# Doorbell Diode



## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

When diode is on front doorbell button, it constantly buzzes?

you mean diode as in light? i don't follow....

DM


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## Wildie (Jul 23, 2008)

hindelicato said:


> Installed new chime unit, new doorbell button on front and regular doorbell on back. When diode is on front doorbell button, it constantly buzzes. I have spent two days on this and I'm a little frustrated. Help


 Try reversing the wires!


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

I'd say the bell end of your setup is wired incorrectly or you could try reversing the diode polarity.

Seems like when the bell is not pressed the chime is getting halfwave rectified DC from the xformer, hopefully of the proper polarity. 
When the button is pressed this input terminal of the chime gets AC and this is the signal to ring for that particular button. 

Can you post a schematic of the chime insides?


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## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

spent two days and didn't try reversing the wires? what else is there? lol

DM


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Never heard of diode on door bell? Are you sure it's a diode? what heppens if you leave it off?
What if you leave the button off? If it still buzzes then you could have a pinched/shorted wire.


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

*doorbell diode*

http://www.musicaldoorbell.com/howtoexisting.htm


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## AndrewF (Dec 29, 2008)

The only other thing I can think of is to flip the diode over....diodes keep electric going in one direction.


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## angryhippo (Apr 10, 2010)

*Reversing the wires may not help*

The half wave rectified detection circuit does not care about the diode polarity. At least according to the patent.

I had the same issue, and it turned out to be the transformer.
Although rated at the 16V required by the chime, it was putting out 19.9Volts

New transformer fixed the issue.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Does the tone of the continuously sounding chime change when the button is pushed? 

The chime unit and the diode button (I assume lighted button) may be incompatible with one another.

The diode is lit by the same current running in the same circuit that operates the chime. In most chimes when the button is not pushed and the diode is lit, the amount of current is not enough to sound the chime.

If the chime unit requires only a few milliamperes through the button circuit then the current that lights the diode may be enough to sound the chime.

In the above example, the transformer with the lesser voltage did not supply enough current to sound the chime when the button was not pushed and the diode was lit.

Or maybe the button was defective (if the diode did not light at all); the button being constantly on.

Flipping the diode over -- By exchanging the wires on the button terminals.


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## brric (Mar 5, 2010)

Diodes do not 'light'.


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## bobelectric (Mar 3, 2007)

brric said:


> Diodes do not 'light'.


I heard they have a "Light Emitting Diode" that promises to be the new energy saver!


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## brric (Mar 5, 2010)

that's an LED not a rectifying diode.


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## bobelectric (Mar 3, 2007)

I've also seen them "emit" smoke.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

Generally an LED will rectify AC just like any other diode. In typical usage the LED is the only thing (besides a current limiting resistor) in the circuit so it doesn't matter that the current flows only in one direction if you applied AC.

I'm told that there are LED's that light up one color when you apply DC one way and they light up a different color when you reverse the polarity. (And a blend of the two colors if you apply AC.) This does violate the definition of "diode".

>>> emit smoke

Too high a transformer voltage will burn out a doorbell button light of any kind. A common reason for increasing the voltage is too thin wires and/or too long a distance from transformer to button to chime.


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## angryhippo (Apr 10, 2010)

*Buzzing doorbell due to rectifying diode. (Not an LED)*

AllanJ,

You are refering to a bicolor LED which has two Light Emitting diodes of opposite polarity.

An LED is a special kind of Diode.

However, all electronic door bells come with a rectifying diode that does not light up.

The discussion thread was not about the light in the button of the doorbell.

The transformers used to lower the voltage going to the door bell are cheaply made, and vary in voltage output. If buzzing occurs when the diode is attached, it usually is caused by the incorrect voltage from the transformer. Ususally located up in the attic, or garage of the house.


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