NAME: SUBIA, JESTER V. CPE-03-302P PROF.

CORLETO BRAVO

ACTIVITY 3: TYPES OF RESISTOR AND

RESISTANCE CIRCUIT CONFIGURATION
MEASUREMENT
There is a very high chance that the first electronic component you might have encountered
is the humble resistor, pretty and bead-like with bands of colors. Resistors are the simplest
electronic component around and in many cases are brand ambassadors, so to speak, for the
world of electronics.
• Resistor
o IEEE & IEC symbols of Resistors
• Types of Resistors:
o Linear Resistors:
▪ Fixed Resistors
▪ Carbon Composition Resistors
▪ Wire wound Resistors
▪ Thin Film Resistors
▪ Carbon Film Resistors
▪ Metal Film Resistors
▪ Thick Film Resistors
▪ Metal Oxide Resistors
▪ Cermet Oxide Resistors (Network Resistors)
▪ Fusible Resistors
• Variable Resistors
o Potentiometers
o Rheostats
o Trimmers
• Non Linear Resistors
o Thermistors
o Varisters (VDR)
o Photo Resistor or Photo Conductive Cell or LDR (Light Dependent Resistors)
o SMD (Surface Mount Technology) Resistors
• Application of Resistors
• Drawing of possible circuit configuration showing how to measure resistance/s.
o Configure Resistance in Series Circuit
o Configure Resistance in Parallel Circuit
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 RESISTORS & TYPES OF WHAT IS
RESISTANCE
RESISTORS
Resistance is the

opposition that a substance

offers to the flow of electric

A resistor is an electrical component with a known specific value of
resistance.it is probably the most common component in all kinds of current. It is represented by
electronic equipment ranging from a small radio to a color television
the uppercase letter R. The
receiver.as its name suggests ,a resister resists or opposes the flow of
standard unit of resistance
current through its resistance is necessary for any circuit to do useful
work.in fact, without resistance, every circuit would be a short circuit! is the ohm, sometimes

A resistor, from the point of view of math, is the simplest implementation written out as a word, and
of Ohm’s law. The law says the current flowing through a material is sometimes symbolized by
directly proportional to voltage applied across that material and the
the uppercase Greek letter
proportionality constant is the resistance of the material at a constant
temperature. omega

In other words,

V =IR

Which is the classic formula we are all familiar with, where V is the
voltage in Volts, I is the current in Amps and R is the resistance.
Resistance is measured in Ohms, after the discoverer of the formula.
Since the Ohm is (for a change!) a rather small quantity circuit-wise,
resistors are measured in hundreds of Ohms, thousands of Ohms
(kiloOhms, kΩ), or millions of Ohms (megaOhms, MΩ).

Resistance is analogous to friction. Friction (if you’ve been to a physics

class) is simply resistance offered to motion. In the same way, resistance
is the ability of a substance to resist the flow of electric current. In the
next section we shall learn how they do this.
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 Conductors have a low resistance to the flow of electric current whereas insulators resist the flow of
electric current to a large degree. When electrons flow through the wire, some of them pass right through
the gaps in the wire, but some of them hit an atom and bounce back, sometimes electrons themselves
collide. This makes the flow of electrons somewhat non-uniform and impeded – this is resistance. This
also means that resistance depends on the properties of the material itself, since the interaction of the
electrons with the atoms depends on the size and packing of the atoms.

The symbol of a resistor is a simple zig-zag. In some countries people prefer using a box, but both
symbols are accepted in the electronics community. The second set of symbols are variable resistors or
rheostats, resistors whose resistance can be varied within a certain range.
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 Resistors are available in different size, Shapes and materials. We will discuss all possible resistor
types one by one in detail with pro and cons and application as follow.

There are two basic types of resistors.

• Linear Resistors
• Nonlinear Resistors
Linear Resistors:
Those resistors, which values change with the applied voltage and temperature, are called linear
resistors. In other words, a resistor, which current value is directly proportional to the applied voltage is
known as linear resistors.
Generally, there are two types of resistors which have linear properties.
• Fixed Resistors
• Variable Resistors
Fixed Resistors
As the name tells everything, fixed resistor is a resistor which has a specific value and we can’t change
the value of fixed resistors.
Types of Fixed resistors.
• Carbon Composition Resistors
• Wire Wound Resistors
• Thin Film Resistors
• Carbon Film Resistors
• Metal Film Resistors
• Thick Film Resistors
• Metal Oxide Resistors
• Cermet Film Resistors
• Fusible Resistors

A typical fixed resistor is made from the mixture of granulated or powdered carbon or graphite,
insulation filler, or a resin binder. The ratio of the insulation material determines the actual resistance of
the resistor. The insulating powder (binder) made in the shape of rods and there are two metal caps on
the both ends of the rod.
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 There are two conductor wires on the both ends of the resistor for easy connectivity in the circuit via
soldering. A plastic coat covers the rods with different color codes (printed) which denote the resistance
value. They are available in 1 ohm to 25 mega ohms and in power rating from ¼ watt to up to 5 Watts.

