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Gear / Technical Help => Battery Boxes, Preamps, Mixers, ADCs, and Processors => Topic started by: jerryfreak on February 14, 2009, 01:53:44 PM

Title: how to model/simulate a potentiometer
Post by: jerryfreak on February 14, 2009, 01:53:44 PM

i have a new piece of gear i was hoping to use at the upcoming phish shows, but mouser shorted me on the 5K potentiometers i ordered.

can i simulate a pot at max and min gain by wiring a 5K resistor instead of a pot, and then connecting the 'wiper' to the appropriate side of the resistor to get max/min gain, or am i way off base? 

Title: Re: how to model/simulate a potentiometer
Post by: kirk97132 on February 14, 2009, 02:02:38 PM

Dunno if this will help you out or not
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/470/Potentiometers/1.html

Title: Re: how to model/simulate a potentiometer
Post by: jerryfreak on February 14, 2009, 04:07:25 PM

[qthanks, they dont have the one i need tho.

think i may just get an alternate from mouser.

kinda eager to test it this weekend though!

uote author=kirkd link=topic=117204.msg1566415#msg1566415 date=1234638158]
Dunno if this will help you out or not
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/category/470/Potentiometers/1.html
[/quote]

Title: Re: how to model/simulate a potentiometer
Post by: jerryfreak on February 15, 2009, 03:14:45 AM

i dont have a schematic, i was just replacing a board-mount multi-turn trimpot with a remote panel mounted pot. so ive got three leads coming off of the board that are supposed to go to the ends and the wiper of a panel mount pot. I'm imaagining the pot as just a big adjustable resistor, right. so if i connect the pot ensd to the opposite sides of a 5K resistor, i should be at max or min gain by connecting the wiper to either end.

Title: Re: how to model/simulate a potentiometer
Post by: xpander on February 16, 2009, 01:32:47 PM

That would be correct. Just make sure you get the ends and the wiper right and you should be good to go. Potentiometer is a resistor with fixed value, but the wiper will "tap" into any spot in between the two ends, thus defining the actual value(s) in use. In your case there would of course be just two spots, defining the min and the max.

Noise might be another thing though. You should make good, solid connections and "wiper" contact...and probably avoid fingering the parts otherwise. A little test will tell you all this easily enough, right? 8)

Title: Re: how to model/simulate a potentiometer
Post by: jerryfreak on February 16, 2009, 02:33:24 PM

thanks. keep your eyes peeled for the headline

"hippie makes pot alternative, details at 11" :)

Title: Re: how to model/simulate a potentiometer
Post by: xpander on February 16, 2009, 04:11:28 PM

Uhm...please, just don't burn anything, yourself included. :o