Resistors Page 1 of 7

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Res is tor s
T he r es is tor 's function is to r educe the flow of electr ic cur r ent.
T his s ymbol is us ed to indicate a r es is tor in a cir cuit diagr am, known as a
s chematic.
Res is tance value is des ignated in units called the " Ohm." A 1000 Ohm r es is tor is typically
s hown as 1K - Ohm ( k ilo Ohm ), and 1000 K - Ohms is wr itten as 1M- Ohm ( megohm ).

T her e ar e two clas s es of r es is tor s ; fix ed r es is tor s and the var iable r es is tor s . T hey ar e als o
clas s ified accor ding to the mater ial fr om which they ar e made. T he typical r es is tor is
made of either car bon film or metal film. T her e ar e other types as well, but thes e ar e the
mos t common.
T he r es is tance value of the r es is tor is not the only thing to cons ider when s electing a
r es is tor for us e in a cir cuit. T he " toler ance" and the electr ic power r atings of the r es is tor
ar e als o impor tant.
T he toler ance of a r es is tor denotes how clos e it is to the actual r ated r es is tence value.
For ex ample, a ± 5% toler ance would indicate a r es is tor that is within ± 5% of the
s pecified r es is tance value.
T he power r ating indicates how much power the r es is tor can s afely toler ate. Jus t like you
wouldn't us e a 6 volt flas hlight lamp to r eplace a bur ned out light in your hous e, you
wouldn't us e a 1/8 watt r es is tor when you s hould be us ing a 1/2 watt r es is tor .

T he max imum r ated power of the r es is tor is s pecified in Watts .

Power is calculated us ing the s quar e of the cur r ent ( I 2 ) x the r es is tance value ( R ) of
the r es is tor . I f the max imum r ating of the r es is tor is ex ceeded, it will become ex tr emely
hot, and even bur n.
Res is tor s in electr onic cir cuits ar e typicaly r ated 1/8W, 1/4W, and 1/2W. 1/8W is almos t
always us ed in s ignal cir cuit applications .
When power ing a light emitting diode, a compar atively lar ge cur r ent flows thr ough the
r es is tor , s o you need to cons ider the power r ating of the r es is tor you choos e.

Rating electr ic power

For ex ample, to power a 5V cir cuit us ing a 12V s upply, a thr ee- ter minal voltage
r egulator is us ually us ed.
However , if you tr y to dr op the voltage fr om 12V to 5V us ing only a r es is tor , then
you need to calculate the power r ating of the r es is tor as well as the r es is tance
value.

At this time, the cur r ent cons umed by the 5V cir cuit needs to be known.
Her e ar e a few ways to find out how much cur r ent the cir cuit demands .
As s emble the cir cuit and meas ur e the actual cur r ent us ed with a multi- meter .
Check the component's cur r ent us e agains t a s tandar d table.
As s ume the cur r ent cons umed is 100 mA (milliamps ) in the following ex ample.
7V mus t be dr opped with the r es is tor . T he r es is tance value of the r es is tor becomes
7V / 0.1A = 70(ohm). T he cons umption of electr ic power for this r es is tor becomes
0.1A x 0.1A x 70 ohm = 0.7W.
Gener ally, it's s afe to choos e a r es is tor which has a power r ating of about twice the
power cons umption needed.

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Res is tance value

As for the s tandar d r es is tance value, the values us ed can be divided like a
logar ithm. ( S ee the logar ithm table )
For ex ample, in the cas e of E3, T he values [ 1] , [ 2.2] , [ 4.7] and [ 10] ar e us ed.
T hey divide 10 into thr ee, lik e a logar ithm.
I n the cas e of E 6 : [ 1] , [ 1.5] , [ 2.2], [ 3.3] , [ 4.7] , [ 6.8] , [ 10] .
I n the cas e of E 12 : [ 1] , [ 1.2] , [ 1.5], [ 1.8] , [ 2.2] , [ 2.7] , [ 3.3] , [3.9] , [ 4.7] , [ 5.6] ,
[6.8] , [ 8.2] , [ 10] .
I t is becaus e of this that the r es is tance value is s een at a glance to be a dis cr ete
value.
T he r es is tance value is dis played us ing the color code( the color ed bar s /the color ed
s tr ipes ), becaus e the aver age r es is tor is too s mall to have the value pr inted on it
with number s .
You had better lear n the color code, becaus e almos t all r es is tor s of 1/2W or les s
us e the color code to dis play the r es is tance value.

Fix ed Res is tor s

A fix ed r es is tor is one in which the value of its r es is tance cannot change.

Car bon f i lm r es i s t or s

T his is the mos t gener al pur pos e, cheap r es is tor . Us ually the toler ance of the
r es is tance value is ± 5% . Power r atings of 1/8W, 1/4W and 1/2W ar e fr equently
us ed.
Car bon film r es is tor s have a dis advantage; they tend to be electr ically nois y. Metal
film r es is tor s ar e r ecommended for us e in analog cir cuits . However , I have never
ex per ienced any pr oblems with this nois e.
T he phys ical s iz e of the differ ent r es is tor s ar e as follows .

R ou gh s iz e

R at i n g pow er T h ickn es s L en gt h
(W ) ( mm) ( mm)
Fr om the top of the photogr aph 1/8 2 3
1/8W 1/4 2 6
1/4W
1/2 3 9
1/2W

T his r es is tor is called a S ingle- I n- Line(S I L )

r es is tor networ k . I t is made with many r es is tor s

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of the s ame value, all in one package. One s ide of each r es is tor is connected with
one s ide of all the other r es is tor s ins ide. One ex ample of its us e would be to contr ol
the cur r ent in a cir cuit power ing many light emitting diodes (LE Ds ).
I n the photogr aph on the left, 8 r es is tor s ar e hous ed in the package. E ach of the
leads on the pack age is one r es is tor . T he ninth lead on the left s ide is the common
lead. T he face value of the r es is tance is pr inted. ( I t depends on the s upplier . )
S ome r es is tor networ ks have a " 4S " pr inted on the top of the r es is tor networ k . T he
4S indicates that the package contains 4 independent r es is tor s that ar e not wir ed
together ins ide. T he hous ing has eight leads ins tead of nine. T he inter nal wir ing of
thes e typical r es is tor networ ks has been illus tr ated below. T he s iz e (black par t) of
the r es is tor networ k which I have is as follows : For the type with 9 leads , the
thick nes s is 1.8 mm, the height 5mm, and the width 23 mm. For the types with 8
component leads , the thick nes s is 1.8 mm, the height 5 mm, and the width 20 mm.

Met al f i lm r es i s t or s

Metal film r es is tor s ar e us ed when a higher toler ance (mor e accur ate value) is
needed. T hey ar e much mor e accur ate in value than car bon film r es is tor s . T hey
have about ± 0.05% toler ance. T hey have about ± 0.05% toler ance. I don't us e any
high toler ance r es is tor s in my cir cuits . Res is tor s that ar e about ± 1% ar e mor e than
s ufficient. Ni- Cr (Nichr ome) s eems to be us ed for the mater ial of r es is tor . T he
metal film r es is tor is us ed for br idge cir cuits , filter cir cuits , and low- nois e analog
s ignal cir cuits .

R ou gh s iz e

R at i n g pow er T h ickn es s L en gt h
(W ) ( mm) ( mm)

Fr om the top of the photogr aph 1/8 2 3

1/8W (toler ance ± 1% ) 1/4 2 6
1/4W (toler ance ± 1% ) 1 3.5 12
1W (toler ance ± 5% )
2W (toler ance ± 5% ) 2 5 15

Var iable Res is tor s

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T her e ar e two gener al ways in which var iable r es is tor s ar e us ed. One is the var iable
r es is tor which value is eas ily changed, like the volume adj us tment of Radio. T he
other is s emi- fix ed r es is tor that is not meant to be adj us ted by anyone but a
technician. I t is us ed to adj us t the oper ating condition of the cir cuit by the
technician. S emi- fix ed r es is tor s ar e us ed to compens ate for the inaccur acies of the
r es is tor s , and to fine- tune a cir cuit. T he r otation angle of the var iable r es is tor is
us ually about 300 degr ees . S ome var iable r es is tor s mus t be tur ned many times to
us e the whole r ange of r es is tance they offer . T his allows for ver y pr ecis e
adj us tments of their value. T hes e ar e called " Potentiometer s " or " T r immer
Potentiometer s ."

I n the photogr aph to the left,

the var iable r es is tor typically
us ed for volume contr ols can be
s een on the far r ight. I ts value
is ver y eas y to adj us t.
T he four r es is tor s at the center
of the photogr aph ar e the s emi-
fix ed type. T hes e ones ar e
mounted on the pr inted cir cuit
boar d.
T he two r es is tor s on the left ar e
the tr immer potentiometer s .

T his s ymbol is us ed to indicate a var iable r es is tor in a cir cuit diagr am.

T her e ar e thr ee ways in which a var iable

r es is tor 's value can change accor ding to
the r otation angle of its ax is .
When type " A" r otates clockwis e, at fir s t,
the r es is tance value changes s lowly and
then in the s econd half of its ax is , it
changes ver y quickly.
T he " A" type var iable r es is tor is typically
us ed for the volume contr ol of a r adio, for
ex ample. I t is well s uited to adj us t a low
s ound s ubtly. I t s uits the char acter is tics
of the ear . T he ear hear s low s ound
changes well, but is n't as s ens itive to s mall changes in loud s ounds . A lar ger
change is needed as the volume is incr eas ed. T hes e " A" type var iable r es is tor s ar e
s ometimes called " audio taper " potentiometer s .
As for type " B " , the r otation of the ax is and the change of the r es is tance value ar e
dir ectly r elated. T he r ate of change is the s ame, or linear , thr oughout the s weep of
the ax is . T his type s uits a r es is tance value adj us tment in a cir cuit, a balance cir cuit
and s o on.
T hey ar e s ometimes called " linear taper " potentiometer s .
T ype " C" changes ex actly the oppos ite way to type " A" . I n the ear ly s tages of the
r otation of the ax is , the r es is tance value changes r apidly, and in the s econd half,
the change occur s mor e s lowly. T his type is n't too much us ed. I t is a s pecial us e.
As for the var iable r es is tor , mos t ar e type " A" or type " B " .

