Product Overview
Motorola 220K Ohm 1/8W Carbon Composition Resistors - Vintage File Card Pack of 10, 10% Tolerance
Condition
Unused NOS. Ten axial-lead carbon resistors on original file card, brown bodies with red-red-yellow-silver band configuration. Card tab stamped 06-185C08 and 220K-10-1/8; reverse shows catalog number 54-84066A05 with "Printed in USA" notation. Minor edge wear on card. Sourced from an electronics distributor consolidating inventory.
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Product Overview
Motorola 06-185C08 is a vintage file card pack of ten 220K Ohm, 1/8W carbon composition resistors at 10% tolerance. The card format kept components organized and protected - a practical packaging method from an era when component quality and traceability mattered to the bench technician as much as the spec.
Key Features
- Resistance: 220K Ohm
- Power rating: 1/8W
- Tolerance: 10%
- Construction: Carbon composition
- Quantity: 10 resistors per file card
- Band configuration: Red-Red-Yellow-Silver (confirmed by visible markings)
- Motorola part number 06-185C08 stamped on card tab
- Secondary catalog number 54-84066A05 on card reverse
Applications
- Replacing drifted or failed carbon comp resistors in vintage tube amplifiers where period-correct construction matters for tone and historical accuracy
- Restoring antique radio receivers - swapping out original carbon composition resistors to maintain circuit behavior consistent with the original design
- Builders of guitar amplifier clones who want the thermal mass and low-inductance characteristics of carbon comp rather than modern film types
- High-energy pulse and surge protection circuits where carbon composition's ability to absorb transient energy outperforms film alternatives
- RF and high-frequency circuits where the low inductance of carbon comp is an advantage over wirewound resistors
- Makers and hobbyists building retro-style electronics who want authentic vintage components on the bench
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these carbon composition or carbon film resistors?
Carbon composition. The research notes confirm carbon composition construction, consistent with Motorola's production of this file card series. Carbon comp resistors have a larger thermal mass than film types, giving them better pulse energy absorption - a meaningful difference in certain audio and RF circuits.
Do I get all 10 resistors, or just one?
You receive the complete file card as shown - 10 axial-lead resistors on the original Motorola card strip.
Are these suitable for modern precision circuits?
Not the best fit. Carbon composition resistors carry a 10% tolerance and are known for higher noise and greater resistance drift with temperature and voltage compared to modern film types. They are well suited for vintage restoration, period-correct audio repair, and pulse-handling applications - not for precision analog or tight-tolerance digital designs.
What do the band colors confirm?
Red-Red-Yellow-Silver: 220K Ohm, 10% tolerance. The bands are consistent with the value and tolerance stamped on the card tab (220K-10-1/8).
There is something satisfying about a Motorola file card that has sat undisturbed for decades and still delivers exactly what is printed on the tab. These go into your vintage radio, your tube amp, your retro build - and they bring the right resistor and a small piece of electronics history with them.
