PEC Pot post identification

[Austin Tripp]

Hey all! What are the terminals on the pec 500k pots? I.e which is the ground, input and output? Thanks!

[Dick Sexton]

Does it look like this?



Usually this type of Pot has no connection internally to the WIPER and the configuration is left to the circuit designer. That said, the center tab or connection is the WIPER and the two outer tabs or connections can be connected as need. Ie. to ground or to the hot. On my volume pedal the center tab is the output, one of the outer tabs is the input, the other outer tab is the ground.

[Steven Husting]

If it's a linear taper pot, then what Dick said is correct - the middle is the wiper (output) and you can use whichever of the others you want as input and ground. But usually lug 1 (on the right seen from the back with the lugs up) is used as input, and 3 as ground.

If it is an audio (or logarithmic) taper pot, then there is a difference between the outer lugs. Looking at the pot from the rear, with the lugs up, the input is on the right (lug 1), and the ground is on the left (lug 3). If you hook it up backwards, it will not respond the way you expect. An audio taper pot will usually be used (but not only) for volume and tone controls.

If it isn't printed somewhere on the pot (500kA or 500kB) you can measure the DC resistance across the right (1) and middle (2) lugs with the pot set at the half-way position. If it is something around 250k (it could vary quite a bit, but is within say 50k of 250k) it is a linear pot.

steven

[Dick Sexton]

Thanks Steven, absolutely true...

http://www.wikihow.com/Wire-a-Potentiometer

[Steven Husting]

Thanks Steven, absolutely true...

http://www.wikihow.com/Wire-a-Potentiometer

Note that I numbered my lugs backwards ... don't get confused.

But - it calls the middle lug the input, and the right-most lug the output; that is backwards from what I usually see in guitar amps.

steven

[Marty Broussard]

Good info.....I'm changing a pot so this helps

[Austin Tripp]

Thanks guys I got it! Now if I can get this dang string to do what I want I'll be back in business lol.

[Bill Ferguson]

You should have brought it to me last Sunday. I would have changed that pot and put a new string on in about 10 minutes.
Had to change Cowboy's on Saturday. I don't know how he was playing as bad as his sounded.

[Austin Tripp]

Hey Bill! I have the pot in but I can't get the string set like it should be. Will you be in belvedere tomorrow?

[Mark Fowler]

Then there is the taper, 10%, 20% or 30%.