The purpose of a high power resistor heatsink is to keep the temperature of the resistor element below its maximum operating temperature but choosing the right heatsink can be a difficult process.  Heatsinks are generally chosen to match the precise requirements of a...

Thick film surface mount resistors (chip resistors) are used in high quantities in an extensive range of electronic equipment. Applications range from the simplest consumer product to ultra high reliability Space qualified equipment. The majority of thick film surface...

Resistor performance issues including resistor value, tolerance, temperature coefficient of resistance, drift and power rating are all directly linked to the thick film resistor manufacturing process and the appropriate choice of substrate and resistor materials....

Resistor networks have several key advantages over discrete devices. They reduce the system board area required to mount resistor devices, they increase system reliability (lower number of interconnects) and simplify the system manufacturing process.   Film...

The system designer may choose from a wide range of standard high voltage resistor products. For most applications a standard device will be adequate but for some more demanding and specialist applications, only a custom high voltage resistor solution will suffice....

Power resistors are used in a wide range of applications. They are primarily used as protection devices but are also found in power dissipation applications. The most common types of power resistor technology are wirewound and thick film. They are compared in detail...

When trying to choose the right power resistor for a specialist application it is important to go further than a simple review of datasheet parameters. It may appear only resistance value, tolerance and voltage is relevant but if a resistor is to perform to...

There are many resistors available with values in the mega-ohm range. Resistors in this resistance range are available in a wide range of package styles to suit a variety of applications. Making high value resistors for specialist applications in the Giga-ohm range is...

In this post, we consider the use of Surge resistors to maintain operator safety in applications with the potential for high ESD. The term Pulse generally refers to an overload condition withhigh power and long duration whereas surge generally means an overload of...

Considerable effort may go into designing a thick film resistor product to survive demanding environmental conditions. However, failure to consider the resistor terminations to the system board can lead to reduced performance and/or premature device failure. There are...

When choosing resistors for use in demanding applications there are many issues to consider. However, sometimes design compromises are not an option and custom thick film resistors are the only solution. In this post, we consider the advantages and disadvantages of...