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There may be times where you may want to use a 470Ω resistor, but can’t because you don’t have one, or because the 470Ω resistors that you do have can’t handle the power demands of the circuit.
- Lower value resistors connected in series can add up to approx. 470Ω.
- 150Ω and 330Ω are common value resistors. Coming them in series will provide 480Ω of resistance.
- Higher value resistors can be added in parallel until they will pass about as much current as a 470Ω resistor.
- Two 1,000Ω resistors in parallel will pass twice as much current as a lone 1,000Ω resistor. They will pass as much current as a lone 500Ω resistor. So, two parallel 1,000Ω resistors is equivalent to 500Ω of resistance.
Most of the time, exact resistance is not required. If 470Ω of resistance will work, then 500Ω will probably work as well.
12V across a 1,000 ohm resistor will pass 12mA of current and create 0.144W of waste heat.
A 1/4W (0.25) will be bit hotter than desired at 0.144W. It’s generally recommended to keep them below 1/8W (0.125W)
Another 1,000Ω resistor connected parallel to it will also pass 12mA of current and create 0.144W of waste heat.
The power source will have to move that total of 24mA, so it sees about 500 ohms of resistance. 12V/0.024A = 500Ω.
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