Characteristic of Fixed Resistors

Generally, they are very cheap and small in size, hence, occupy less space. They are reliable and
available in different ohmic and power ratings. Also, fixed resistor can be easily connected to the circuit
and withstand for more voltage. In other hand, they are less stable means their temperature coefficient
is very high. Also, they make a slight noise as compared to other types of resistors.

Wire wound resistor is made from the insulating core or rod by wrapping around a resistive wire. The
resistance wire is generally Tungsten, manganin, Nichrome or nickel or nickel chromium alloy and the
insulating core is made of porcelain, Bakelite, press bond paper or ceramic clay material. The manganin
wire wound resistors are very costly and used with the sensitive test equipment e.g. Wheatstone bridge,
etc. They are available in the range of 2 watts up to 100-watt power rating or more. The ohmic value of
these types of resistors is 1 ohm up to 200k ohms or more and can be operated safely up to 350°C.
in addition, the power rating of a higher power wire wound resistor is 500 Watts and the available
resistance value of these resistors are is 0.1 ohm – 100k Ohms.
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Application of Wire Wound Resistors
Wire wound resistors used where high sensitivity, accurate measurement and balanced current control
is required, e.g. as a shunt with ampere meter. Moreover, Wire wound resistors are generally used in
high power rating devices and equipment’s, Testing and measuring devices, industries, and control
equipment.

Basically, all thin film resistors are made of from high grid ceramic rod and a resistive material. A very
thin conducting material layer overlaid on insulating rod, plate or tube which is made from high quality
ceramic material or glass. There are two further types of thin film resistors.
• Carbon Film Resistors
• Metal Film Resistors

Carbon Film resistors contains on an insulating material rod or core made of higher-grade ceramic
material which is called the substrate. A very thin resistive carbon layer or film overlaid around the rod.
These kinds of resistors are widely used in electronic circuits because of negligible noise and wide
operating range and the stability as compared to solid carbon resistors.
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 Metal film resistors are same in construction like Carbon film resistors, but the main difference is that
there is metal (or a mixture of the metal oxides, Nickel Chromium or mixture of metals and glass which
is called metal glaze which is used as resistive film) instead of carbon. Metal film resistors are very tiny,
cheap and reliable in operation. Their temperature coefficient is very low (±2 ppm/°C) and used where
stability and low noise level is important.

The production method of Thick film resistors is same like thin film resistors, but the difference is that
there is a thick film instead of a thin film or layer of resistive material around. That’s why it is called Thick
film resistors. There are two additional types of thick film resistors.

• Metal Oxide Resistors

• Cermet Film Resistors
• Fusible Resistors
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 By oxidizing a thick film of Tin Chloride on a heated glass rod (substrate) is the simple method to make
a Metal oxide Resistor. These resistors are available in a wide range of resistance with high temperature
stability. In addition, the level of operating noise is very low and can be used at high voltages.

In the cermet oxide resistors, the internal area contains on ceramic insulation materials. And then a
carbon or metal alloy film or layer wrapped around the resistor and then fix it in a ceramic metal (which
is known as Cermet). They are made in the square or rectangular shape and leads and pins are under
the resistors for easy installation in printed circuit boards. They provide a stable operation in high
temperature because their values do not change with change in temperature.

These kinds of resistors are same like a wire wound resistor. When a circuit power rating increased
than the specified value, then this resistor is fused, i.e. it breaks or open the circuit. That’s why it is
called Fusible resistors. Fusible restores perform double jobs means they limit the current as well as it
can be used as a fuse.

They used widely in TV Sets, Amplifiers, and other expensive electronic circuits. Generally, the ohmic
value of fusible resistors is less than 10 Ohms.
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 As the name indicates, those resistors which values can be changed through a dial, knob, and screw
or manually by a proper method. In these types of resistors, there is a sliding arm, which is connected to
the shaft and the value of resistance can be changed by rotating the arm. They are used in the radio
receiver for volume control and tone control resistance.

Following are the further types of Variable Resistor

• Potentiometers
• Rheostats
• Trimmers

Potentiometer is a three terminal device which is used for controlling the level of voltage in the circuit.
The resistance between two external terminals is constant while the third terminal is connected with
moving contact (Wiper) which is variable. The value of resistance can be changed by rotating the wiper
which is connected to the control shaft.

