# Color code for resistor?

by Hardik Batra
Tags: code, color, resistor
 P: 102 I want to know color code for this resistor ---> 1KΩ $\pm$ 10% I have check in two sites. This sites showed me different color code for this resistor value. Which one is right i don't know i am confused! http://www.digikey.com/us/en/mkt/cal...resistors.html (this sites show me brown,orange and silver color) http://www.engineering.com/Library/A...Resistors.aspx (this sites show me black,brown,orange and silver color)
 Sci Advisor PF Gold P: 1,325 Shouldn't it rather be brown, black, red, silver? (10 x 102 ± 10%)
P: 102
 Quote by DrClaude Shouldn't it rather be brown, black, red, silver? (10 x 102 ± 10%)
Is it possible for one resistor value there are many color code?

PF Gold
P: 1,325
Color code for resistor?

 Quote by Hardik Batra Is it possible for one resistor value there are many color code?
The way I learned it is
first significant digit = 1 = brown
second significant digit = 0 = black
multiplier = 102 = red

and that the first digit can never be 0, so it can't start with black. That way, there is only one possibility.
P: 102
 Quote by DrClaude The way I learned it is first significant digit = 1 = brown second significant digit = 0 = black multiplier = 102 = red and that the first digit can never be 0, so it can't start with black. That way, there is only one possibility.
can we take
first significant digit = 0= black
second significant digit = 1 = brown
multiplier = 103 = orange

or
first digit can never be 0, but you can use this color.

first significant digit = 1= brown
multiplier = 103 = orange

can we ignore 2nd significant digit?
PF Gold
P: 1,325
 Quote by Hardik Batra can we take first significant digit = 0= black second significant digit = 1 = brown multiplier = 103 = orange or first digit can never be 0, but you can use this color. first significant digit = 1= brown multiplier = 103 = orange can we ignore 2nd significant digit?
As far as I understand it, no, both of these are not acceptable. There is a minimum of four bands (including tolerance) and the first can't be black.
P: 102
 Quote by DrClaude As far as I understand it, no, both of these are not acceptable. There is a minimum of four bands (including tolerance) and the first can't be black.

You have seen this site.
http://www.digikey.com/us/en/mkt/cal...resistors.html
http://www.engineering.com/Library/A...Resistors.aspx

brown,none ,red and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor.
none,brown,orange and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor.
brown,black ,red and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor.
black,brown,orange and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor.
This is wrong?
which one is correct.
 Engineering Sci Advisor HW Helper Thanks P: 6,959 Try this calculator. Click on the colored boxes to choose the color of each band. It won't let you create an invalid code. http://www.eeweb.com/toolbox/4-band-...or-calculator/
PF Gold
P: 1,325
 Quote by Hardik Batra You have seen this site. http://www.digikey.com/us/en/mkt/cal...resistors.html http://www.engineering.com/Library/A...Resistors.aspx brown,none ,red and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor. none,brown,orange and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor. brown,black ,red and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor. black,brown,orange and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor. This is wrong? which one is correct.
Come on, I already told you what the correct one was and why. Just because you found a web-applet that allows you to input nonsense doesn't mean that all these possibilities are valid.
P: 1,008
 Quote by Hardik Batra You have seen this site. http://www.digikey.com/us/en/mkt/cal...resistors.html http://www.engineering.com/Library/A...Resistors.aspx brown,none ,red and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor. none,brown,orange and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor. brown,black ,red and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor. black,brown,orange and silver also give us 1 kΩ resistor. This is wrong? which one is correct.
The first and second are wrong because "none" isn't a color and you must have at least 4 bands.
The fourth one is wrong because you can't start with black.

That leaves us with the correct answer, which is your third choice.
 P: 140 AFAIK component color coding has been added to but not changed since it began shortly after the turn of the previous century. My first Electronics Instructor was a Naval Radio operator and maintainer who taught us a (cleaned up) version of the military mnemonic for codes - Bad Boys Race Our Young Girls Behind Victory Garden Walls Obviously it stuck and it also works provided you note the number of bands to determine if additional values beyond resistance are listed. Commonly these are the Tolerance bands, but the first 3 bands are always Ohms.
 P: 102 There is another question about this topic. If there is one diode and 4 color band are design with different color. And i want to decide the resistor value. How i know the 1st significant figure is started from which point(means which is the first color band at right hand side one or left hand side)?
Engineering
HW Helper
Thanks
P: 6,959
 Quote by Hardik Batra If there is one diode and 4 color band are design with different color.
I'm not sure what you mean, but some small diodes have the part number coded as color bands. For example the common 1N4148 may have yellow brown yellow grey bands. Color bands or other markings are always at the cathode end of the diode.

 And i want to decide the resistor value. How i know the 1st significant figure is started from which point(means which is the first color band at right hand side one or left hand side)?
Most resistors are made with values from a standard sequence of values. See http://www.logwell.com/tech/componen...or_values.html. Nearly all the resistors you will see in real life have values from the E24 series.

If you try to read the bands from the wrong end, either the code is invalid (e.g. the first band can never be silver or gold), or you get a non-standard value, or the value is too small or too big to make any sense. Nearly all resistor values in electronic circuits are between 10Ω and 10MΩ.

If a resistor really does have a non-standard value, it will probably be printed as a number, not color coded.
P: 3,107
 Quote by Hardik Batra I want to know color code for this resistor ---> 1KΩ $\pm$ 10%
Many decades ago when most resistors were 10% or 5% this would be a Brown, Black, Red, Silver (eg four bands).

As manufacturing tolerance levels improved it became necessary to add more bands (more significant figures) so you could tell the difference. From some places you might order a 10% part but be sold a 2% part which would be Brown, Black, Black, Brown, Red.

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