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Power Resistors 101 High voltage resistors come in many different designs and each of them has been used for specific uses and purposes as well. Most of their manufacturers are specializing in the design of a customer or application specific high voltage resistor in a low to medium volume. These resistor types are available for various applications. Each of them retains the technology and application issues’ understanding.

The manufacturers need to understand also that the users do not want to risk and compromise the system or component failure through the use of standard resistor products. They do not achieve the accurate specification needed; however, these have been the closest available materials. Some manufacturers provide application-specific products for high voltage resistor. They are available in low to medium volumes.

A high voltage resistor major application is circuit protection sensitive elements present in a power supply. Other applications include motor control, medical devices, anti static systems, balancing and emitter resistors, military systems (RADAR, SONAR) and divider circuits. The capability to manufacturer depends on some elements. These involve the TCR or temperature coefficient of resistor, wattage ranges, ohmic ranges, and voltage.
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High voltage resistors have special requirements. These requirements are asked in the aspect of high voltage applications. The typical carbon film resistors’ ¼ watt are available in various electronics ranges from 250 volts to 500 volts which has been under the kilovolt level required. The voltage limitation is set through the power dissipation issues like a 10k resistor with one kilovolt across it dissipating 100 watts.


In terms of the lower current applications, the physical length of the device of about five to ten kilovolt. This is arching around the body of the resistor leading to a significant problem. Some high voltage resistors utilize the spiral path of dark metal oxide. This is actually available in ceramic. This high voltage resistor is called as tiger stripe resistor. The peak voltage capability is more on the function of body length which has a voltage of approximately 50 kilovolt. One essential kind of this resistor has been the non-inductive bulk ceramic or tubular resistor. Due to large resistive material volume, these types of resistors must have the ability to handle highly pulsed power compared to the metal film or wirewound counterparts. It has been done for ensuring that they will be suitable for rapid energy dumping as well as higher energy pulse works.
riedon.com Shunt Resistor

Shunt resistors are usually associated a parallel position along with an instrument or the component. This is done to divert an electrical current. These types of resistors provide alternative current paths in case there have been problems or failure and these are used for complete reduction of input sensitivity from the input lines through the ground.

Current shunt resistors were generally low in resistance and passive electronic devices used to measure AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current) going through the voltage drop in which currents created throughout resistance. Shunt resistors’ electrical specifications include ohms current rating, and power rating. Other specifications involved are the power coefficient of the resistance, temperature coefficient of the resistance and the resistance tolerance.


Ohm is measuring the opposition of the material to the electricity circuit flow while the TCR or temperature coefficient of resistance is referring to resistance change with temperature change. On the other hand, the PCR or power coefficient of resistance refers to the temperature that had risen due to self-heating. For the current-sensing shunts, the resistance usually ranges from 100 µO up to 500 mO. A shunt resistor can be applied in current conversion. This is the aspect in which high precision has been required.
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Shunt resistors’ physical specifications come in different forms. But these include the lead type as well as the resistor materials. The shunt resistors may be bolted, surface mounted, through-hole mounted, and chassis mounted. Through-hole technology (THT) and surface mount technology (SMT) have been the other typical and well-known mounting styles. The other kinds of lead are screw terminals, J-leads, and tab terminals. There are also gull-wing leads, radial leads, and axial leads available.

Shunt resistors without leads are also available and they can be wire wound, metal film, metal oxide, carbon film, ceramic, metal alloy, thin film, and thick film. Carbon shunt resistors were composed of resistive, ceramic, solid and high temperature materials that were bonded by metal contacts. Metal alloy shunt resistors got more than two metallic elements. On the other hand, a wire wound shunt resistor contains thin wire winding in the ceramic rod.

Shunt resistors differ in terms of packing methods because some passive electronic elements are packed in the reel tape assemblies along with a carrier tape which embossed cavities for storing individual component. Some were packed in trails (trays) have been composed of fiber and carbon-power materials while they have been molded in a rectangular outline containing matrices of pockets that are uniformly spaced.