolcott wrote:
I have a silicon photodiode and I'm unsure if it is working or not.
How would I go about testing it? Things I have done so far:
Measured the resistance - 50 megs in either orientation, regardless
of lighting condition.
Measured resistance with a 5mw diode laser shining on it.
Anything else I should do? How do these typically fail?
Thanks,
Bob