A chip resistor array is two, four or eight independent resistors in one package with one
land pattern. Convex arrays have rounded terminations that bulge outward. Concave arrays
have castellated notches cut into the edges. Convex is the volume standard and places
faster. Concave gives a visible, inspectable solder fillet. Choose on inspection
requirement, then on pitch.
What is a chip resistor array?
It is a single ceramic substrate carrying several electrically isolated thick film resistive
elements, each with its own pair of terminations. A 0402*4 array holds four resistors, each
the size of an 0402, in one body. The elements share nothing but the substrate. There is no
internal common node.
The naming convention states the element size and the element count. “04024″ means four
0402-sized resistors. “06032″ means two 0603-sized resistors.
Walsin Technology (Walsin) lists these in two groups. Our catalogue extract holds 7,250
parts under Thick Film Chip Resistor Array and 2,772 under Thick Film Chip Resistor Array
(Anti-Sulfuration) — 10,022 parts in total.
| Size code in Walsin’s data | Parts in extract |
|---|---|
| 0603 (1608) | 5,076 |
| 0402 (1005) | 4,003 |
| 0602*8 | 555 |
| 0201*4 | 194 |
| 0201*2 | 194 |
What is the difference between convex and concave terminations?
Convex terminations wrap around the ends of the body and bulge outward, like a standard chip
resistor. Concave terminations sit in half-cylinder notches cut into the body edge, so the
metal is recessed. Convex is cheaper to make and places faster. Concave forms an inspectable
fillet and tolerates a little more board flex.
Walsin’s array catalogue is overwhelmingly convex. Of the twelve largest series in our
extract, exactly one is concave: Thick Film Chip Resistor Array 06034, Concave type, at
693 parts. Every other series at that scale — 04022, 04024, 06032, 06034, 06028,
anti-sulfuration and automotive variants — is convex.
That has a practical consequence. If your process requires an inspectable side fillet on
every joint, your choice narrows to a single 0603*4 series. Establish that requirement
before you commit to an array at all, because the alternative is discretes.
When should I use an array instead of four discrete resistors?
When the four values are identical and the four resistors do the same job. Pull-ups on a
bus. Series termination on a parallel data group. LED ballast on a four-channel driver.
Damping on matched clock lines. One array replaces four placements, four pick-and-place
cycles and four reels, and it guarantees the four elements were screened together.
The matched-batch argument is the one engineers underrate. Four elements on one substrate
were printed in the same pass with the same paste and fired in the same profile. Their
absolute tolerance is whatever the datasheet says; their tracking against each other is much
tighter than four parts from four reels. For a differential termination pair or a divider
that needs ratio accuracy, that tracking is the reason to specify an array.
Here are eight real Walsin parts from our extract. Four are anti-sulfuration and standard
arrays, four are networks and jumpers. The reference is SA04X10R0FTL. The right-hand column
states field by field what matches and what does not.
| Walsin part number | Series | Size | Resistance | Tolerance | TCR (ppm/°C) | Rated power | Match / mismatch vs SA04X10R0FTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA04X10R0FTL | Anti-Sulfuration Thick Film Chip Resistor Array 0402*4, Convex Type | 0402 (1005) | 10.0 Ω | ±1% | ≤ ±300 | 1/16 W | reference part |
| SA04X10R2FTL | Anti-Sulfuration Thick Film Chip Resistor Array 0402*4, Convex Type | 0402 (1005) | 10.2 Ω | ±1% | ≤ ±300 | 1/16 W | match: series, four elements, size, tolerance, TCR, power, Sn-base lead-free termination · mismatch: 10.2 Ω not 10.0 Ω |
| SA04X10R7FTL | Anti-Sulfuration Thick Film Chip Resistor Array 0402*4, Convex Type | 0402 (1005) | 10.7 Ω | ±1% | ≤ ±300 | 1/16 W | match: series, element count, size, tolerance, TCR, power, termination · mismatch: 10.7 Ω not 10.0 Ω |
| WA04Y10R0FTL | Thick Film Chip Resistor Array 0402*2, Convex Type | 0402 (1005) | 10 Ω | ±1% | ≤ ±200 | 1/16 W | match: resistance 10 Ω, size, tolerance, power, convex termination, Sn-base finish · mismatch: two elements not four, no anti-sulfuration construction, TCR ≤ ±200 not ≤ ±300 |
| WA04Y12R0FTL | Thick Film Chip Resistor Array 0402*2, Convex Type | 0402 (1005) | 12 Ω | ±1% | ≤ ±200 | 1/16 W | match: size, tolerance, power, convex termination · mismatch: two elements, 12 Ω, no anti-sulfuration construction, tighter TCR band |
| WA04Y000 PTL | Thick Film Chip Resistor Array 0402*2, Convex Type | 0402 (1005) | 0 Ω | Jumper | not specified | 1/16 W | match: size, power, convex termination, Sn-base finish · mismatch: two elements, jumper not a resistor, no tolerance, no TCR figure |
| WT04X100 JTL | Thick Film Chip Resistor Network, Convex Type | 1206 (3216) | 10 Ω | ±5% | ≤ ±200 | 1/16 W | match: resistance 10 Ω, convex termination, 1/16 W per element, Sn-base finish · mismatch: network not array, 1206 body, ±5% not ±1%, TCR ≤ ±200 |
| WT04X000 PTL | Thick Film Chip Resistor Network, Convex Type | 1206 (3216) | 0 Ω | Jumper | not specified | 1/16 W | match: convex termination, 1/16 W, Sn-base finish · mismatch: network not array, 1206 body, jumper not a resistor, no tolerance or TCR |
Note the TCR column. The anti-sulfuration 04024 parts are ≤ ±300 ppm/°C. The standard
04022 parts at the same element size are ≤ ±200 ppm/°C. Sulfur resistance costs you
100 ppm/°C of temperature coefficient. Anti-sulfuration is not strictly better.
