1500 W bidirectional TVS for 17 V rails
The 1.5SMC20CAHE3/57T: It clamps a 17.1 V reverse standoff rail at 27.7 V max, passing 54.2 A peak pulse current before the silicon breaks down. The breakdown voltage starts at 19 V minimum, so a 17 V supply bus sees no leakage until a transient pushes past that threshold. This is the clamping point that protects downstream ICs from surges like load-dump or inductive kickback.
It operates across -65°C to 150°C junction temperature, covering under-hood and engine-bay thermal profiles. The TransZorb® series is Vishay's branded TVS family, optimized for fast clamping response. Bidirectional channels (1) let it protect AC-coupled or bipolar signal lines without needing two diodes back-to-back.
DO-214AB SMC package and rework considerations
Housed in a DO-214AB (SMC) surface-mount package, the part has a large copper tab on the cathode side (or anode for the bidirectional variant) that sinks heat during the pulse. For the rework bench: the SMC body is about 8 mm long with a 2.5 mm width — it takes a standard hot-air nozzle at 300°C for 30 seconds. The tin-plated terminations wet well with leaded or lead-free solder. Pin 1 orientation is marked by a band on the body; the bidirectional variant has no polarity band, so double-check the silkscreen before placing.
Supplied in tape and reel (TR) packaging for automated pick-and-place.