Keeping track of resistors for bread boarding

[GreySuits]

I've been starting to play with my breadboard more and the one thing that throws me off is being able to identify resistor values when I'm changing things around or tearing apart a circuit and re-sorting the parts.  Do you guys just memorize the color band values on the resistors and are able to identify the resistor value by eye, do you check each one with your multi-meter if you lose track of their value, or is there some other tool/method that can help to quickly identify resistor values?

[EBK]

I used to be able to instantly read the color bands on the beige 5% resistors.  Now that I use blue 1% resistors, I can't read them by eye with any reliability, so I keep a meter handy.

[moid]

I attach little strips of masking tape (painter's tape in the US I think) to each resistor with the value of that resistor written on it. It does look messy, but helps me identify resistors. Also can be useful to have little notes on them reminding you what each component in a tricky part of the cicruit is doing. Bonus points for fairly easy to remove afterwards

[EBK]

masking tape (painter's tape in the US I think)

I think "masking tape" is the more common term in the US (at least in Pennsylvania and surrounding area).  To me, "painter's tape" is a specific type of masking tape. 

[GibsonGM]

"Masking tape" is fine, Moid!  I'm a painter....painter's tape is the blue stuff, or now green, which is specifically formulated to release from freshly painted surfaces without dragging the paint off.   Tho most in the US just say "masking tape" for that, too!   

[patrick398]

I've been starting to play with my breadboard more and the one thing that throws me off is being able to identify resistor values when I'm changing things around or tearing apart a circuit and re-sorting the parts.  Do you guys just memorize the color band values on the resistors and are able to identify the resistor value by eye, do you check each one with your multi-meter if you lose track of their value, or is there some other tool/method that can help to quickly identify resistor values?

Seeing the colour bands on resistors has never been an issue for me which i'm thankful for. When i first started out i kept a colour code chart on the wall above my desk. After a while you stop looking at the individual colours and see the thing as a whole, much like you see a word rather than a series of letters. The ones which have quite similar colour schemes still need double checking though.
Start by memorising the multipliers, brown is thousands of ohms, red tens of thousands of ohms, orange hundreds of thousands, and yellow millions. That puts you in the ball park at least.
Then you just look at the first two bands for your value, say brown and green for 1 and 5. If the multiplier is orange you know you've got a 150,000

[stallik]

As part of my attempt to learn the resistor codes, I put together a little app for pc, Mac etc which allowed me to identify them. It also gives me the range of possible values based on the tolerance. It was intended as a personal learning tool but, of it helps,

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=120902.msg1133795#msg1133795

[Fancy Lime]

Hi Grey Suits,

+1 what Parick said. Print a color code chart and refer to it when needed. You will find that the more you use it, the less you need it. In the end, we only use a few dozen values 90% of the time and human pattern recognition is an amazing thing. So you'll be able to spot a 220k or a 5.6k or a 100Ohm or a 4.7M in a heap of resistors quite quickly. To make it easier, I have my "breadboard resistors" sorted by multiplier: one little box for <100Ohm, one for 100-999Ohm, one for 1k-99k, one for 100k-999k, and one for >1M.

Occasionally the markings are ambiguous. I have one batch where red and orange bands are almost indistinguishable. So it does help to have a multimeter around. And sometimes it is unclear what end to start at. But that is only a problem if you don't know what the tolerances are. Usually all your resistors will be the same tolerance (normally brown for 1%) or you might have two or maybe three different tolerances. I only have 1% tolerance resistors, so I know that the last band is always brown. That helps a lot with figuring out at what side to start counting bands. For the few cases where it is still ambiguous if the printing is sloppy, like brown red black black brown, which could be 120Ohm 1% or 10k 1%, depending on which band is first, there is always the meter.

Hope that helps,
Andy

[Rob Strand]

Do you guys just memorize the color band values on the resistors and are able to identify the resistor value by eye, do you check each one with your multi-meter if you lose track of their value, or is there some other tool/method that can help to quickly identify resistor values?

Use what works best for you.  It's one of those things where people are different.  You can't go wrong with a meter but it also prevents you progressing to faster methods.   I've done this stuff for years and I can just look at a resistor as a whole image and know the value without deciphering the colors at all.   It's good to know Black = 10's, Brown = 100's, Red = k's, Orange = 10k's, Yellow = 100k's, Green = Meg's, Blue = 10's of Megs.  That only works for the 4-banders, for the 5 banders you have to shift the meaning by one step.  It's good to know these because you can see you are in the ball-park straight away.  If you only have a limited number of resistors in front of you the chances of picking the wrong one up is much lower.  Also if you are out by a factor of 10 or more it will cause havoc (or smoke).

[duck_arse]

if you aren't sure, first do some colour blindness testings. then, force yourself to learn the colour sequence. it was easier in days gone by when different colour bodies were common, the all blue ones are a nightmare. however, get yerself a big bag of assorted resistors/values, throw them all on the floor. that's not the right place for them, so you'd better now sort them by value and put them all away where you can find them.

use a printed colour chart until you don't need it. use your meter to check all your sortings, anyway.  I've been using the same small set of resistors on my breadbords for decades (cause they are bent hairpinned, generally). as there is an assortment of brands and composition across the set, there are some individuals I know by sight. those CR25 68k's for eg.

[PRR]

> Do you guys just memorize the color band values on the resistors

How do musicians find notes and frets?

When I was growing up, *KNOWING* resistor code was essential!!

You could say: musicians can't sit there and recite "Every Good Boy Does Fine" while playing, and a resistor technician can hesitate. But if you hesitate long enough to recite an offensive jingle, or spin the wheels on a decoder, work goes VERY slow.

And yes, the new custom of too many stripes. or actual numbers. does change things.