https://www.baldengineer.com/tag/tipsRecent content in tips on Bald EngineerHugoen-USThu, 13 Apr 2017 03:19:48 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/sorting-resistors.htmlWed, 12 Apr 2017 13:00:51 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=6410When you buy a grab bag of components, you might need to tackle sorting resistors. Here’s how I sorted some bags of random resistor assortments last week. Objectives Then method I use for sorting resistors achieves these objectives: Fewer Bins. It doesn’t take long to create a large matrix of resistor values. My resistor sorting method is relatively compact. Quick to find. When I’m building up a circuit, I don’t want to spend time sorting through a pile. Once I know the value I need, I find a single package and then look for a single color band. Works with 4-band and 5-band resistors. Let me be upfront: I *hate* 5-band resistor color codes. While the 5th ring is supposed to be slightly offset, or wider, or a different type of color; it doesn’t matter. It’s nearly impossible to tell read a 5-band resistor color code when they are in a pile. However, using my method for sorting resistors, it doesn’t matter if I’m looking at a 4-band or 5-band resistor. I can immediately identify the resistor value. Based on #3 alone, you might be wondering what is the fantastic method (and how much will it cost to get it!) Here’s the basics of my method for sorting resistors. (For FREE!)