Low Cost Programmable Decade Resistor for Prototyping Convenience

[gerrysweeney]

I just ordered 2 as well! Thanks for offering this very handy device!

Thank you for your interest, much appreciated.

Gerry

[gerrysweeney]

done similar 2 yr ago:
http://piccy.info/view3/4791938/d706e396dec6d8494713aae24112d101/
http://piccy.info/view3/4791942/1d42fe11ff9f79dfb6d0534419fecfc8/

Nice, if they were on sale I would have bought a couple, I looked quite hard for a simple solution but ended up rolling my own. 

Gerry

[Thor-Arne]

I ordered one as well. 

[gerrysweeney]

if they were on sale I would have bought a couple

me too, but found nothing similar at local stores.
Moreover, jumpers are cheaper, and more reliable than mechanical switches.

Yep, exactly my conclusions I thought when I put it together. And best of all, if your jumpers do wear out, just get some more, they are about $10 per 1000

[gerrysweeney]

I ordered one as well. 

Thank you. Really great support from everyone, I really appreciate it, I am glad to have made something that is useful to others. 

[karlmag]

.. and I just ordered one too...

I just blame Thor-Arne for me ordering it now - and so can you ;-)
He pointed it out to me.

Thanks! :-)

[Thor-Arne]

 

[gerrysweeney]

.. and I just ordered one too...

I just blame Thor-Arne for me ordering it now - and so can you ;-)
He pointed it out to me.

Thanks! :-)

Thank you both

[KedasProbe]

Nice, but I guess calling it "Programmable" is a typing mistake?

[karlmag]

Nice, but I guess calling it "Programmable" is a typing mistake?

Nah, I would call it programmable.
You do program it - using manual placement of jumpers, but you do program it.

[gerrysweeney]

Nice, but I guess calling it "Programmable" is a typing mistake?

Nah, I would call it programmable.
You do program it - using manual placement of jumpers, but you do program it.

Yeah me too, calling it "settable" does not really describe it in a way that people would recognise it.

Gerry

[Thor-Arne]

Oh, fast shipping too. 

[Dave]

Yeah me too, calling it "settable" does not really describe it in a way that people would recognise it.

Gerry

I know a term that Americans adore: "adjustable".
Everything is better if it's adjustable, especially if it's "fully adjustable". Or so I've heard.

Nifty little gadget. I like that it's really compact and handy.
You have inspired me to have my own go at making an adjustable (hehe ) decade resistance box. I was thinking about using shorting rotary switches, so the circuit doesn't get disconnected when I'm are switching values. But it won't be anywhere near as compact as yours, I'm afraid.

Good job on the blog, I really enjoy watching your videos. I especially like your power supply project, great stuff.

[gerrysweeney]

Oh, fast shipping too. 

Phew  , I just packaged and posted these things to places in the UK, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Brazil, Chilli, North America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and I might have missed a few.....

Rant time: F*&^% PayPal and e-bay, the devil in disguise. When I called I got through to a machine which proceeded to tell me what I could and could not say - needless to say it did not understand the words I started to use!!! then I said "Security" and it put me through to a person.  Now by this time I was pissed, so I let him have it, and then apologised because I knew he was only the call centre guy.  Basically the company line is, "Its not PayPal that is crap, its Royal Mail", well I beg to differ they are both utter crap......arrrrgggggggg - rant over - time for bed me thinks.

Gerry

[gerrysweeney]

Yeah me too, calling it "settable" does not really describe it in a way that people would recognise it.

Gerry

I know a term that Americans adore: "adjustable".
Everything is better if it's adjustable, especially if it's "fully adjustable". Or so I've heard.

Nifty little gadget. I like that it's really compact and handy.
You have inspired me to have my own go at making an adjustable (hehe ) decade resistance box. I was thinking about using shorting rotary switches, so the circuit doesn't get disconnected when I'm are switching values. But it won't be anywhere near as compact as yours, I'm afraid.

Good job on the blog, I really enjoy watching your videos. I especially like your power supply project, great stuff.

Dave,

Yes thats a good word, "fully adjustable" is definitely better.  To me though, when I think of adjusting I see a man with a wrench (oops, I mean spanner so I am not that in tune with the word in the context of setting jumpers, setting seems more appropriate somehow.  Perhaps one day I will build a real programmable resistor just to say I did, I have access to a good stock of military grade miniature reed relays

Thanks for watching the blog, I am really enjoying designing the PSU (and actually making the blog too), I have learned so much along the way - no puny ready made regulator chips for this puppy

Gerry

[c4757p]

I prefer 'programmable'. That, to me, implies either computer control or discrete steps. 'Adjustable' to me implies a continuous, tweakable range.

[george graves]

Programmable assumes that it can be machine/computer controlled.  I'm sure if a a one-hung-low company came out with a power supply with only an array of headers to set the voltage and called it "programmable", there would be pitch forks.

Speaking of pitch forks....What's up with the "I know a term that Americans adore: "adjustable"."  Sigh....

[gerrysweeney]

Programmable assumes that it can be machine/computer controlled.  I'm sure if a a one-hung-low company came out with a power supply with only a array of headers to set the voltage and called it "programmable", there would be pitch forks.

Speaking of pitch forks....What's up with the "I know a term that Americans adore: "adjustable"."

I remember having to *program* a Data General Nova 3 (yes I was very young it it was very old at the time).  Now, although I was "programming* it, I was actually toggling switches on its front panel - quality computer....

I know programmable is not the ideal word but its the best of a bunch, perhaps settable would have been better. In any case, its printed on the silkscreen now so I shall not be changing it any time soon. 

Gerry

[Dave]

Speaking of pitch forks....What's up with the "I know a term that Americans adore: "adjustable"."  Sigh....

I have noticed that Americans in particular use that term quite often when describing some tool, piece of lab equipment/machinery. Much more often than any other English-speaking people. So I got the impression, that you must really like things that are adjustable.

[cthree]

Aside: Since Americans are the largest group of English speakers by a wide margin, 5:1 over the UK, its hard to argue they are "wrong". 'English' has really been 'American' for at least the last century.

I just made a home on my bench for one of these. Great project! Perfect for getting an 'adjustment' resistor dialed in just so 

[IanJ]

Nice, but I guess calling it "Programmable" is a typing mistake?

Nah, I would call it programmable.
You do program it - using manual placement of jumpers, but you do program it.

Yeah me too, calling it "settable" does not really describe it in a way that people would recognise it.

Gerry

I like 'programmable'........but I guess 'configurable' would work also.

PS. Gerry, hope you've put one in the mailbag to Dave......?

Ian.

[gerrysweeney]

I just made a home on my bench for one of these. Great project! Perfect for getting an 'adjustment' resistor dialed in just so 

Thanks very much, glad you like it.

[gerrysweeney]

I like 'programmable'........but I guess 'configurable' would work also.

PS. Gerry, hope you've put one in the mailbag to Dave......?

Ian.

"Configurable" perhaps.... this conversation could last forever

I did think of sending one over to Dave for his mailbag section, not sure he would be that interested though, eh perhaps I will.

Gerry

[ElektroQuark]

From a non native English speaker (sort of): "adjustable" fits for me.

[KedasProbe]

You could make it smaller if you make the circuit like this but then the user would need to 'calculate' the value.
http://www.robotshop.com/elenco-rs-500-resistor-box.html
And then you would need to remove decade out of the name also