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The resistive element of inexpensive potentiometers is often made of graphite. While the setting of a rotary potentiometer can be seen by the position of a marking on the knob, an array of sliders can give a visual impression of settings as in a graphic equalizer or faders on a mixing console. An advantage of the slider potentiometer is that the slider position gives a visual indication of its setting. Contamination can potentially enter anywhere along the slot the slider moves in, making effective sealing more difficult and compromising long-term reliability. The only point of ingress for contamination is the narrow space between the shaft and the housing it rotates in.Īnother type is the linear slider potentiometer, which has a wiper which slides along a linear element instead of rotating. For single-turn potentiometers, this wiper typically travels just under one revolution around the contact. On panel potentiometers, the wiper is usually the center terminal of three. The wiper is connected to a third terminal (F), usually between the other two.
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Each end of the resistive element is connected to a terminal (E, G) on the case. The resistive element can be flat or angled. Many inexpensive potentiometers are constructed with a resistive element (B in cutaway drawing) formed into an arc of a circle usually a little less than a full turn and a wiper (C) sliding on this element when rotated, making electrical contact. Potentiometers consist of a resistive element, a sliding contact (wiper) that moves along the element, making good electrical contact with one part of it, electrical terminals at each end of the element, a mechanism that moves the wiper from one end to the other, and a housing containing the element and wiper. Single-turn potentiometer with metal casing removed to expose wiper contacts and resistive track
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trimpot or trimmer pot: a trimmer potentiometer typically meant to be adjusted once or infrequently for "fine-tuning" an electrical signal.thumb pot or thumbwheel pot: a small rotating potentiometer meant to be adjusted infrequently by means of a small thumbwheel.slide pot or slider pot: a potentiometer that is adjusted by sliding the wiper left or right (or up and down, depending on the installation), usually with a finger or thumb.
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There are a number of terms in the electronics industry used to describe certain types of potentiometers: