The common fixed resistor comes with a variety of colorful bands. Do they mean annihilation? Yes, they do! These colors give vital information about the resistor. Read this commodity to larn what they mean.

What Is a Resistor?

A resistor is an electrical component that is used to create resistance in circuits. This resistance can exist utilized in many ways, like dividing the voltage or reducing the current. There are many types of resistors. However, the one that we're going to work with in this article is the well-nigh common one: the 4-band fixed resistor. A resistor works by changing the three factors in the resistance formula. R = pL / A Based on this formula, to create and increase resistance, you lot can:

  1. Increase the p or resistivity by using a less conductive material.
  2. Increase the L or length.
  3. Reduce the A or cantankerous-section area.

A fixed resistor basically does all iii of these at the same fourth dimension. The resistor uses carbon, which is a less conductive cloth, and has a thin long structure that increases the length while reducing the cross-section area.

Resistor Bands

Stock-still resistors have color bands to inform you lot of their properties. Each band adds one piece of information to the whole flick, depending on its position and its colour. In that location are 3 major types of stock-still resistors:

  • 4-ring: This is the most common type of resistor. The first ii bands betoken the significant digits, the third band indicates the multiplier, and the 4th band indicates the tolerance.
  • v-ring: This is similar to the 4-ring, except that it has three bands for significant digits. The fourth band indicates the multiplier and the last band indicates the tolerance.
  • 6-band: This one introduces an entirely new ring type. Aside from all the bands in the 5-band resistor, this resistor as well has a sixth band, indicating the temperature coefficient.

You'll have to put together the numbers each band represents to summate the resistance.

iv-Band 5-Ring 6-Ring
1st Band Beginning digit Commencement digit First digit
2nd Ring 2d digit Second digit 2d digit
3rd Band Multiplier Third digit Third digit
fourth Band Tolerance Multiplier Multiplier
fifth Band Tolerance Tolerance
6th Ring Temperature coefficient

The Digit Bands

The digit bands utilise the same color codes for the digits they want to express. In a 4-band resistor, the digit bands are the offset two bands, and in a 5- or 6-band resistor, the first three will be the digit bands. The digit bands can exist in any of the 10 colors, which stand for the digits 0 to nine. The offset digit, however, can't be black (which represents nil) since information technology would be quite pointless.

Color Value
Chocolate-brown 1
Ruby-red ii
Orange 3
Yellow four
Green five
Blue 6
Violet vii
Grayness 8
White nine
Black (never in the first band) 0

In one case you put the digits each color represents together, you lot have the significant digits for your resistance value in ohms. All that remains is to observe out the multiplier.

The Multiplier Ring

The multiplier band indicates the value your digits are multiplied with. This is the third band in a 4-band resistor type and the 4th band in 5- or 6-band types.

Color Value
Blackness x1
Brown x10
Blood-red x100
Orangish x1,000
Yellow x10,000
Green x100,000
Blue x1,000,000
Violet x10,000,000
Gray x100,000,000
White x1,000,000,000

For example, if yous take an orangish multiplier band it means your resistor is in the kilohm scale.

The Tolerance Band

Tolerance is basically the mistake margin of your resistor. This means that your resistor won't always be resisting exactly with the value information technology's supposed to. A tolerance of 10% on a 100 ohm resistor ways that the resistance can exist anywhere from 90 to 110 ohms.

Color Value
Brown ±1%
Red ±ii%
Orange ±three%
Yellow ±4%
Green ±0.5%
Blue ±0.25%
Violet ±0.10%
Gray ±0.05%
Gold ±five%
Silver ±ten%

The to the lowest degree tolerance in typical resistors is ±0.05%, represented by gray, and the most is ±ten%, represented by argent. Silverish and gray may sound similar they can be mistaken for ane some other, only the metal glow of the silver band color hands distinguishes it from grayness. The tolerance band is the final band in a iv-band resistor blazon and the fifth band in a 5- or 6-band type.

The Temperature Coefficient Ring

The 6-ring resistors have a special final band that indicates the temperature coefficient of the resistor. Resistance changes when the temperature changes; the amount (how much the resistance changes per each unit of temperature) and direction (whether the resistance increases or decreases) both depend on the material. The common stock-still resistors are made of carbon and their resistance decreases with estrus. The sixth band, combined with the offset four bands, tin can tell yous how much exactly it changes per temperature unit.

Color Value
Black 250 ppm/ºC
Chocolate-brown 100 ppm/ºC
Red 50 ppm/ºC
Orange 15 ppm/ºC
Yellow 25 ppm/ºC
Green xx ppm/ºC
Bluish 10 ppm/ºC
Violet 5 ppm/ºC
Greyness ane ppm/ºC

The temperature coefficient is expressed in ppm/ºC, which is parts per million per degree Celsius. To translate this to ohm/ºC, all you need to do is to multiply the temperature coefficient with the resistance of the resistor, and then split it by a one thousand thousand. This will give you a value in ohm/ºC which tells you how much the resistance volition drop with every degree Celsius of increased temperature.

Putting Information technology All Together

When it comes to resistor bands, each color represents a number. The number a colour represents depends on the band'south position. For instance, in a iv-band resistor, violet on the showtime band means seven, whereas violet on the 3rd band ways x10,000,000. To translate the resistor band colors, you lot'll take to consider the color and the sequence. Allow's put it all together with ii examples.

Resistor Case one

A 4-band 3.3 megohm resistor.

Here's a simple 4-band resistor. Let'southward run across if we can determine its backdrop just by looking at it.

  1. The beginning band: The offset band is in orange, and according to the tabular array in the previous sections, orangish stands for 3.
  2. The 2d ring: The second band is in orange also, so this is another 3. Then far nosotros take 33.
  3. The third band: Since this is a iv-band resistor, the third band is the multiplier. A greenish multiplier band means x100,000. By now nosotros know that we have a three,300,000 ohm or 3.3 megohm resistor.
  4. The fourth band: The terminal band in a 4-band resistor is the tolerance band. This is going to indicate the error margin for your resistor. The fourth band in this resistor is gold, and that means ±5%. Golden and silver tolerance bands are the nigh mutual.

And then and so, the resistor in the picture is a iii.3 megohm resistor with a tolerance of ±5%. The tolerance combined with the resistance value ways that the minimum resistance for this resistor is three.135 megohms (-five%) and the maximum is 3.465 megohms (+5%).

Resistor Example 2

A 4-band 15 kilohm resistor.

Hither's another iv-band resistor. The waypoint is just similar the previous example:

  1. First ring: The starting time digit band is dark-brown, which represents one.
  2. Second ring: The second digit band is green, which represents 5.
  3. Tertiary band: The multiplier band is orangish, which represents x1,000. And then far we have 15,000 ohms (15 kilohms).
  4. 4th ring: The tolerance band is golden, like the previous example, which means the tolerance is ±5%.

So if you put all this information together, y'all'll know that this is a 15 kilohm resistor. The minimum resistance is 14.25 kilohms (-5%) and the maximum resistance is 15.75 kilohms (+v%).

No Demand for an Ohmmeter

You don't ever demand to use an ohmmeter to find out the resistance of a resistor. If your resistor has color bands on information technology, you tin can tell how much resistance it's packing but by simply observing it. Now that you know what resistor you have, it's the right time to solder it into your circuit.

What Is a Breadboard and How Does It Piece of work? A Quick Crash Course

Want to learn DIY electronics? You might have received a breadboard in your starter kit. But what is a breadboard and how does it work?

Read Next

About The Author