Editing Electronic color code (section)

==History==
{{anchor|RMA|RTMA|RETMA|EIA|IEC}}
[[File:ResistorColorCodeGuide.jpg|thumb|[[Radio Manufacturers Association|RMA]] resistor color code guide, ca. 1945–1950]]
Before industry standards were established, each manufacturer used its own unique system for color coding or marking their components.

In the 1920s,{{Citation needed|date=November 2019|reason=Please help nail down the exact year of the RMA resistor color specification. It's in the range of 1924 to 1930.}} the '''RMA resistor color code''' was developed by the [[Radio Manufacturers Association]] (RMA) as a fixed resistor coloring code marking.  In 1930, the first [[Radio receiver|radio]]s with RMA color-coded resistors were built.<ref name="ARH_1932_1"/><ref name="ARH_1932_2"/> Over many decades, as the organization name changed (RMA, RTMA, RETMA, [[Electronic Industries Alliance|EIA]])<ref name="JEDEC_EIA"/> so was the name of the code. Though known most recently as '''EIA color code''', the four name variations are found in books, magazines, catalogs, and other documents over more than {{Years ago|1930}} years.

In 1952, it was standardized in [[IEC 62:1952]] by the [[International Electrotechnical Commission]] (IEC) and since 1963 also published as '''EIA RS-279'''.<ref name="EIA_RS-279"/> Originally only meant to be used for fixed resistors, the color code was extended to also cover capacitors with [[IEC 62:1968]]. The code was adopted by many national standards like [[DIN 40825]] (1973), [[BS 1852]] (1974) and [[IS 8186]] (1976). The current international standard defining marking codes for resistors and capacitors is [[IEC 60062:2016]].<ref name="IEC_60062_2016"/> In addition to the color code, these standards define a letter and digit code named [[RKM code]] for resistors and capacitors.

Color bands were used because they were easily and cheaply printed on tiny components. However, there were drawbacks, especially for [[Color blindness|color blind]] people. Overheating of a component or dirt accumulation may make it impossible to distinguish brown from red or orange. Advances in printing technology have now made printed numbers more practical on small components. The values of components in [[surface mount]] packages are marked with printed alphanumeric codes instead of a color code.