Name: Antonio McLeod Nandoo

Subject: Electrical Technology

Date: February 2 2023
Assignment: Research the different types of resistors.

Types of Resistors

There are many different types of resistors used in various electronic components. Each
one has its characteristics, applications, and specific advantages. Various resistors vary
in their construction, sizes, shapes, power dissipation capability, and tolerance levels to
different parameters. However, the most common types of resistors are broadly divided
into the following two categories:

1. Linear Resistor
2. Non-Linear Resistor

1. Linear Resistors

Linear resistors are the type of resistors whose value fluctuates based on the applied
temperatures and voltages. Most resistors are linear, producing voltage drops when an
electric current flows across them. On the other side, linear resistors are also defined as
resistors in which the current value is directly proportional to the voltage applied across
them.

Linear resistors are further sub-divided into the following two types:

1. Fixed Resistor
2. Variable Resistor

A) Fixed Resistors

Fixed resistors are the most common type of resistors. These resistors are mainly used
in electronic circuits to configure the right conditions within the circuits. One of the main
characteristics of fixed resistors is that their value is fixed (constant resistance value)
and cannot be changed. The values in fixed resistors are determined in the designing

phase of their circuits. A wide range of resistor materials is used for manufacturing
fixed resistors.

Fixed resistors are mainly classified into the following four types:
(i) Thin Film Resistor

Thin film resistors are composed using a high grid ceramic rod and resistive materials.
A thin layer of resistive material is coated onto the insulating substrate, such as an
insulating rod, tube, or plate made up of a high ceramic substance or glass. The
resistive element for thin-film resistors is about 1000 angstroms. These resistors are
best known for their better temperature coefficients, low parasitic inductance, lower
capacitance, and low noise. Thin-film resistors are mostly used for microwave
active/passive power elements, including power resistors, power terminations, and
power attenuators. Furthermore, these resistors are suitable for applications requiring
higher accuracy and stability.

Thin Film Resistor has the following types:

● Carbon Film Resistor: These are resistors with an insulating material rod and are
formed using a high-quality ceramic material called the substrate. A relatively
thin layer of resistive carbon is used around the rod. Because of very low noise
and wide operating range, carbon film resistors are mainly used in electric
circuits. Moreover, they are more stable than solid-carbon resistors.
● Metal Film Resistor: In terms of construction, metal-thin resistors are similar to
carbon film resistors. However, these resistors use metals instead of carbon.
Sometimes, metal thin resistors can have metal oxide, nickel-chromium, or
metals and glass composition. The mixture of metal and glass is known as a
metal glaze and acts as a resistive film. These resistors are cheap, tiny, and
reliable. Metal film resistors are used widely in applications that require stability
with low noise.

(ii) Thick Film Resistor

The manufacturing process of thick film resistors is almost the same as that of thin film
resistors. The only noticeable difference is that there is a thick film or a layer in thick
film resistors instead of a thin film used in thin-film resistors. The film used in these
resistors is thousands of thicker than thin film. Furthermore, the thick film resistors are
composed using a mixture of ceramics and powdered glass. These resistors have
better tolerance levels (nearly 1-2 %) and temperature coefficients (lie between -200 to -
25 and +200 to +250). Like thin film resistors, thick film resistors are also available at
low cost.

Thick Film Resistor has the following types:

● Fusible Resistor: As the name suggests, fusible resistors are the type of resistors
that may get fused if a circuit power rating increases above a particular value. In
such a case, these resisters typically break or open the entire circuit. These
resistors are mainly used in televisions, amplifiers, and many other expensive
electronic circuits. The fusible resistors generally come with an ohmic value
which is less than 10 Ohms.

● Cermet Film Resistor: The cermet film resistors are made up by wrapping a
carbon or metal alloy layer around the ceramic insulation materials. The internal
area consists of ceramic materials, while the outer area is fixed in ceramic metal,
known as Cermet. These resistors are usually produced in a rectangular and
square shape. Furthermore, the pins are installed under the resistor and attached
to the printed circuit board placed inside the resistor. Cermet film resistors are
best known for their stable performance in high temperatures as their values do
not typically vary with temperatures.

● Metal Oxide Resistor: Metal oxide resistors are made up by oxidizing a thick film
or Tin Chloride layer on a heated glass rod (substrate). These types of resistors
are manufactured with various resistance ranges and are suitable for high
temperatures. That is why metal oxide resistors can be used at high voltages,
neglecting or reducing noise.

