Five band colour coded resistors. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

SeanStevens · 31st Dec 2012, 10:09 am

Ok

So I show my ignorance again.

I have a resistor here - it has 5 bands

Brown 1
Red 2
Brown 1 zero
Gold 5%
Pink ?

If I use a meter I get 120.4 ohm
using a 4 band system I get 120 ohm at 5%

What is that pink band about?

SEAN

Tractorfan · 31st Dec 2012, 10:20 am

Hi,
I have a box of ex- GPO resistors and they have a pink band as well. I think it might indicate special quality grade components, but not 100% sure.
Cheers, Pete

M0FYA Andy · 31st Dec 2012, 10:21 am

Pink was used to designate 'high stability' in the says (days) when ordinary resistors were carbon composition.
Examples are the Erie 'cracked carbon' type, which may be what you are looking at.
Modern film resistors are high stability by their nature.
Andy

geeoboeh2s · 31st Dec 2012, 10:22 am

The pink, or more correctly salmon, was used to show that the resistor was of high stability.

Chris

SeanStevens · 31st Dec 2012, 10:34 am

As usual - a very speedy response - thanks

I guess, like the % tolerance colour, there are are other colours used for this range - although a quick look on the web was not that fruitful..... until I added 'Salmon'.

I have found this:

Quote:

Sometimes a SALMON coloured band was added to the end of a 4 banded resistor to indicate high stability

Hold on though! Resistors made for military use will often also have 5 bands, the FIFTH band denotes reliability, or failure rate. I'm told that these have 2 bands wide spaced and separate from the other 3 (unconfirmed). Value is read as for a 4 band resistor.

http://highfields-arc.co.uk/construc...nfo/resist.htm

SEAN

Paul Adams · 31st Dec 2012, 11:01 am

I was in the same dilemmer (dilemma) the other day, until I found this very useful website, put the colour's (colours) in and it tells you the value.

Must be my old age, I can't seem to remember as well as I used too.

Paul.

31st Dec 2012, 11:07 am

It is fortunate that the sometimes unreadable 4 value + 1 or two other band resistors arrived at the same time as digital multimeters.

31st Dec 2012, 10:09 am	#1
SeanStevens Octode Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bath, Somerset, UK. Posts: 1,033	Five band colour coded resistors. Ok So I show my ignorance again. I have a resistor here - it has 5 bands Brown 1 Red 2 Brown 1 zero Gold 5% Pink ? If I use a meter I get 120.4 ohm using a 4 band system I get 120 ohm at 5% What is that pink band about? SEAN __________________ There are only 10 types of people, those who understand the binary system, and those who don't.

31st Dec 2012, 10:20 am	#2
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,183	Re: Five band colour coded resistors. Hi, I have a box of ex- GPO resistors and they have a pink band as well. I think it might indicate special quality grade components, but not 100% sure. Cheers, Pete __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."

31st Dec 2012, 10:21 am	#3
M0FYA Andy Nonode Join Date: May 2007 Location: Preston, Lancashire, UK. Posts: 2,511	Re: Five band colour coded resistors. Pink was used to designate 'high stability' in the says (days) when ordinary resistors were carbon composition. Examples are the Erie 'cracked carbon' type, which may be what you are looking at. Modern film resistors are high stability by their nature. Andy

31st Dec 2012, 10:22 am	#4
geeoboeh2s Rest in Peace Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Berkshire, UK. Posts: 72	Re: Five band colour coded resistors. The pink, or more correctly salmon, was used to show that the resistor was of high stability. Chris

31st Dec 2012, 11:01 am	#6
Paul Adams Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Wolverhampton, West Midlands, UK. Posts: 253	Re: Five band colour coded resistors. I was in the same dilemmer (dilemma) the other day, until I found this very useful website, put the colour's (colours) in and it tells you the value. Must be my old age, I can't seem to remember as well as I used too. Paul.

31st Dec 2012, 11:07 am	#7
Guest Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Five band colour coded resistors. It is fortunate that the sometimes unreadable 4 value + 1 or two other band resistors arrived at the same time as digital multimeters.