Custom resistors have a wide range of application in our day to day lives. It thus goes without saying that we literally can do without these circuit components. Before we can look into those uses, it is important that we establish certain concepts in electricity since this is important for our understanding of the different uses of custom power resistor.
Electricity is said to be the flow of electric current through a conductor. This current is made up of electrons. In order to check the amount of electricity flowing in a circuit, it is important to employ some resistance through the use of resistors. Resistors can have a number of uses in an electrical circuit as we shall discuss below.
Firstly, these components can be used to come up with a timing mechanism in the circuit. A resistor that is connected to a capacitor can be used in an electric circuit to act as a timer. The many day to day applications of lighting flashers, auto sirens, and many other timing mechanisms rely on this precept. The working of this mechanism depends on how fast the capacitor is filled with charge as is determined by the resistor that is connected to it.
Capacitors are known to hold electric charge therefore by limiting the amount of electricity that goes into them using custom resistors, we can limit the time that is needed to feel a given capacitor with charge. Once the capacitor is full, then a burst of energy can be given giving rise to the timing mechanism such as is seen in an auto siren. The energy is released in bursts whose interval is controlled by the amount of resistance that is applied to the circuit.
Resistors have also been used over time to serve as a means of dividing the amount of voltage that is allowed into certain junctions in a circuit. The voltage in this regard is divided using resistors of either an equal value of resistance or of varying value. This phenomenon is important in cases where the appliance being connected to the voltage source cannot take in a certain amount of voltage. By striking a balance between the current that flows in the circuit through a resistor and the amount of resistance that is offered, different voltage outputs can be obtained for any circuit. This is what gives rise to what is called a daisy chain or a voltage divider.