This way, Potentiometers can be used as a voltage divider and these resistors are called variable
composition resistors. They are available up to 10 Mega Ohms.
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 Rheostats are a two or three terminal device which is used for the current limiting purpose by hand or
manual operation. Rheostats are also known as tapped resistors or variable wire wound resistors.

Variable wire wound resistors are available in the range of 1 ohm up to 150 Ohms. The available
power rating of these resistors is 3 to 200 Watts. While the most used Rheostats according to power
rating is between 5 to 50 Watts.

What is the main Difference between Potentiometer and Rheostats?

Basically, there is no difference between Potentiometer and Rheostat. Both are variable resistors. The
main difference is the use and circuit operation, i.e. for which purpose we use that variable resistor?

For example, if we connect a circuit between resistor element terminals (where one terminal is a
general end of the resistor element while the other one is sliding contact or wiper) as a variable resistor
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for controlling the circuit current, then it is Rheostats. On the other hand, if we do the same as
mentioned above for controlling the level of voltage, then this variable resistor would be called a
potentiometer. That’s it.

There is an additional screw with Potentiometer

or variable resistors for better efficiency and
operation and they are known as Trimmers. The
value of resistance can be changed by changing
the position of screw to rotate by a small
screwdriver.

They are made from carbon composition, carbon

film, cermet and wire materials and available in the
range of 50 Ohms up to 5 mega ohms. The power
rating of Trimmers potentiometers are from 1/3 to
¾ Watts.

We know that, nonlinear resistors are those resistors, where the current flowing through it does not
change according to Ohm’s Law but, changes with change in temperature or applied voltage.

In addition, if the flowing current through a resistor changes with change in body temperature, then these
kinds of resistors are called Thermistors. If the flowing current through a resistor change with the applied
voltages, then it is called a Varistors or VDR (Voltage Dependent Resistors).

Following are the additional types of Non Linear Resistors.

• Thermistors

• Varisters (VDR)

• Photo Resistor or Photo Conductive Cell or LDR

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 Thermistors is a two terminal device which is very sensitive to temperature. In other words,
Thermistors is a type of variable resistor which notices the change in temperature. Thermistors are made
from the cobalt, Nickel, Strontium and the metal oxides of Manganese. The Resistance of a Thermistor
is inversely proportional to the temperature, i.e. resistance increases when temperature decrease and
vice versa.

It means, Thermistors has a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) but there is also a PTC (Positive
Temperature Coefficient) which a made from pit barium titanate semiconductor materials and their
resistance increases when increases in temperature.

Varisters are voltage dependent Resistors (VDR) which is used to eliminate the high voltage transients.
In other words, a special type of variable resistors used to protect circuits from destructive voltage
spikes is called varisters.
When voltage increases (due to lighting or line faults) across a connected sensitive device or system,
then it reduces the level of voltage to a secure level i.e. it changes the level of voltages.
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 Photo Resistor or LDR (Light Dependent Resistors) is a resistor which terminal value of resistance
changes with light intensity. In other words, those resistors, which resistance values changes with the
falling light on their surface is called Photo Resistor or Photo Conductive Cell or LDR (Light Dependent
Resistor). The material which is used to make these kinds of resistors is called photo conductors, e.g.
cadmium sulfide, lead sulfide etc.

When light falls on the photoconductive cells (LDR or Photo resistor), then there is an increase in the free
carriers (electron hole pairs) due to light energy, which reduce the resistance of semiconductor material
(i.e. the quantity of light energy is inversely proportional to the semiconductor material). It means photo
resistors have a negative temperature coefficient.

Application and Uses of Photo Resistors/Photo Conductive Cells or LDR

These types of resistors are used in burglar alarm, Door Openers, Flame detectors, Smock detectors,
light meters, light activated relay control circuits, industrial, and commercial automatic street light control
and photographic devices and equipment’s.
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 Practically, both types of resistors (Fixed and Variable) are generally used for the following purposes.

• For Current control and limiting

• To change electrical energy in the form of heat energy
• As a shunt in Ampere meters
• As a multiplier in a Voltmeter
• To control temperature
• To control voltage or Drop
• For protection purposes, e.g. Fusible Resistors
• In laboratories
• In home electrical appliances like heater, iron, immersion rod etc.
Some of the common uses of resistors are:

• to establish proper values of circuit voltage due to IR drops

• to limit current and

• to provide load

• Current Limiting
• Voltage Dividers
• Widely used in the electronics industries
Things to keep in mind while using a resistor

1. Power dissipation: Again, never select a resistor that has a power rating less than what you are going
to put through it. A good rule of thumb would be to choose a resistor with a power rating at least two
times higher.

