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 resistor for a particular application it may appear only resistance value, tolerance and voltage is relevant. These parameters are important but if a resistor is to perform to specification over the long term there are three key issues...

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...

Armed with the resistor performance specification and full details of the application a specialist thick film power resistor manufacturer will select the most appropriate substrate technology to deliver a reliable resistor solution at an appropriate cost. There are...

The bulk metal foil resistor was first developed by Dr Felix Zandman (who went on to found Vishay) in the early 1960’s and is now a mainstream resistor technology. In this post, we compare the performance of bulk metal foil resistor technology with thick film....

Thick film resistor technology is the ideal choice for many applications. Other resistor technologies may outperform thick film in certain applications but are usually lower density and/or higher cost solutions. Thick film technology has excellent thermal properties...