1/2 watt metal film

[rasco22862]

Hi, can i use the 1/2 watt metal film resistor or it HAS to be 1/4?? (This 1/2 watt metal film resistor is smaller than the 1/4 carbon resistor)
I mean, how this affects the circuit?
Thanks

[John Lyons]

They will work fine. More wattage will disipate more heat but you won't need to do that in any stompbox.
The Value in ohms is the main thing you need to be sure of.

John

[d95err]

Resistor power ratings specify how much power dissipation (heat) they can take before they melt. So you can use resistors with bigger than the specified rating no problem. Bigger power rating usually means bigger resistor (physical size), though metal films can take more heat than a carbon film of the same size. If you could manage to squeeze it into the box, a 10W resistor would also work... 

The same principle goes for capacitors and voltage ratings. As long as the voltage rating is larger than the biggest voltage the capacitor can expect to see, it will work. However, using a 630V capacitor in a stompbox is usually a waste of space and money.

[zjokka]

I was looking at these, thought they were really cheap.
But they are 1/2W too, and what frightens me more 3% -- shouldn't they be 1%
is this why they look cheaper?

1/2W Metal Film RESISTOR KIT 3% - Pack of 1040

[d95err]

I was looking at these, thought they were really cheap.
But they are 1/2W too, and what frightens me more 3% -- shouldn't they be 1%
is this why they look cheaper?

1/2W Metal Film RESISTOR KIT 3% - Pack of 1040

Most carbon film resistors are 5%, so 3% is still pretty good. 1% tolerances are seldom necessary for stomboxes, it is mainly for high-end audio applications where perfect balance is essential. Anyway, you can (and should) always measure every resistor before you put it into the circuit. Mainly because it prevents making stupid mistakes by accidentally picking the wrong value, but you can also catch a value diverging too much.