| It is useful to be able to remember the
colour code that refers to resistors or any other electronic component
for that matter
However if you are taking GCSE you will be invariably given a colour
code to work with.
Having an incomplete knowledge is not therefore the handicap it could
be.
The resistor colour
code is given below.
| Black |
|
0
|
| Brown |
|
1
|
| Red |
|
2
|
| Orange |
|
3
|
| Yellow |
|
4
|
| Green |
|
5
|
| Blue |
|
6
|
| Violet |
|
7
|
| Grey |
|
8
|
| White |
|
9
|
Most resistors have 4 or 5 bands on the resistor, some even have a sixth.
In the GCSE exam you will probably be asked on a 4 band resistor.
The first 3 colours refer to calculating the resistors value (the 4th
colour indicates the tolerance)
The 3 rd colour is the multiplier
The colour code on a 4 band resistor. orange, yellow, orange and gold
would equate to :-
3(orange) 4(yellow) the multiplier would be 000(orange) =
34 (000) =34k 5% tolerance (see below)
The multiplier colour
code is given below.
| Black |
|
|
| Brown |
|
0
|
| Red |
|
00
|
| Orange |
|
000
|
| Yellow |
|
0,000
|
| Green |
|
00,000
|
| Blue |
|
000,000
|
The final band of a resistor is the tolerance band.
The tolerance color code is given below
| Silver |
|
+or- 10% |
| Gold |
|
+or- 5% |
| Brown |
|
+or- 1% |
| Red |
|
+or- 2% |
| Green |
|
+or- 0.5% |
| Blue |
|
+or- 0.25% |
| Violet |
|
+or- 0.1% |
Most exam questions would refer to a 4 band resistor, a 5 band colour
resistor differs in the fact that the first 3 colours are used to determine
the value of the resistor with the 4th (next to last) being the multiplier.
For example A resistor with the codes orange, blue, black, orange and
silver would equate to :-
3(orange), 6(blue), 1(black) the multiplier would be 000(orange)
= 361 000 = 361k +or- 10% (silver)
The 6th band colour code refers to the temperature coefficient,
resistance of any conductor will change with temperature.
High tolerance and high temperature rated resistors are specialist
components and you are unlikely to meet them in amateur electronics I have
included them so that you will recognize them if you should do so.
|
