Author Topic: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?  (Read 1710 times)

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Offline ELS122Topic starter

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Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« on: August 18, 2022, 07:44:42 pm »
I know carbon composition resistors have bad VCR (Voltage Coefficient of Resistance), but modern ones have far too good VCR specs to be any fun anymore  :D

I know I could use some simple BJT or FET as a variable resistor to achieve the same effect.
but what options do I have with just resistor types (and yes I know it depends a lot more on the size and value of the resistor most often)

I was thinking maybe LDRs would have bad VCR since they're... terrible in everything else, but I couldn't find any datasheet which listed a spec for VCR.

and also, I see positive and negative values used for VCR, sometimes having negative ppm/V and positive %/V specs in the same sentence but in the next sentence it's negative %/V...
so, does a carbon comp resistor have positive resistance change per voltage (+ %/V?, + ppm/V?) and would increase in resistance the more voltage is applied to it, or the other way around?
 

Offline Benta

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2022, 10:34:39 pm »
How about a VDR/Varistor?
 

Offline Conrad Hoffman

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2022, 01:57:58 am »
Wind yourself an old school mica resistor using fine nickel wire. It's used for temperature sensing, so should do what you want. Or buy- https://www.harlingen.cz/index.php/en/niklova-teplotni-idla/ni-5000 Looks to be 5000 ppm/K
 

Offline ELS122Topic starter

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2022, 05:18:42 am »
Wind yourself an old school mica resistor using fine nickel wire. It's used for temperature sensing, so should do what you want. Or buy- https://www.harlingen.cz/index.php/en/niklova-teplotni-idla/ni-5000 Looks to be 5000 ppm/K

thats Temp coefficient not Voltage
 

Offline ELS122Topic starter

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2022, 05:56:28 am »
How about a VDR/Varistor?

that would have the opposite effect, go down in resistance with voltage. and also theyre really non-linear, even SiC ones
 

Offline Berni

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2022, 09:33:30 am »
Yes they make resistors with a high voltage coef, they are called Varistors.

In practice you will mostly find them as MOVs (Metal Oxide Varistors) being used as surge protectors because they can absorb a large amount of energy before they blow up.
 

Offline Terry Bites

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2022, 12:04:10 pm »
If you miss carbon, get some pencils.
Remember that bag of briquets from last winter?
Got a bale of fencing wire?
Mmmm.

If you've run out of these high end components, then put some nails in a potato.



 
The following users thanked this post: karpouzi9

Offline ELS122Topic starter

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2022, 02:36:19 pm »
If you miss carbon, get some pencils.
Remember that bag of briquets from last winter?
Got a bale of fencing wire?
Mmmm.

If you've run out of these high end components, then put some nails in a potato.


youre really helpful! thanks x9999


varistors have a negative temp coefficient not positive.
 

Offline Berni

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2022, 04:49:28 pm »
What are you trying to do in the first place?
 

Offline ELS122Topic starter

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #9 on: August 19, 2022, 04:55:14 pm »
What are you trying to do in the first place?

find resistors with a VCR similar or worse than that of carbon comp resistors
 

Offline Conrad Hoffman

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #10 on: August 19, 2022, 05:26:45 pm »
Wind yourself an old school mica resistor using fine nickel wire. It's used for temperature sensing, so should do what you want. Or buy- https://www.harlingen.cz/index.php/en/niklova-teplotni-idla/ni-5000 Looks to be 5000 ppm/K

thats Temp coefficient not Voltage

True, but you design the resistor to heat up! Pure voltage coefficient is harder to find and may not be very large. I worked with some high voltage amplifiers decades ago and we learned that MOX resistors performed poorly when used for feedback because the voltage coefficient was high. That likely isn't true with modern ones.
 

Offline Berni

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Re: Resistor types with inherently bad VCR?
« Reply #11 on: August 19, 2022, 06:18:58 pm »
find resistors with a VCR similar or worse than that of carbon comp resistors

More why you need such a resistor.

You can make any resistor as crappy as you want by placing non linear semiconductor components in parallel or series with it, adjusting the values of the resistors around them to mix in the desired amount of non linearity and different arrangements can provide either positive or negative coefficients (both of those can be seen in resistors)
 


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