(iii) Carbon Composition Resistor

Carbon composition resistors are composed using a mixture of carbon granules and
binder elements. The arrangement is structured in a shape of a small rod. But these
resistors are comparatively large compared to the other resistors. Besides, the carbon
composition resistors suffer from a large negative temperature coefficient. When the
current flows across these resistors, they produce relatively more noise than the other
resistors. In particular, carbon composition resistors are an older type of resistors that
were very common before the manufacture of today's standard resistors.

(iv) Wire-wound Resistor

Wire-wound resistors are composed by winding the higher resistance wire around the
general resistance. These resistors have metallic bodies to help them in heat-sink
mounting. This means these resistors may become too hot during the operations, and
therefore, they are housed around finned metalcore. Moreover, wire-wound resistors are
best known for higher power ratings and low resistive values.

B) Variable Resistors

Unlike fixed resistors, the resistance value in variable resistors can be adjusted
accordingly. Most variable resistors are controlled using a dial, knob, screw, or manually
by appropriate mechanical movements (usually linear and rotary). The variable resistors
contain fixed resistor components and a sliding arm that typically taps onto the main
resistor component. This eventually adds three connections to the device, such as one
connection linked to the slider and two connections attached to the fixed component.
Doing so makes the device act as a variable resistor when all three connections are in
use.

Variable resistors are mainly classified into the following three types:

(i) Potentiometer

A potentiometer refers to a three-terminal device designed for adjusting the voltage

levels in circuits. In this arrangement, the resistance remains constant between the two
terminals. Moreover, the third terminal is attached to the moving contact (called the
Wiper), which is again connected to the control shaft. The wiper can be rotated to
arrange the value of resistance accordingly. These resistors are also sometimes called
variable composition resistors.

(ii) Rheostat

Rheostats can be either two-terminal or three-terminal devices designed mainly to limit

the current with manual operations. Rheostats are manufactured by wire-winding
Nichrome resistance around ceramic rods assembled further in a protective shell in
terms of construction. These resistors are also called variable wound resistors or
tapped resistors.

(iii) Trimmer Resistor

An additional screw attached with a potentiometer or variable resistors resulting in
better operations and efficiency is the type of trimmer resistor. The main advantage of
these resistors is that their resistance value can be arranged by changing (rotating) the
screw position. These resistors are generally composed of carbon film, carbon
composition, cermet, wire materials, etc.

2. Non-Linear Resistors

Non-linear resistors are resistors in which the current flowing through them changes
only with the change in applied voltage or temperature. These resistors typically do not
follow Ohm's Law, and the current flowing through resistors does not change according
to it.

Non-Linear resistors are further sub-divided into the following types:

Thermistor

Thermistors are those types of resistors in which the resistance changes significantly
with the change in temperatures. These resistors are heat-sensitive two-terminal
devices. The resistance of these resistors is inversely proportional to the given
temperature. Although there are many thermistors, the two most common ones are NTC
and PTC thermistors. NTC thermistors have a negative temperature coefficient, and
their resistance decreases when the temperature increases. Besides, PTC thermistors
are a positive temperate coefficient, and their resistance increases when the
temperature increases. Thermistors are primarily used as thermal protection
components or temperature sensors.

Photo Resistor/ LDR

LDR is a short form of Light Dependent Resistor. They are also termed photoresistors.
These are resistors in which the resistance changes with the level of light. Furthermore,
the resistance significantly decreases when the intensity of incident light increases.
These resistors find their use in various sensor applications and are considered a cost-
effective solution. They are most commonly used to differentiate light or dark
situations. They help to turn on street lights in the evening automatically. Although
photoresistors are cheap and easy to assemble in circuits, they sometimes lag in the
time required to respond to light change situations.

Varistor Resistor

Varistors are the type of resistors that can vary their resistance according to the applied
voltage. That is the reason these resistors are best suited for spike and surge
protection. Varistors contain non-linear resistance, which is entirely dependent on the
voltage applied across the varistor. Once the voltage reaches a specific threshold limit,
the varistor's resistance drops at a faster speed. It is important to note here that each
time the varistor has a spike, the properties may change slightly. There are many types
of varistor; however, MOV (metal oxide varistor) is the most common and widely used
form of varistor.

Surface Mount Resistors

Surface-mount resistors, also called SMD in short, are manufactured in different

package sizes and structures. However, their most common shape is a rectangular
shape. These resistors are usually composed by depositing a film of resistive material.
Because these resistors are relatively small, they don't have sufficient space for colour-
code bands. However, they contain a three-number unique code that works similarly to
colour code bands designed on wire-ended resistors. SMD resistors are mainly
developed to be used with surface mount technology (SMT). SMD resistors are best
known for providing high-level performance.