Read a resistor's value from its colour bands, or find the bands for a value. Supports 4, 5 and 6-band resistors with tolerance and temperature coefficient.
Bands 1 to 2 (or 3 for 5/6-band) are significant digits, the next is the multiplier, then tolerance, and on 6-band resistors a final temperature-coefficient band. Gold and silver multipliers give sub-ohm and fractional values.
Hold the resistor with the tolerance band (often gold or silver) on the right. The first two bands (three on 5 and 6-band parts) are digits, the next is the multiplier (power of ten), then the tolerance, and on 6-band resistors a final band gives the temperature coefficient.
As a tolerance band, gold means plus or minus 5% and silver 10%. As a multiplier band, gold divides by 10 and silver by 100, which is how sub-ohm resistor values are coded.
4-band resistors give two significant digits, 5-band give three (more precise), and 6-band add a temperature-coefficient band for parts where stability over temperature matters.