What are current sense resistors?

Current sense resistors, also called shunt resistors, refer to specially designed electronic devices, which are used widely to measure the flow of electric current by detecting and converting current to a measured output voltage. Shunt resistors are usually low-value resistors having high power nonetheless. As such, they are preferred where low resistance is required so that power consumption remains minimum and potential risks or short circuits are thoroughly eliminated. 

Importance of current sense resistors

Current sense resistors, or shunt resistors, are usually different from other traditional types of resistors widely used in electronic circuits. While the generic resistors are used in applications requiring low current and standard ambient temperatures between 0-85 degrees, shunt resistors are designed with the capability to accommodate an extensive range of temperature coefficients. The traditional resistors ignore the temperature coefficient of thermal EMF as well. On the other hand, in current sense resistors, there are two diode conductive materials present to produce voltage, based on the temperature.

Applications

Current sense resistors or shunt resistors have a multitude of applications across different industry verticals, including consumer goods, automotive, telecom, medical instrumentation, military, aerospace, and general use. Some of the most common applications of current sense resistors thus are:

• Power supplies 
• Disk drives
• Precision applications 
• Power tools
• Thermostats
• Televisions
• Videocassette recorder
• Smoke detector
• Power steering 
• Car control systems
• Cell phones
• Laptops
• Medical pressure sensors
• Diagnostic equipment 
• Satellites
• Missiles
• Sonar
• Avionic products
• Surveillance equipment