ELECTRICAL TECH

GRADE 10

NYKHIRIE THOMPSON
10E1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Resistors…………………………………………………………………………………..2

Categories of resistors………………………………………………………………3

Advantages and disadvantages of fixed vs variable resistors…….9

Resistor color coding……………………………………………………………….10

 RESISTORS
A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical component that
implements electrical resistance as a circuit element. In
electronic circuits, resistors are used to reduce current flow,
adjust signal levels, to divide voltages, bias active elements,
and terminate transmission lines, among other uses. 
Their manufacture involves depositing a film of resistive
material such as tin oxide on a tiny ceramic chip. The edges
of the resistor are then accurately ground or cut with a laser
to give a precise resistance (which depends on the width of
the resistor film), across the ends of the device.
The resistors are mainly divided into two types, first Fixed
Resistors and second, variable resistors. In Fixed resistors,
the electrical resistance of the resistor the remains same
while in variable resistor it does change with some physical
variable.
 CATEGORIES OF RESISTORS
TYPES OF FIXED RESISTORS

Wire wound resistor

A wire wound resistor is an electrical passive device that

limits or restricts current flow in a circuit.

The conductive wire can be made of varying alloys and

thickness to control the resistance value. Wire wound
resistors are typically used in high power and industrial
applications such as circuit breakers and fuses.
Carbon composition resistors
Carbon composition resistors (CCR) consist of a solid
cylindrical resistive element with embedded wire leads or
metal end caps to which the lead wires are attached.

The body of the resistor is protected with paint or plastic.

Higher concentrations of carbon, which is a good conductor,
result in lower resistance.
Foil Resistor

A foil resistor is produced using a thin piece of photoetched

resistive material. This etching is used to produced the
desired resistance value. Due to the great stability of foil
designs, Current Sense resistors commonly use this
construction.
Metal Film Resistor

Metal film resistors have a thin metal layer as resistive

element on a non-conducting body. They are among the
most common types of axial resistors. Other film type
resistors are carbon film and thick and thin film resistors. In
most literature, the term "metal film resistor" implies it is a
cylindrical axial resistor.
 TYPES OF VARIABLE RESISTORS

Thermistor

A thermistor is a resistance thermometer, or a resistor

whose resistance is dependent on temperature. The term is a
combination of “thermal” and “resistor”. It is made of
metallic oxides, pressed into a bead, disk, or cylindrical shape
and then encapsulated with an impermeable material such as
epoxy or glass.
The Potentiometer

A potentiometer is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding or

rotating contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If
only two terminals are used, one end and the wiper, it acts as
a variable resistor or rheostat. 

Magneto resistor

Magneto resistor is a type of resistor whose resistance

changes when an external magnetic field is applied. In other
words, the flow of electric current through the magneto
resistor changes when an external magnetic field is applied to
it
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
OF RESISTORS
Variable resistors
The disadvantage of variable resistors is that you will need
them in specific spots, which would require more parts if you
want to separate the circuit into different parts. Besides,
variable resistors do not work in any area where vibration is
involved. The advantage of variable resistors is that you have
more control over the voltage. You can also adjust the
amount of voltage flowing through a circuit.

Fixed resistors
Resistors with high resistance will oppose large amount of
electric current. Hence, large amount of energy is wasted in
the form of heat. The main advantages of these resistors are
their high stability, wide operating range, low noise, and
low cost.
 RESISTOR COLOR CODING

Resistor Color Coding uses colored bands to quickly identify a

resistors resistive value and its percentage of tolerance with
the physical size of the resistor indicating its wattage rating.
The colors brown, red, green, blue, and violet are used as
tolerance codes on 5-band resistors only. The colour code is
given by several bands. Together they specify the resistance
value, the tolerance, and sometimes the reliability or failure
rate. The number of bands varies from three to six. At a
minimum, two bands indicate the resistance value and one
band serves as multiplier.