I dissipate the heat with a 12V PC fan . The above list is an extensive list of the types of resistors which exist today. If a resistor has a power rating of 1W, then we should not feed more than 1W to the resistor. Some resistors are sensitive to heat and light and vary their resistance in accordance with temperature or brightness. The last 4 resistors are variable resistors which change according to knob adjustments, heat, and light, respectively. The electric company bills not for power but for energy, using units of kilowatt-hours. https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/resistive-heating-explained-in-details Transferring heat energy generated by power resistors. Power dissipated by a resistor is P = I^2 x R or P= V^2/R both derivations of P = I x V and of V= I x R (Ohm’s law). This article deals with the practical matters of heat transfer in power resistors and includes a description of the specific geometry of film resistor parts, as opposed to other technologies such as wire wound resistors. The problem I have with these resistors is that the inertia is too high. So I thought to myself, "I have 12v * 6a = 72w power supply, if I'm using 4 x 10w resistors 72 watts would be too much for them." The power dissipated in a resistor goes into heating the resistor; this is know as Joule heating. A thermistor is a type of resistor that varies its resistance with temperature. If I stop the current when the correct temperature is reached, the temperature keeps on climbing because some heat is still stored in the resistors heatsink, and I overshoot the target temperature by 2°C for a short amount of time. Resistors will heat up as they slow down the current running through the circuit. If I wanted to build a circuit that would turn on a fan in the attic when it reaches a … In some cases, however, Joule heating is exploited as a source of heat, such as in a toaster or an electric heater. A resistors power dissipation must be further reduced if it's effected by near by components or resistors that are radiating heat which would effect the surrounding ambient temperature [of the resistor being effected]. I hooked them up this way though, the resistors in series, and they barely heat up, so I must not know how these things work even though I thought I did. value. If they are getting very hot to the touch and start to boil or smell then you need to get higher power resistors. In many cases, Joule heating is wasted energy. Technically I don’t like to use the terms power loss. Resistors are electrical components in an electric circuit that slow down current in the circuit. Related Resources How should they be configured to produce my needed heat. 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