Skip to main content

What is potentiometers How a Potentiometer Works?


Potentiometers
A potentiometer is simply a variable resistor that can be controlled by the user. Potentiometers accomplish this by having three terminal resistors forming and a load that connect the potentiometer and the voltage source in one loop and the potentiometer and the load in another. Potentiometers have a wide range of uses, ranging from CD players to Servo mechanisms.

How Does a Potentiometer Work?
A potentiometer has 3 pins. Two terminals (the blue and green) are connected to a resistive element and the third terminal (the black one) is connected to an adjustable wiper. The potentiometer will work as a rheostat (variable resistor) or as a voltage divider.

Rheostat
To use the potentiometer as a rheostat, only two pins are used: one outside pin and the center pin. The position of the wiper determines what quantity resistance the potentiometer is imposing to the circuit, as the figure demonstrates:
If we have a 10kΩ potentiometer, it means that the maximum resistance of the variable resistor is 10kΩ and the minimum is 0Ω. This means that by changing the wiper position, you get a value between 0Ω and 10kΩ.

Voltage Divider
Potentiometers can be used as voltage dividers. To use the potentiometer as a voltage divider, all the 3 pins ar connected. One of the outer pins is connected to the GND, the other to Vcc and the middle pin is the voltage output.
When the potentiometer is employed as a voltage divider, the wiper position determines the output voltage. When you have the potentiometer connected this way, you have the following circuit:
Basically, the voltage divider is employed to show an oversized voltage into a smaller one.
                                        
Potentiometer Taper
One main thought related to potentiometers is that the taper. The taper is the relationship between the position and the resistance of the potentiometer. The most common types are linear and logarithmic tapers.
Linear potentiometers
The most common form is the simple linear taper. In a linear taper, the relationship between the resistance and the potentiometer position is linear. This means that if the knob of the potentiometer is at the medium position, the output voltage is half of the voltage through the potentiometer.
Logarithmic potentiometers
Non-linear tapers are specially used in audio control applications, namely logarithmic tapers (there are also inverse-logarithmic tapers).

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is TVS Diodes: - Types, Working and Advantages & Disadvantages

TVS Diodes Transient voltage suppressor diodes, more commonly referred to as TVS diodes  are wont to protect integrated circuits (ICs). TVS diodes ensure semiconductors and delicate parts against high transient voltage spikes (overvoltage). TVS diodes are offered in both through-hole and surface mount bundles. They can be unidirectional or bidirectional. Unidirectional TVS diodes will only allow positive or negative voltage whereas bidirectional diodes can operate at both positive and negative voltages. TVS diodes are able to conduct large currents to the ground due to their construction. They feature a way larger p-n junction cross-sectional area than standard diodes. Types of TVS Diode Transient Voltage Suppressor Diodes can be grouped into two kinds. One is Unidirectional , and the other is Bidirectional . A unidirectional Transient Voltage Suppressor Diode fills in as a rectifier in a circuit the forward way like some other avalanche diode, and this unidi...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is Interface Testing and use of Interface Development Kits?

Defination of Interface Testing Interface Testing is a type of testing process used to validate the interaction between the two systems or applications that are involved in the software application. In this testing, the interface of the application is verified for its behavior when other integrated applications are establishing connections or trying to transfer contents amongst one another. These Interfaces can be of different types reliant to the developer’s choice or the development team’s preference, like a web service, an API or a Macro service. So it is done to verify and test the communication between the two software or the components of the same software. It includes testing of interfaces like APIs and web administrations. Interface testing is one among the foremost important testing so as to make sure smooth and safe communication between the components in software. An interface is basically a software that involves a set of commands, images, messages, etc to enable t...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are TVS diodes?

TVS diodes TVS (transient voltage suppressor) diodes are used to protect traces from high voltage spikes. They work by shunting currents when the voltage exceeds the  avalanche breakdown potential. They are basically  high-power Zener diodes . They start conducting at a preset voltage and are tailored for low on-times. Transient Voltage Suppressor or TVS Diodes are an effective solution to protect other semiconductors from any damaging surge levels they may be exposed to. Some confusion can arise as ESD diodes can often be referred to as TVS diodes in literature. However, there is a clear distinction. TVS diodes are particularly efficient in countering medium-voltage high-energy pulses that last milliseconds, in comparison to ESD protection devices which address higher voltage pulses of lower energy and shorter duration. And while they may seem like Zener diodes, TVS diodes are specifically designed to suppress transients rather than regulate voltage. To eff...
Post a Comment
Read more