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CDS E lements

S ome components can change r es is tance value by changes in the amount of light
hitting them. One type is the Cadmium S ulfide Photocell. (Cd) T he mor e light that
hits it, the s maller its r es is tance value becomes .
T her e ar e many types of thes e devices . T hey var y accor ding to light s ens itivity,
s iz e, r es is tance value etc.

Pictur ed at the left is a typical CDS photocell.

I ts diameter is 8 mm, 4 mm high, with a
cylinder for m. When br ight light is hitting it,
the value is about 200 ohms , and when in the
dar k, the r es is tance value is about 2M ohms .
T his device is us ing for the head lamp
illumination confir mation device of the car , for
ex ample.

Other Res is tor s

T her e is another type of r es is tor other than the car bon- film type and the metal film
r es is tor s . I t is the wir ewound r es is tor .
A wir ewound r es is tor is made of metal r es is tance wir e, and becaus e of this , they
can be manufactur ed to pr ecis e values . Als o, high- wattage r es is tor s can be made
by us ing a thick wir e mater ial. Wir ewound r es is tor s cannot be us ed for high-
fr equency cir cuits . Coils ar e us ed in high fr equency cir cuits . S ince a wir ewound
r es is tor is a wir e wr apped ar ound an ins ulator , it is als o a coil, in a manner of
s peaking. Us ing one could change the behavior of the cir cuit. S till another type of
r es is tor is the Cer amic r es is tor . T hes e ar e wir ewound r es is tor s in a cer amic cas e,
s tr engthened with a s pecial cement. T hey have ver y high power r atings , fr om 1 or
2 watts to doz ens of watts . T hes e r es is tor s can become ex tr emely hot when us ed
for high power applications , and this mus t be taken into account when des igning
the cir cuit. T hes e devices can eas ily get hot enough to bur n you if you touch one.

T he photogr aph on the left is of wir ewound

r es is tor s .
T he upper one is 10W and is the length of
45 mm, 13 mm thick nes s .
T he lower one is 50W and is the length of 75
mm, 29 mm thicknes s .
T he upper one is has metal fittings attached.
T hes e devices ar e ins ulated with a cer amic
coating.

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T he photogr aph on above is a cer amic (or

cement) r es is tor of 5W and is the height of
9 mm, 9 mm depth, 22 mm width.

T her mis tor ( T her mally s ens itive r es is tor )

T he r es is tance value of the ther mis tor changes accor ding

to temper atur e.
T his par t is us ed as a temper atur e s ens or .

T her e ar e mainly thr ee types of ther mis tor .

N T C( N egat i ve T em per at u r e Coef f ici en t T h er m is t or )

: With this type, the r es is tance value decr eas es continuous ly as the
temper atur e r is es .

P T C( P os it i ve T em per at u r e Coef f ici en t T h er m is t or )

: With this type, the r es is tance value incr eas es s uddenly when the
temper atur e r is es above a s pecific point.

CT R ( Cr it i cal T em per at u r e R es i s t er T h er m i s t or )
: With this type, the r es is tance value decr eas es s uddenly when the
temper atur e r is es above a s pecific point.

T he NT C type is us ed for the temper atur e contr ol.

T he r elation between the temper atur e and the r es is tance value of the NT C type
can be calculated us ing the following for mula.

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R : T he r es is tance value at the temper atur e T

T : T he temper atur e [K ]
R 0 : T he r es is tance value at the r efer ence temper atur e T 0

T 0 : T he r efer ence temper atur e [ K ]

B : T he coefficient

As the r efer ence temper atur e, typically, 25° C is us ed.

T he unit with the temper atur e is the abs olute temper atur e(Value of which
0 was - 273° C) in K (K elvin).
25° C ar e the 298 k elvins .

Res is tor color code

T oler an ce
Col or Valu e Mu lt i pl ier
(% )

B lack 0 0 -

B r ow n 1 1 ±1

R ed 2 2 ±2
Ex ample 1
(B r own= 1),(B lack = 0),(Or ange= 3) Or an ge 3 3 ± 0.05
10 x 10 3 = 10k ohm
Y el low 4 4 -
T oler ance(Gold) = ± 5%
Gr een 5 5 ± 0.5

B lu e 6 6 ± 0.25

Vi olet 7 7 ± 0.1

Gr ay 8 8 -

W h it e 9 9 -

Gol d - -1 ±5
Ex ample 2
(Yellow= 4),(Violet= 7),(B lack= 0), S il ver - -2 ± 10
(Red= 2)
470 x 10 2 = 47k ohm N on e - - ± 20
T oler ance(B r own) = ± 1%

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