Am I being too anal over my resistors?

[nosamiam]

I like those 1/8 watt resistors, but when I'm laying out a PCB, sometimes I prefer 1/4 watt. Standard spacing on those allows me to use the resistor to "bridge" over a perpendicular trace. Or even two traces. That kind of flexibility can keep a layout much cleaner sometimes.

[italianguy63]

Yeah too anal.

3 basic types.  Metal film (blue) 1%, carbon (tan) 5%, and old school carbon-comp (squared-off dark brown) 10% typical.

I tend to use the metal on newer/digital-ish stuff, the carbon on older analog designs, and old school carbon-comp where people want extra "mojo."  Just because... People are funny-- I've had complaints about people wanting carbon when I've used metal, and people complain that they wanted 1% low-noise when I've used carbon before..  I've learned people like to complain mostly.  LOL   

I don't mind the thin leads actually except when I do "stand up" components.. because my big meat-hands tend to knock them over, and risk breaking them off from bending them back and forth too many times...



MC

[LightSoundGeometry]

everything I have read thus far , or heard, is that, passive and non active components really make zero difference at all; unless you are working for nasa sending a man to the moon then you might want to get more accurate/robust with your parts  - more of a visual stimuli, or a spec for a vintage item/restoration.

I have read and seen on videos old capacitors are not near as good as new ones; and their lifespan is typically 15 years at most. A lot of article out on tube amps that go bad because of old parts wearing out like caps etc.

[cloudscapes]

everything I have read thus far , or heard, is that, passive and non active components really make zero difference at all; unless you are working for nasa sending a man to the moon then you might want to get more accurate/robust with your parts  - more of a visual stimuli, or a spec for a vintage item/restoration.

I'd half agree with that. As far as robustness/corrosion on thinner leads goes, if your pedal is getting enough exposure to bad stuff to be able to eat away thinnner resistor leads, then you have bigger problems at hand than just resistors.

As for 1% vs 5% vs 10%, I'd say it does have its uses in some designs. Not like dirts, but stuff like delays and flangers, where accuracy in clock signals (often controlled with capacitors) and ADC biasing is important.

[italianguy63]

As for 1% vs 5% vs 10%, I'd say it does have its uses in (...) accuracy in clock signals (often controlled with capacitors) and ADC biasing is important.

Agreed!

MC

[plexi12000]

yes--- you're being too anal!  hahaha-  youre dealing w/ a couple volts.  measure and use.  carbon comps can absorb moisture and drift....but i always use them. just my preference.  still....never had a "noise" issue.   solder away-

[plexi12000]

check radio shack online store......i buy stuff from them.  not sure if they continue to sell resistors though.

[plexi12000]

Speaking of resistors, has anyone used before or had good luck with the "micro" 1/4 watt carbon ones??,I scored some on the bay a while back and have been reluctant to use them...they are 5℅tolerence but just physically smaller than normal ones..I feel they would take less space on the board and I really wanna use them..also is it ok to mix metal and carbon ones in the same build or is this frowned upon?..thanx..any input would be helpful.

Used them lots of times. but TOLERANCE will vary depending on manufacturer! "big names" are very accurate.....all the time.  but i'll give you one example.  Tayda....cheap as hell.  like 1 or 2 cents a pc.  made by Royal Ohm- taiwan i believe.  bought a bunch of values and a lot of them. 

Not very reliable.  IN GENERAL...the larger values tended to be fairly accurate. smaller values were crazy. all over the place and sometimes out of tolerance.
So i ended up checking 20 pcs. to get one i liked.   

so from then on...i spend a little more for xicon, TT, Vishay or whatever. 

carbon comps dont have "mojo" UNLESS you put significant voltage through them. then they do actually 'distort'.  in a pedal, they aint going to do anything "better".

But in a tube amp....yeah- in the right places they can do it.

[italianguy63]

Mojo is in the eye of the beholder or customer...

[rotylee]

I wish my wife would be a bit more anal.

Anal Resistor?

[karbomusic]

Tayda....cheap as hell.  like 1 or 2 cents a pc.
.....
so from then on...i spend a little more for xicon, TT, Vishay or whatever. 

Xicon are 15 cents each at Mouser, but when purchasing resistor values that you use all the time, if you get 200 and they drop to 2.5 cents each. Meaning 50 resistors = 7.50 or 200 = 5.00. So even if you don't use them all that's a better deal.

[plexi12000]

right....... i mean i guess its kinda "6 of one, half dozen the other".   i'd rather spend a little more and know they're ALL going to be right on the money.

if i've learned ONE thing in my 46 yrs.  99.995% of the time....you get what you pay for.

[karbomusic]

if i've learned ONE thing in my 46 yrs.  99.995% of the time....you get what you pay for.

Oh, yea, I agree. I got some one-off rare values from Tadya, everything else is Xicon/Vishay... That's how I knew the pricing when reading the thread. It was to your credit and info for others that I was suggesting you can get quality at Tadya prices in some cases. "Quality" often goes beyond the audial and I have noticed in many areas (not just stompboxes) this gets missed in the conflation between "sounds good is good", and "sounds good, but only lasts about a week".

[greaser_au]

if i've learned ONE thing in my 46 yrs.  99.995% of the time....you get what you pay for.

In reality it's you maybe get what you might have thought you probably could have got if somebody else observed you thinking about what you really meant to be thinking about getting...

Regrettably in my 50 years in this world it is not as simple as that. 

david

[karbomusic]

It would be a different story if I blindly purchased something *because* it cost more but the high majority of the time when I investigate what it is that I am buying, there is typically justification for the price. If there isn't I don't buy it but the key is that investigation. There is a difference between identifying/confirming quality and ignoring it due to the fear of "being had". From a pedal perspective, it's more expensive (for me) to make the better, longer lasting build, never less.

I was just adjusting my 99.00 cheap drill press... I was changing the belt to raise the RPM... both plastic handles just broke off, the 225.00 dollar press has metal handles. 

[bloxstompboxes]

I wish my wife would be a bit more anal.

Anal Resistor?

The new name of my band.

[Jdansti]

I wish my wife would be a bit more anal.

Anal Resistor?

The new name of my band.

Wouldn't that name be considered discriminatory in our PC-worshiping culture? 

[nick d]

To paraphrase Jim Royle - " Resistors my Arse ! "

[bool]

as "cost effective" resistors, yageo metal films aren't all that bad

vishay are the more "mission critical" brand though

[aballen]

I go with KOA Speer 1% resistors.  Thicker leads and I figure 5% on a 100k resistor can be a lot.  buy them from digikey or mouser and the are cheap too.  I've never been burnt by being picky.