Resistors

Colour Code | Tolerance | Real Values (E6 & E12 series) | Power Rating

Also see: Resistance | Ohm's Law

Example: Circuit symbol:

Function

Resistors restrict the flow of electric current, for example a resistor is

placed in series with a light-emitting diode (LED) to limit
the current passing through the LED. The Resistor
Colour Code
Connecting and soldering Colour Number
Black 0
Resistors may be connected either way round. They are Brown 1
not damaged by heat when soldering. Red 2
Orange 3
Yellow 4
Green 5
Blue 6
Violet 7
Grey 8
White 9

Resistor values - the resistor colour code

Resistance is measured in ohms, the symbol for ohm is an omega .

1 is quite small so resistor values are often given in k and M .
1 k = 1000 1 M = 1000000 .

Resistor values are normally shown using coloured bands.

Each colour represents a number as shown in the table.

Most resistors have 4 bands:

• The first band gives the first digit.

• The second band gives the second digit.
 • The third band indicates the number of zeros.
• The fourth band is used to shows the tolerance (precision) of the
resistor, this may be ignored for almost all circuits but further
details are givenbelow.

This resistor has red (2), violet (7), yellow (4 zeros) and gold bands.
So its value is 270000 = 270 k .
On circuit diagrams the is usually omitted and the value is written
270K.

Find out how to make your own Resistor Colour Code

Calculator

Small value resistors (less than 10 ohm)

The standard colour code cannot show values of less than 10 . To

show these small values two special colours are used for the third
band: gold which means × 0.1 and silver which means × 0.01. The first
and second bands represent the digits as normal.

For example:
red, violet, gold bands represent 27 × 0.1 = 2.7
green, blue, silver bands represent 56 × 0.01 = 0.56

Tolerance of resistors (fourth band of colour code)

The tolerance of a resistor is shown by the fourth bandof the colour

code. Tolerance is the precision of the resistor and it is given as a
percentage. For example a 390 resistor with a tolerance of ±10% will
have a value within 10% of 390 , between 390 - 39 = 351 and 390 +
39 = 429 (39 is 10% of 390).

A special colour code is used for the fourth bandtolerance:

silver ±10%, gold ±5%, red ±2%, brown ±1%.
If no fourth band is shown the tolerance is ±20%.
Tolerance may be ignored for almost all circuits because precise
resistor values are rarely required.

Resistor shorthand

Resistor values are often written on circuit diagrams using a code

system which avoids using a decimal point because it is easy to miss
the small dot. Instead the letters R, K and M are used in place of the
decimal point. To read the code: replace the letter with a decimal point,
then multiply the value by 1000 if the letter was K, or 1000000 if the
letter was M. The letter R means multiply by 1.

For example:

560R means 560

2K7 means 2.7 k = 2700
39K means 39 k
1M0 means 1.0 M = 1000 k

Real resistor values (the E6 and E12 series)

You may have noticed that resistors are not available with every
possible value, for example 22k and 47k are readily available, but 25k
and 50k are not!

Why is this? Imagine that you decided to make resistors every 10

giving 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and so on. That seems fine, but what happens
when you reach 1000? It would be pointless to make 1000, 1010, 1020,
1030 and so on because for these values 10 is a very small difference,
too small to be noticeable in most circuits. In fact it would be difficult to
make resistors sufficiently accurate.

To produce a sensible range of resistor values you need to increase the

size of the 'step' as the value increases. The standard resistor values
are based on this idea and they form a series which follows the same
pattern for every multiple of ten.

The E6 series (6 values for each multiple of ten, for resistors with 20%
tolerance)
10, 15, 22, 33, 47, 68, ... then it continues 100, 150, 220, 330, 470, 680,
1000 etc.
Notice how the step size increases as the value increases. For this
series the step (to the next value) is roughly half the value.

The E12 series (12 values for each multiple of ten, for resistors with
10% tolerance)
10, 12, 15, 18, 22, 27, 33, 39, 47, 56, 68, 82, ... then it continues 100,
120, 150 etc.
Notice how this is the E6 series with an extra value in the gaps.

The E12 series is the one most frequently used for resistors. It allows
you to choose a value within 10% of the precise value you need. This is
sufficiently accurate for almost all projects and it is sensible because
most resistors are only accurate to ±10% (called their 'tolerance'). For
example a resistor marked 390 could vary by ±10% × 390 = ±39 , so
it could be any value between 351 and 429 .

Resistors in Series and Parallel

For information on resistors connected in

series and parallel please see
the Resistance page,

High power resistors

(5W top, 25W bottom)

Photographs © Rapid Electronics

Power Ratings of Resistors

Electrical energy is converted to heat when current flows through a

resistor. Usually the effect is negligible, but if the resistance is low (or
the voltage across the resistor high) a large current may pass making
the resistor become noticeably warm. The resistor must be able to
 withstand the heating effect and resistors have power ratings to show
this.

