Friday, August 9, 2013

RESISTOR CIRCUIT SYMBOLS

Resistors ( R ), are the most fundamental and commonly used of all the electronic components, to the point where they are almost taken for granted. The principal job of a resistor within an electrical or electronic circuit is to "resist" (hence the name resistor), regulate or to set the flow of electrons (current) through them by using the type of conductive material from which they are composed. Resistors can also be connected together in various series and parallel combinations to form resistor networks which can act as voltage droppers, voltage dividers or current limiters within a circuit.

Resistors are "Passive Devices", that is they contain no source of power or amplification but only attenuate or reduce the voltage or current signal passing through them. This attenuation results in electrical energy being lost in the form of heat as the resistor resists the flow of electrons through it.

In all Electrical and Electronic circuit diagrams and schematics, the most commonly used symbol for a fixed value resistor is that of a "zig-zag" type line with the value of its resistance given in Ohms, Ω.

The symbol used in schematic and electrical drawings for a Resistor can either be a "zig-zag" type line or a rectangular box. 

The following figures are the electronic symbol for resistor used in different circuits.


Fixed value resistor symbols


Variable Resistor - Rheostat Symbols
Variable Resistor - Potentiometer Symbols
Variable Resistor - Preset Symbols



Reference:

Friday, August 2, 2013

RESISTOR COLOR CODING

A resistor is a passive two-terminal electrical  that implements electrical resistance as a circuit elements. Resistor is used in electrical circuits to manipulate the current flow. 

The colored bands around the body of a resistor indicate its value in ohms and its tolerance if there are four bands. As the drawing shows the first band represents the first digit of the value and the second band is the second digit of the value. The third band represents the number by which the the two digits are multiplied. A fourth band of gold or silver represents a tolerance of +-5% or +-10% respectively. If no fourth band is shown, the tolerance is assumed to be +-20% of the indicated value of resistance.





Resistor color code table



The physical size of a composition resistor is related to its wattage rating. Size increases progressively as the wattage rating increases. The diameters of 1/2 watt, 1 watt and 2 watt resistors are approximately 1/8 in., 1/4 in., and 5/16 in., respectively. 




Example:



Reference:
Electrical and Electronics drawing, 2nd edition (Charles J. Baer)