Sorry about your loss, blord.
It is out of fear for this very kind of event that I tend to order two identical diodes at at the same time..
The leads can only take so much flexing and they will break. Avoid bending them at all costs! If you must bend them, bend them only once to their final position.
Static can zap them in the briefest of lapses in safe static handling. I have never used wrist straps or anti-static work mats myself, but one thing I DO is wrap a very fine strand of wire at the base around all the pins while I am working with it, pushing it down to the can so its not in the way when soldering to the pins.
When soldering wire leads to the pins, I always twist or solder together the other ends not going to the diode so it will be shorted when the second pin is soldered.
I remove the wire strand previously wrapped around the pins only after it has been hooked up to the driver. Don't use too much solder so this wire strand doesn't get any solder stuck to it or you will have problems removing it later.
NEVER trust mechanical connections to your diode, not even temporarily. This means don't use alligator clips or twist wires or use solderless breadboards for any of the connections between the diode and the driver, or in the driver circuit itself. All it takes is one little glitch to spike your diode into oblivion.
Don't go any where near your diode until you prove to yourself that you can make very small solder connections with no excess solder and no cold solder joints with small wires on junk parts. Yank on the wires to test the strength of your soldering job. If it looks bad it IS bad, so keep trying. Learn to get the feel for how solder flows and wets the wires and the leads. Have a little extra flux on hand to help clean up solder joints without adding extra solder. If you get extra solder on a connection, try to remove it. Blobs are bad. Be able to do this all without applying heat for more than 1-2 seconds at a time. Pre-tin leads and wire before connecting. I can't over emphasize how important excellent soldering skills are.
Doing these things, I have not lost a diode yet. I cracked the window on one once pressing in into the module poorly, but that is all.
As already advised: Don't be in a hurry. its better to wait for your viewing pleasure of the glorious photons, than to helplessly watch your diode wink out of existence forever.
Dan
