Current sense resistors feature 2W and 3W power ratings

Aimed at current sensing and pulse applications in power supplies, instruments, power amplifiers, shunts, power inverters, and battery management circuitry, the resistors allow designers to use a single high power resistor instead of running multiple resistors in parallel, which can cause current measurement errors.

By thus improving power density, the WFM additionally promotes space savings on the circuit board that will in turn enable smaller and lighter products for the end consumer.

The WFM devices feature a construction that incorporates an improved thermal management design utilizing a copper heat spreader, resulting in 2W and 3W resistors in the 2010 and 2512 package sizes that maintain the superior electrical characteristics of the Power Metal Plate construction.

A proprietary processing technique enables a wide range of low resistance values from 5mΩ to 500mΩ, with tolerances down to ± 1%.

The devices are ideal for all types of current sensing and pulse applications in automotive electronic controls, brushless DC motor controls, and battery management for electric and hybrid vehicles; high power inverter / converter controls and large motor drives for industrial applications; power supplies for downhole instrumentation; inverter control for consumer appliances and HVAC systems; and power management, conversion, and safety in servers and other computing applications.

The resistors feature a solid metal manganese-copper or nickel-chromium alloy resistive element with low TCR (< 20ppm/°C), low inductance values of 0.5nH to 5nH, low thermal EMF to < 3µV/°C, and an operating temperature range of -65°C to +170°C. The devices are RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and Vishay Green.