Thick-Film Resistors Deliver Precision Low-Ohmic Current Sensing in Compact Package

Constructed with a metal thick-film technology, Bourns’ new resistors offer power ratings up to 2 W to support high-density, space-constrained power circuit designs.
Jan. 26, 2026

Bourns’ CRN Series thick-film resistors are fabricated with a cost-effective and lead-free metal thick film that enables precise, reliable low-ohmic current sensing in compact packages. Their low cost and qualification to IEC 60115-1 testing requirements makes them a robust, economical current-sensing solution for applications ranging from battery-charge management, battery-management systems (BMS) and low-voltage power supplies to industrial controllers, digital meters, and current measurement applications.

The series is available in resistance values from 47 mΩ to 10 Ω, power ratings up to 2 W, and small-sized package sizes (from 0603 to 2512). All resistors in the CRN Series are qualified for an operating temperature range of –55 to +155°C and meet IEC 60115-1 test requirements for overload, operational life, solder heat, solderability, and board flex.

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About the Author

Lee Goldberg

Contributing Editor

Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.

Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.

Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.

Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.

Lee also writes the regular PowerBites series