Color Code Charts
August 1972 Popular Electronics

August 1972 Popular Electronics

August 1972 Popular Electronics Cover - RF CafeTable of Contents

Wax nostalgic about and learn from the history of early electronics. See articles from Popular Electronics, published October 1954 - April 1985. All copyrights are hereby acknowledged.

Here is one of the most complete component color code charts that I have seen. It covers resistors, capacitors, and inductors for EIA, JAN, and commercial standards. If you are reading this, you have almost certainly memorized the color / number correlation (BBROYGBVGW = 0123456789, respectively) and know how to read a regular carbon resistor's code for resistance and maybe even tolerance. However, if you encounter a capacitor with an array of colored dots or a component with 5 colored bands, are you sure how to read it? This handy-dandy chart will help. Or, you probably have an app on your phone that will do the same thing. In 1972 when the chart appeared in Popular Electronics magazine, nobody had ever conceived of a phone app.

Color Code Charts

Color Code Charts, August 1972 Popular Electronics - RF Cafe

 

 

Posted January 29, 2024
(updated from original post on 7/13/2017)