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Stupid question about Resistors

SparkyCal

Mar 11, 2020
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When using a resistor, does it matter if the which direction you out it in. Does the band that shows the threshold, have to face a certain way?
 

Nanren888

Nov 8, 2015
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Nov 8, 2015
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Sometimes when populating components onto a board, I line the through-hole resistors to all face the same physical direction, as it can look neater.
Circuit-wise, like the man says so well above. Either way round: still the same resistor. That's why I can turn them round arbitrarily to make the board look so cool.
 

dave9

Mar 5, 2017
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Often a board has what is considered a top, bottom, left, and right side, whether it is due to how the designer saw it in the layout program, or how the silkscreen text is oriented.

It is easier to read the resistor values later if you orient them all so they read correctly from left to right when the board is oriented top up, or when the board is rotated 90 degrees (rotated either direction, take your pick) for resistors oriented that direction. Similarly, on through-hole resistors that have printed text instead of bands, bend the leads so that text is facing straight up away from the board for easiest reading.
 

WHONOES

May 20, 2017
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Often a board has what is considered a top, bottom, left, and right side, whether it is due to how the designer saw it in the layout program, or how the silkscreen text is oriented.

It is easier to read the resistor values later if you orient them all so they read correctly from left to right when the board is oriented top up, or when the board is rotated 90 degrees (rotated either direction, take your pick) for resistors oriented that direction. Similarly, on through-hole resistors that have printed text instead of bands, bend the leads so that text is facing straight up away from the board for easiest reading.
Standard practice in industry for the already quoted reasons.
 
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