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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: dmc777 on October 01, 2010, 07:10:41 PM

Title: Is it ok to use 1/2 watt resistors in pedals?
Post by: dmc777 on October 01, 2010, 07:10:41 PM
I've got some 1/2 vintage mojo resistors with .1-.2% tolerance and was wondering if it'd be ok to use them in a Colorsound Powerboost I'm building. I wanted to add some vintage parts and already have them but I know 1/4 watt is standard. Will 1/2 watt be ok?
Title: Re: Is it ok to use 1/2 watt resistors in pedals?
Post by: davent on October 01, 2010, 07:21:33 PM
Long as there's room it's fine.

dave
Title: Re: Is it ok to use 1/2 watt resistors in pedals?
Post by: Labaris on October 01, 2010, 07:26:05 PM
Yeah, they will work fine. It should be just a matter of room in your board, just like davent said ;)

But I have a question about this: ¿is that power rating a max. capacityor it's another thing?
Title: Re: Is it ok to use 1/2 watt resistors in pedals?
Post by: dmc777 on October 01, 2010, 09:55:26 PM
Quote from: Labaris on October 01, 2010, 07:26:05 PM
Yeah, they will work fine. It should be just a matter of room in your board, just like davent said ;)

But I have a question about this: ¿is that power rating a max. capacityor it's another thing?

You got me on the power rating. That's why I asked. I'm pretty sure they'll fit I just wanted to make sure they weren't to powerful or whatever.
Title: Re: Is it ok to use 1/2 watt resistors in pedals?
Post by: frank_p on October 01, 2010, 10:08:24 PM

Resistors are passive, they don't give power, they dissipate power. You must use a power rating that is over what the resistor will effectively dissipate.

Title: Re: Is it ok to use 1/2 watt resistors in pedals?
Post by: Labaris on October 02, 2010, 01:01:03 AM
Quote from: frank_p on October 01, 2010, 10:08:24 PM

Resistors are passive, they don't give power, they dissipate power. You must use a power rating that is over what the resistor will effectively dissipate.


So, no doubts about it now. Same thing with speakers, for example. They don't "give" N watts, they can "tolerate/handle" N watts fed into them by another (active) device.
These watts are electric BTW.


So man, don't worry about your resistors  ;D
Title: Re: Is it ok to use 1/2 watt resistors in pedals?
Post by: GibsonGM on October 02, 2010, 09:36:49 AM
Larger tolerance resistors are quieter, so it's actually 'better' from an audio standpoint.
However, if they are "vintage", they are probably carbon comp, so they are inherently noisy just from what they're made of!  But they certainly won't hurt anything...