Walsin’s resistor product index is at https://www.passivecomponent.com/products/ — the
product index page, not a direct link to any datasheet PDF. The thick film datasheets we
hold locally are Walsin_WR_General_Purpose_Chip_Resistor.pdf and
Walsin_MR_Automotive_Thick_Film_Chip_Resistor.pdf.
What is the difference between a resistor array and a resistor network?
An array holds isolated elements with no shared connection. A network holds elements
deliberately connected inside the package — a common bus, a divider chain, a terminator
node. The array saves placements. The network saves placements and routing, because the
internal connection is one you no longer have to make on the board.
Walsin lists the network parts separately as Thick Film Chip Resistor Network, Convex Type,
in a 1206 body. WT04X100 JTL carries a ±5% tolerance against the ±1% on the arrays above. If
you need better than ±5%, look at the array families first.
What do I give up by using an array?
Four things. Every element is the same value in a given part number, so a mixed-value group
needs discretes. One failure or one bad joint takes out the whole package. The elements sit
close enough to couple thermally and, at speed, capacitively. And the package power rating
is lower than the sum of the element ratings.
That last point causes real failures. Every array in our extract is rated 1/16 W per
element. Four elements at 1/16 W is 1/4 W of element rating, but the substrate cannot
dissipate 1/4 W through one small land pattern. Derate to the package figure in the
datasheet, not to the arithmetic sum. The same thermal coupling that makes the elements
track each other also means you cannot load one hard and assume the neighbours stay cool.
Venatech Limited, an authorised Walsin distributor in Hong Kong, holds the full array
extract including the rows with misaligned fields, and can check any part against the
series datasheet before it goes on a BOM.
How do I choose a Walsin chip resistor array, step by step?
- Confirm the values are identical. If any element in the group differs, the array is
out. Check this first, because it eliminates the option outright. - Count the elements. Two, four or eight. At 0201 the catalogue is shallowest — 194
parts at 02014 and 194 at 02012 — so confirm availability early. - Pick the element size. 0603 is deepest at 5,076 parts, then 0402 at 4,003.
- Decide convex or concave. Convex unless you need an inspectable fillet. If you need
concave, your choice here is the 693-part 0603*4 concave series. - Decide whether you need anti-sulfuration. Specify it for sealed enclosures, rubber
gaskets and industrial atmospheres, and accept the wider TCR band. - Check the package power, not the element power. Sum worst-case dissipation across all
elements and compare against the package rating in the datasheet. - Check the footprint against your assembly process. Array pitch is finer than that of
four separate discretes.
Frequently asked questions
Are the resistors in an array electrically connected to each other?
Not in an array. Each element has its own pair of terminations and no internal common node. A resistor network is the part where elements are deliberately connected inside the package. Walsin lists networks under a separate series name, Thick Film Chip Resistor Network, in a 1206 body.
How many chip resistor arrays does Walsin list?
Venatech’s extract holds 10,022: 7,250 standard Thick Film Chip Resistor Array parts and 2,772 anti-sulfuration parts. By size, 5,076 are 0603, 4,003 are 0402, 555 carry the eight-element designation and 388 are split evenly between 02014 and 02012.
What does anti-sulfuration actually protect against?
Sulfur in the ambient atmosphere attacks the silver in the inner electrode, forming silver sulfide and eventually opening the element. Anti-sulfuration construction changes the electrode metallisation to resist that. It is a reliability measure for sealed enclosures, rubber-containing assemblies and industrial or automotive atmospheres.
Is an array as accurate as a discrete resistor?
In absolute terms, usually no — the arrays in our extract are ±1% or ±5%, while discrete thick film goes tighter. In relative terms, usually yes and often better, because the elements were printed and fired together. Use an array where ratio matters and a discrete where absolute value matters.
Why is the anti-sulfuration array’s TCR worse than the standard one?
The electrode change that gives sulfur resistance alters the temperature behaviour of the element. In our extract the anti-sulfuration 04024 parts are ≤ ±300 ppm/°C against ≤ ±200 ppm/°C on the standard 04022 parts. Specify anti-sulfuration where the atmosphere requires it, not by default.
Do arrays come automotive-qualified?
Walsin lists two automotive array series in our extract, 04024 and 06034, at 693 parts each. Both are convex. There is no automotive concave option in the data we hold.
Next step
Send us the element count, the value, the tolerance and whether you need a concave fillet
or anti-sulfuration construction. We will return the Walsin array candidates with series,
size, resistance, tolerance, TCR, rated power and termination style stated field by field.
We will not tell you a part is equivalent. We will show you exactly where it differs.
Send us your BOM → ·
Browse Walsin chip resistors →
Related reading: Anti-surge chip resistors ·
Chip resistor power rating by case size
Cross it yourself. The cross-reference tool takes a single part number or a whole BOM column and returns the Walsin candidates with every field that differs stated plainly — qualification stays with you. Ready stock shows what is held in Hong Kong today, with an RFQ against any line.