Wirewound resistors - Printable Version

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Wirewound resistors - 45philcodon - 03-23-2017

General question - why are wirewound resistors used instead of carbon? Can carbon of the same wattage be used in place of wirewound?

Thanks,

Don

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RE: Wirewound resistors - Mondial - 03-23-2017

Wirewound resistors are typically used in applications requiring higher power ratings than carbon resistors. The largest available carbon composition resistor is about 2 Watts, while wirewounds are rated up to several hundred Watts or more.

Wirewounds are also more stable and do not drift in value as much as carbon. If you want to replace a small wattage wirewound resistor, a metal oxide film or metal film resistor is a better choice as they are offered in a 5 Watt rating and are much more stable.

Old style carbon composition resistors of any wattage are practically obsolete today and are getting hard to find.

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