Resistor Code Reader 2. Complete documentation.

Resistor Code Reader 2. Complete documentation.

See also: download page, home page, Russian page.

Resistor Code Reader for Windows.

Author: Anatoliy Kovalenko, version 2.3 (19 March 2004 - 11 June 2004).

What is this program for?

The program calculates the resistance in Ohms, tolerance and TCR of a resistor from its color code. It also shows a resistor with its color lines when you provide its resistance and tolerance.

Supported resistor types.

From value to colors: 3,4,5,6-line resistors from 1 Ohm to the maximum in compliance with the specifications. Integer values only. Russian 20%-tolerance resistors are supported.

From colors to value: 3,4,5,6-line resistors from 0.1 Ohm to the maximum in compliance with the specifications. Russian 20%-tolerance resistors are supported.

How to use.

Converting colors to resistance:

- The first line of a resistor is the one closest to its end or the widest one. The other lines are enumerated from left to right.
- Select the colors of the resistor. If the resistor has only 4 lines, select "none" instead of the 5th line, the 6th line will be turned off automatically.
- The 6th line means the TCR (temperature coefficient of resistance) and it is used on Philips resistors. If there are only 5 lines, select "none" instead of the 6th line.
The program will check your selection and report the status of the conversion: either "OK" or "error". If you have an error, revise your choice of colors.

IMPORTANT: (evidently, for Russian resistors only) Some 5-line resistors with 20% tolerance lack the 5th line, so you can confuse them with 4-line resistors. Accordingly, 4-line resistors with 20% tolerance lack the 4th line and are marked with 3 lines only. This program can calculate the value of such resistors, but you should be careful: for 20% 4-line resistors select "none (20%, 4-L.)" instead of "none" when selecting the color of the 5th line. For 20% 3-line resistors select "none" instead of the color of the 4th line. It's important not to use "none (20%, 4-L.)" for ordinary resistors, otherwise the calculation will be incorrect!

Converting resistance to colors:

- Enter an integer value in Ohms. The minimal value is 1 Ohm.
- According to the specifications, there are only 2 significant digits for 4-line resistors and 3 significant digits for 5-line resistors. So if you enter the value "12345", then the value of the resistor will be 12000 Ohms for a 4-line resistor and 12300 for a 5-line resistor. It's not the error of the program!
- Select the tolerance.
- If you want to see a 5- or 6-line resistor, uncheck the "4-line resistor" checkbox.
- For Philips resistors select the TCR.
- Now you can see the names of colors and the graphical model of the resistor.
- You can ignore the value of tolerance if it's of no importance to you. In this case one of the lines will be filled with crossed white lines. It means that this line can be of any color.

IMPORTANT: Remember my comment about 20% tolerance resistors? To draw a 3-line 20% tolerance resistor select "20%, 3-L." tolerance. For 4-line 20% tolerance resistors select "20%, 4-L." tolerance. Do not use 20% tolerance for other types of resistors. If you do, the calculation will be incorrect.

Other features.

- To make the program window stay above all other windows, check the "always on top" checkbox.
- You can check the updates and report an error by means of the "Program" menu.

SOFTWARE LICENSE AGREEMENT.

This agreement is between Anatoliy Kovalenko (the author) and the users of Resistor Code Reader 2 software. If you do not intend to honor this agreement, please uninstall the program right away.

BY USING THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IT MAY HAVE DEFECTS AND ASSUME ALL RISK WITH RESPECT TO IT.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY.

The author has no liability to the users of the software or any other person or entity for any damage or loss, including special, incidental or consequential damages caused by this product directly or indirectly. The software is supplied "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The author notifies the users that no harmful code was designedly included in the program.

DISTRIBUTION.

The program is distributed free. You can distribute it to your friends without taking any kind of fee or reward in return. You MAY NOT sell, rent or lease this program.

COPYRIGHTS.