1% & 2% (including 0.5%, 0.25%, 0.1% 0.05%,)

Click HERE for 5% resistors
Surface Mount identification

**<!-- hide script from nonscriptable browsers // create array listing all the multiplier values var multiplier = new Array() multiplier\[0\] = 0 multiplier\[1\] = 1 multiplier\[2\] = 2 multiplier\[3\] = 3 multiplier\[4\] = 4 multiplier\[5\] = 5 multiplier\[6\] = 6 multiplier\[7\] = 7 multiplier\[8\] = 8 multiplier\[9\] = 9 multiplier\[10\] = -1 multiplier\[11\] = -2 // create array listing all tolerance values var tolerance = new Array() tolerance\[0\] = "+/- 1%" tolerance\[1\] = "+/- 2%" tolerance\[2\] = "+/- 0.5%" tolerance\[3\] = "+/- 0.25%" tolerance\[4\] = "+/- 0.1%" tolerance\[5\] = "+/- 0.05%" // format large values into kilo and meg function format(ohmage) { if (ohmage >= 10e6) { ohmage /= 10e5 return "" + ohmage + " M" } else { if (ohmage >= 10e3) { ohmage /= 10e2 return "" + ohmage + " k" } else { return "" + ohmage + " R" } } } // calculate resistance and tolerance values function calcOhms() { var form = document.forms\[0\] var d1 = form.tensSelect.selectedIndex var d2 = form.onesSelect.selectedIndex var d3 = form.tenthsSelect.selectedIndex var m = form.multiplierSelect.selectedIndex var t = form.toleranceSelect.selectedIndex var ohmage = (d1 * 100) + (d2 * 10) + d3 ohmage = eval("" + ohmage + "e" + multiplier\[m\]) ohmage = format(ohmage) var tol = tolerance\[t\] document.forms\[1\].result.value = ohmage + " " + tol } // pre-load all color images into image cache var colorList = "Black,Blue,Brown,Gold,Grey,Green,None,Orange,Red,Silver,Violet,White,Yellow,." var colorArray = colorList.split(",") var imageDB = new Array() for (i = 0; i < colorArray.length; i++) { imageDB\[colorArray\[i\]\] = new Image(21,182) imageDB\[colorArray\[i\]\].src = "r" + colorArray\[i\] + ".gif" } function setTens(choice) { var tensColor = choice.options\[choice.selectedIndex\].text document.tens.src = imageDB\[tensColor\].src calcOhms() } function setOnes(choice) { var onesColor = choice.options\[choice.selectedIndex\].text document.ones.src = imageDB\[onesColor\].src calcOhms() } function setTenths(choice) { var tenthsColor = choice.options\[choice.selectedIndex\].text document.tenths.src = imageDB\[tenthsColor\].src calcOhms() } function setMult(choice) { var multColor = choice.options\[choice.selectedIndex\].text document.mult.src = imageDB\[multColor\].src calcOhms() } function setTol(choice) { var tolColor = choice.options\[choice.selectedIndex\].text document.tol.src = imageDB\[tolColor\].src calcOhms() } function showIntro() { window.open("/articles/resistors-made-easy/1-percent","","WIDTH=400,HEIGHT=260") } // end script hiding -->

<!-- //TODO FIXME: Input resistance value -->
. Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Grey White Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Grey White Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Grey White Black Brown Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Violet Grey White Gold Silver Brown Red Green Blue Violet Grey

var form = document.forms\[0\] var tensDigit = form.tensSelect.selectedIndex var tensColor = form.tensSelect.options\[tensDigit\].text var onesDigit = form.onesSelect.selectedIndex var onesColor = form.onesSelect.options\[onesDigit\].text var tenthsDigit = form.tenthsSelect.selectedIndex var tenthsColor = form.tenthsSelect.options\[tenthsDigit\].text var multDigit = form.multiplierSelect.selectedIndex var multColor = form.multiplierSelect.options\[multDigit\].text var tolDigit = form.toleranceSelect.selectedIndex var tolColor = form.toleranceSelect.options\[tolDigit\].text var table ="<TABLE BORDER=2>" table += "<TR><TH ALIGN=middle>Resistance Value:</TH><TD ALIGN='middle'><FORM><INPUT TYPE='text' NAME='result' SIZE=20></FORM>" table +="</TD></TR><TR><TD COLSPAN=2>" table +="<IMG SRC='resleft.gif' WIDTH=127 HEIGHT=182>" + "<IMG SRC='r" + tensColor + ".gif' NAME='tens' WIDTH=21 HEIGHT=182>"+ "<IMG SRC='r" + onesColor + ".gif' NAME='ones' WIDTH=21 HEIGHT=182>"+ "<IMG SRC='r" + tenthsColor + ".gif' NAME='tenths' WIDTH=21 HEIGHT=182>"+ "<IMG SRC='r" + multColor + ".gif' NAME='mult' WIDTH=21 HEIGHT=182>"+ "<IMG SRC='spacer.gif' WIDTH=20 HEIGHT=182>"+ "<IMG SRC='r" + tolColor + ".gif' NAME='tol' WIDTH=21 HEIGHT=182>"+ "<IMG SRC='resright.gif' WIDTH=127 HEIGHT=182>" table += "</TD></TR></TABLE>" document.write(table)

Reading 5-band resistors:

5-band resistors are easy to read if you remember two simple points. The first three bands provide the digits in the answer and the 4th band supplies the number of zero’s.

Reading “STANDARD VALUES” (on 5-band resistors)

5-band resistors are also made in “Standard Values” but will have different colours - and will be confusing if you are just starting out. For instance, a 47k 5% resistor with 4-bands will be: yellow-purple-orange-gold. For a 47k 1% resistor the colours will be yellow-purple-black-red-brown. The brown colour-band represents 1%.
The first two colour-bands for a STANDARD VALUE in 1% or 5% will be the SAME. These two bands provide the digits in the answer.
It’s the 3rd band for a 5% resistor that is expanded into two bands in a 1% resistor. But it’s easy to follow.
For a standard value, the 3rd band in a 1% resistor is BLACK. This represents a ZERO in the answer. (For 5-band resistors BLACK represents a ZERO when in the third band. This is different to 4-band resistors where black represents the word OHMS! If the third band is BROWN, the answer will be 1).
So the 4th band has to represent one-less ZERO and is one colour UP THE COLOUR CHART! In other words the 3rd and 4th bands (combined) on a 1% resistor produces the same number of zero’s as the 3rd band on a 5% resistor!

Resistors come in a range of values and the two most common are the E12 and E24 series. The E12 series comes in twelve values for each decade. The E24 series comes in twenty four values per decade.

E12 series - 10, 12, 15, 18, 22, 27, 33, 39, 47, 56, 68, 82

E24 series - 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 43, 47, 51, 56, 62, 68, 75, 82, 91

Here is the complete list of 1% 1/4watt resistors from:
CIRCUIT SPECIALISTS. The following list covers 10 ohms (10R) to 1M.
To buy 1% resistors from Circuit Specialists, click: HERE.

Here is the list of 1% resistors from other suppliers (such as Farnell):