2. Temperature coefficients: This is very important to keep in mind when dealing with resistors that are
used with high current or high temperatures since the resistance drifts quite drastically. There are two
types of temperature co-efficient one is called NTC (Negative Temperature coefficient) and the other is
called PTC (Positive temperature Coefficient). For NTC the resistance of the resistor will decrease as the
temperature around it increases and for a PTC the resistance of the resistor will increase as the
temperature around it increases. This property is also used by some sensors like Thermistors to measure
temperature.
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 Regardless of the specific circumstances of a particular resistance measurement, the fundamental
strategy remains the same: determine current and voltage, then calculate resistance. So, the goal in
determining the value of a resistor embedded in a circuit is to somehow measure the voltage drop across
that resistor and the current flowing through it.

Voltage drop can be measured simply by connecting the two DMM probes to the two terminals of the
resistor (remember that the circuit must be powered on for this to work). Measuring current, however, is
not so simple. To measure current, the DMM must be connected in series with the current flowing through
the resistor—in other words, the current flowing through the resistor must go in one DMM probe, through
the DMM’s measurement circuitry, and out the other probe. This means that you have to find a convenient
way to break the resistor’s current path and then connect the two DMM probes to the two sides of this
open circuit; look at connectors, jumpers, and easily removable components as possible places to insert
the DMM into the current path. Mini-grabber test clips are often very helpful in this task.

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 If you cannot find a way to use a DMM to measure the current flowing through the resistor, there is
another somewhat more complicated option: first, get another resistor and measure its exact value using
the DMM. Then you need to find a way to insert this resistor into the circuit so that it is in series with the
resistance you are trying to measure. Because the two resistors are in series, you know that the same
current flows through both. Measure the voltage drop across the new resistor, then use Ohm’s law to
calculate the current. This same current is flowing through the original resistor, so after you measure the
voltage drop across the original resistor, you can use Ohm’s law to calculate its resistance.

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1.) Identify a series circuit. A series circuit is a single loop, with
no branching paths. All the resistors or other components are
arranged in a line.

2.) Add all resistances together. In a series circuit, the total

resistance is equal to the sum of all resistances. The same current
passes through each resistor, so each resistor does its job as you
would expect.

• For example, a series circuit has a 2 Ω (ohm) resistor, a 5

Ω resistor, and a 7 Ω resistor. The total resistance of the
circuit is 2 + 5 + 7 = 14 Ω.

3.) Start with current and voltage instead. If you don't know the
individual resistance values, you can rely on Ohm's Law instead:
V = IR, or voltage = current x resistance. The first step is to find
the circuit's current and total voltage:

• The current of a series circuit is the same at all points on

the circuit. If you know the current at any point, you can
use that value in this equation.

• The total voltage is equal to the voltage of the supply

(the battery). It is not equal to the voltage across one
component.

4.) Insert these values into Ohm's Law. Rearrange V = IR to

solve for resistance: R = V / I (resistance = voltage / current). Plug
the values you found into this formula to solve for total resistance.

• For example, a series circuit is powered by a 12 volts

battery, and the current is measured at 8 amps. The total
resistance across the circuit must be RT = 12 volts / 8
amps = 1.5 ohms.
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1.) Understand parallel circuits. A parallel circuit branches into
multiple paths, which then join back together. Current flows through
each branch of the circuit.

• If your circuit has resistors on the main path (before or after the
branched area), or if there are two or more resistors on a single
branch

2.) Calculate the total resistance from the

resistance of each branch. Since each resistor
only slows current passing through one branch, it
only has a small effect on the total resistance of
the circuit. The formula for total resistance RT.

3.) Begin with total current and voltage

instead. If you don't know the individual resistances, you'll need the
current and voltage instead:

• In a parallel circuit, the voltage across one branch is the

same as the total voltage across the circuit. As long as you
know the voltage across one branch, you're good to go. The
total voltage is also equal to the voltage of the circuit's power
source, such as a battery.

4.) Use these values in Ohm's Law. If you know the total current
and the voltage across the whole circuit, you can find the total
resistance using Ohm's Law: R = V / I.

• For example, a parallel circuit has a voltage of 9 volts and

total current of 3 amps. The total resistance RT = 9 volts / 3
amps = 3 Ω.
• Watch out for branches with zero resistance. If a branch
on the parallel circuit has no resistance, all of the current will flow through that branch.
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The resistance of the circuit is zero ohms.