Resistor here, capacitor there…

These passive components are pretty much everywhere! In electronics, that is. These fundamental components may not be the most powerful or the most glamorous parts in any design, but their presence is critical. They are often designed to serve a variety of application-specific functions and are continually improved and developed to better suit new trends and requirements. The following products are just a few examples of the recent advancements in resistor and capacitor technology.

The TPS Series tantalum capacitors from AVX (www.avx.com) offer the industry’s lowest ESR, 80-mΩ, in a C case size (6032-26). This is significant because previous low-ESR options within this capacitance/voltage ratio were only available in D case sizes (7343-31). Other specifications include 330 µF, 6.3 V, a maximum direct leakage current of 19.8 μA, a maximum dissipation factor at 120 Hz of 12%, and operating temperatures from –55° to 125°C. The capacitors suit smoothing and filtering on 3.3-V power rails. The devices also meet AEC-Q200 automotive industry requirements and can be used for battery support in handheld devices.

Stackpole Electronics (http://www.seielect.com) developed the RNCP Series thin-film resistor as a low-cost alternative to high-power thick-film resistors. The resistors are particularly significant due to their invulnerablility to sulfur contamination. Suited for use in computer and computer accessory applications, the devices offer absolute tolerances to 1%, a TCR of 100 ppm/°C with power ratings from 0.1 to 0.5 W and maximum working voltages from 50 to 200 V. The resistors are RoHS-compliant without exemptions, use only Pb-free glass, and eliminate the silver and gold used in traditional sulfur-resistant components. The series is available in 0402, 0603, 0805, and 1206 chip sizes, and comes on standard 7-in. reels.

Bi Technologies (www.bitechnologies.com) developed to complement existing panel pot and encoders for pro-audio applications, a line of single- and dual-gang slide potentiometers is RohS compliant, with actuation ranging from 100 to 200 kcycles and standard tolerance to ±20%. The Model PS100 has 100-mm travel and values from 500 Ω to 1 MΩ. The dual-gang Model PSxxG offers 45- and 60-mm travel (depending on version) and values from 10 kΩ to 1 MΩ. The single- and dual-gang Model PSxx has 15-, 20-, 30-, 45-, and 60-mm travel, and values from 500 Ω to 1 MΩ. The single-gang with LED and dual-gang without LED Models PSxxM and PSxxL have 20-, 30-, 45-, and 60-mm travel, and values from 500 Ω to 1 MΩ.

Finally, Vishay Intertechnology (www.vishay.com) recently presented the VHP100 Bulk Metal foil resistor, which was the the first product of its kind on the market to offer essentially a zero TCR, only 0.3 ppm/°C max over a temperature range of –55° to 125°C. The hermetically sealed, oil-filled device minimizes changes in resistance values when subjected to load variations and thermal stresses, which could not be accomplished by previous Bulk Metal Foil solutions. The resistor also features tight tolerances to ±0.005% (50 ppm) and a load-life stability of ±0.005% (50 ppm) typ for 2,000 hours at 70°C and 0.3 W.