EOL signal — last-time-buy window on a 1.5 kW axial TVS
The 1.5KE18-E3/73: The Vishay 1.5KE18-/73 is marked Obsolete on the manufacturer's lifecycle record. That means the production line has been shut — no further factory orders are accepted. The only supply channel is independent distribution holding remaining date-code lots, verified for authenticity and tested per the original datasheet limits.
Clamping parametrics and the protection envelope
This is a 1500 W (1.5 kW) peak pulse power Zener TVS in the TransZorb® series, rated for a 10/1000 µs waveform. The reverse standoff voltage is 14.5 V — the rail it protects should never exceed this in normal operation. Breakdown triggers at a minimum of 16.2 V, and the clamping voltage at full peak pulse current (56.6 A,) is 26.5 V max. That 26.5 V ceiling is what the downstream silicon sees during the surge; if the protected device's abs-max rating sits below that, the TVS will not save it.
Mounted through-hole in a DO-201AA (DO-27) axial-lead package. The lead spacing and body diameter match the standard 1.5KE footprint — a drop-in replacement for any 1.5KE-series part with the same breakdown voltage.