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present, it’s always one of the last colors in the code. If
you’re having trouble reading the color bands, try using
a multimeter to read a resistor’s value. Just set your
multimeter to ohms and connect the test leads on each
side of the resistor.
A number of different components are used to make an
effects pedal. Here’s an overview of what they do..
RESISTORS
A resistor is used in an electrical circuit to present an
opposition to current flow. It resists the amount of
current that can pass through it.
A resistor’s value—the amount of resistance it creates—
is rated in ohms (Ω). The higher the ohmic value, the
greater the resistance to this flow of current. For
example, a 100Ω resistor creates ten times as much
resistance as a 10Ω resistor.
Resistor values are indicated by colored bands, read from
left to right. The first color in the code is usually the one
painted closest to a lead. When a gold or silver band is
UNDERSTANDING ELECTRONIC
COMPONENTS
4.7
KΩ
±1%
K = 1,000
Band 1 Band 2 Band 3 Multiplier
Tolerance
4 7 0 x10 ± 1% =
5-band code:
4-band code: read Bands 1 and 2 same as above, then
Band 3 is the Multiplier and Band 4 is the Tolerance.
BLACK 0 0 0 1
BROWN 1 1 1 10
+/- 1%
RED
2 2 2 100
+/-
2%
ORANGE
3
3
3
1,000
YELLOW
4
4
4
10,000
GREEN 5 5 5
100,000
+/- 0.5%
BLUE
6
6
6
1,000,000
+/- 0.25%
VIOLET
7
7
7
10,000,000
+/- 0.10%
GRAY
8
8
8
100,000,000 +/- 0.05%
WHITE
9
9
9
1,000,000,000
GOLD
0.1
+/-
5%
SILVER
0.01
+/- 10%
10
