| From high-power electronic loads to digital potentiometers, electronically-controlled resistive devices find high demand in applications spanning the entire field of electrical engineering. In general, the design and construction of these devices is accomplished via semiconducting devices placed within control circuit topologies which allow for the emulation of resistances. The resulting systems are normally quite accurate, flexible, and robust, but can also be quite expensive depending on the goals of an engineer who requires their functionality. If accuracy and flexibility is not of paramount importance, it is perhaps the case that more cost-effective methods of constructing such systems might be developed.;This thesis endeavors to explore the idea of constructing electronically-controllable resistive elements using switching resistor networks as opposed to semiconductor-based systems. It is first considered what efforts have already been carried out in this vein, and how some related problems were resolved. Next, the ability to construct resistances using a given set of resistor values is developed. Following this, experiments are carried out in order to reveal the general characteristics of resistor networks. Finally, a broad discussion is given which proposes how one might best use the work done to achieve the systematic construction of switching resistor networks. |