Power ratings of resistors are rarely quoted in parts lists because for
most circuits the standard power ratings of 0.25W or 0.5W are suitable.
For the rare cases where a higher power is required it should be clearly
specified in the parts list, these will be circuits using low value
resistors (less than about 300 ) orhigh voltages (more than 15V).

The power, P, developed in a resistor is given by:

P = I² × R where: P = power developed in the resistor in watts (W)

or I = current through the resistor in amps (A)
P = V² / R R = resistance of the resistor in ohms ( )
V = voltage across the resistor in volts (V)

Examples:

• A 470 resistor with 10V across it, needs a power rating P = V²/R
= 10²/470 = 0.21W.
In this case a standard 0.25W resistor would be suitable.
• A 27 resistor with 10V across it, needs a power rating P = V²/R =
10²/27 = 3.7W.
A high power resistor with a rating of 5W would be suitable.
 Uses of Breadboard

A breadboard is used to make

up temporary circuits for testing or to try
out an idea. No soldering is required so it
is easy to change connections and
replace components. Parts will not be
damaged so they will be available to re-use afterwards.

Almost all the Electronics Club projects started life on a breadboard to

check that the circuit worked as intended.

The photograph shows a typical small breadboard which is suitable for

beginners building simple circuits with one or two ICs (chips). Larger
sizes are available and you may wish to buy one of these to start with.

Connections on Breadboard

Breadboards have many tiny sockets (called 'holes') arranged on a 0.1"

grid. The leads of most components can be pushed straight into the
holes. ICs are inserted across the central gap with their notch or dot to
the left.

Wire links can be made with single-core plastic-coated wire of 0.6mm

diameter (the standard size). Stranded wire is not suitable because it
will crumple when pushed into a hole and it may damage the board if
strands break off.

The diagram shows how the breadboard holes are connected:

The top and bottom rows are linked horizontally all the way across as
shown by the red and black lines on the diagram. The power supply is
connected to these rows, + at the top and 0V (zero volts) at the bottom.

I suggest using the upper row of the bottom pair for 0V, then you can use the
lower row for the negative supply with circuits requiring a dual supply (e.g. +9V,
0V, -9V).
The other holes are linked vertically in blocks of 5 with no link across
the centre as shown by the blue lines on the diagram. Notice how there
are separate blocks of connections to each pin of ICs.

Large Breaboards
On larger breadboards there may be a break halfway along the top and bottom
power supply rows. It is a good idea to link across the gap before you start to
build a circuit, otherwise you may forget and part of your circuit will have no
power!

Building a Circuit on Breadboard

Converting a circuit diagram to a breadboard layout is not

straightforward because the arrangement of components on breadboard
will look quite different from the circuit diagram.

When putting parts on

breadboard you must
concentrate on
their connections, not
their positions on the
circuit diagram. The IC
(chip) is a good starting
point so place it in the
centre of the breadboard
and work round it pin by
pin, putting in all the
connections and
components for each pin Monostable Circuit Diagram
in turn.

The best way to explain this is by example, so the process of building

this 555 timer circuit on breadboard is listed step-by-step below.

The circuit is a monostable which means it will turn on the LED for about
5 seconds when the 'trigger' button is pressed. The time period is
determined by R1 and C1 and you may wish to try changing their
values. R1 should be in the range 1k to 1M .

Time Period, T = 1.1 × R1 × C1

For further information please see 555 monostable.

IC pin numbers

IC pins are numbered anti-clockwise around the IC starting near the

notch or dot. The diagram shows the numbering for 8-pin and 14-pin
ICs, but the principle is the same for all sizes.

Components without suitable leads

Some components such as switches and variable resistors do not have

suitable leads of their own so you must solder some on yourself.
Use single-core plastic-coated wire of 0.6mm diameter (the standard
size). Stranded wire is not suitable because it will crumple when pushed
into a hole and it may damage the board if strands break off.

Building the
example
circuit

Begin by carefully
insert the 555 IC
in the centre of the
breadboard with
its notch or dot to
the left.

Then deal with

each pin of the
555: Monostable Circuit on Breadboard

1. Connect a wire (black) to 0V.

2. Connect the 10k resistor to +9V.
Connect a push switch to 0V (you will need to solder leads onto
the switch)
 3. Connect the 470 resistor to an used block of 5 holes, then...
Connect an LED (any colour) from that block to 0V (short lead to
0V).
4. Connect a wire (red) to +9V.
5. Connect the 0.01µF capacitor to 0V.
You will probably find that its leads are too short to connect directly, so put
in a wire link to an unused block of holes and connect to that.
6. Connect the 100µF capacitor to 0V (+ lead to pin 6).
Connect a wire (blue) to pin 7.
7. Connect 47k resistor to +9V.
Check: there should be a wire already connected to pin 6.
8. Connect a wire (red) to +9V.

Finally...

• Check all the connections carefully.

• Check that parts are the correct way round (LED and 100µF
capacitor).
• Check that no leads are touching (unless they connect to the
same block).
• Connect the breadboard to a 9V supply and press the push switch
to test the circuit.

If your circuit does not work disconnect (or switch off) the power supply
and very carefully re-check every connection against the circuit
diagram.