What are Chip Resistors?
A chip resistor is a component that is passive electronics and limits the flow of alternating current, AC, and direct current, DC. It can lower voltage or it can maintain the current constant in an electronic circuit. They are used to make general resistors and other eco-friendly components. These are made to be surface mounted and are much smaller than typical resistors.
You might want to know more about these items and this article will give you some basics. You can also do some research on Chip Resistors and learn more about them that way. They are interesting to learn about, especially if you are into electronics.
This article will give you some basic information about these resistors and help you to learn a little more about them. This is only the basics, and you will need to do more research to find out more about them.
Basics of Chip Resistors
Chip resistors are also called SMD resistors, which stands for Surface Mounted Device. These can be directly mounted to a PCB circuit board and can be done by using SMT, or surface mount technology. These are typically only used by professionals that manufacture PCB boards. They require specialized equipment to mount them.
One of the first things that you will notice with chip resistors is that they do not have color coding as some other, through hole, resistors have. The reason for this is that the chip resistors are too small for the color-coding band. Instead, they have new code systems that are fairly new. Defined under IEC 60062:2016 standard these resistors are a part of a three digit system and a four-digit system. There was a third system that was called EIA-96, but it ceased to exist in 2011.
There is a three-digit SMD resistor system that has the first two numbers that are the defined value of the resistor. The final digit in this system is the multiplier for the resistance values which are more than 10 ohms. If the chip resistor is below 10 ohms, it is designated with the letter “R”.
The four-digit system is exactly the same as the three-digit system except that there is an added digit. The first of the three digits in the system designates the base resistance value. The last digit would then be the power of the multiplier. As with the three-digit system, the multiplier number is ten to the power of that number that is multiplied.
The last system for labeling the SMD resistors is the EIA-96 system. It is also a three-digit that has the first two digits that represent a value from the E96 series. There is a table that shows the value for all the possible 96 possible codes of this system: https://pimylifeup.com/smd-resistor/. This table can help you to find the values that you need to know.
The construction of the SMD resistors is a rectangular shape which gives them their name. Each end has a metalized area that surrounds the main body that is ceramic. They can be directly set on a PCB, or printed circuit board if it has pads. The pads let the two different ends to be set into the board and provide the connection. When the chip resistors are made there is alumina or ceramic substrate that are used, and the connections are added at the end. It is then fired to keep everything in place so that it doesn’t move.
Then a thin film of either a metal film or metal oxide is added to it, and it is fired again. You can determine the reactance of the chip resistors by the thickness, the length, and the material that is used. The whole thing is then coated with different layers of a protective coat which will prevent mechanical issues and to avoid water or moisture and other things that may contaminate them. The last stage would then be to apply the marking if the chip resistor is big enough for it.
The SMD resistor packages usually fit the standard chip outlines for passive chip components. There are less than standard packages that are available, but they are not usually used. The new design has very small packages that allow the power to dissipate, saving space and allowing for more miniaturization of the equipment is allowed. This allows more to be put into the same space as the larger equipment.
The specifications of the SMD resistor vary due to the different manufacturers. It is very important for you to look at the manufacturer’s rating for the specific chip before choosing the right one. There are some basic specifications that give a better understanding of the chips, such as the temperature coefficient, tolerance, and power rating among other things.
There are advantages of chip resistors that include a much smaller size than typical resistors, lower levels of stray inductance and capacitance, higher frequency operations, higher tolerances, and a good temperature coefficient and long-term resistance stability. All of these are combined to make the chip resistor a better product for you to use.
Conclusion
The chip resistor is a smaller resistor for you to use for PCB boards. You can use more of them in a smaller space so that you can conserve room. They are also called SMD resistors meaning surface mounted device. They are typically used by professionals because they are hard for amateurs to use. They don’t use a color band system to identify them because the components are too small for this. Instead, there are three other ways to identify them that include a three-digit system and a four-digit system.
This is just a very basic introduction to the chip resistor and is only meant to get you started on your research. You will need to research so much more to understand anything more than this basic introduction. If you want more information or more detailed information, you will have to discuss this with a professor or take a class that can help you to learn more.
