This section provides overview, applications, and principles of slide potentiometers. Also, please take a look at the list of 4 slide potentiometer manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
A slide potentiometer is a variable resistor, also known as a potentiometer, that adjusts the volume of audio equipment such as speakers by adjusting the circuit length through an analog action such as twisting a knob.
A rotary volume is an element that performs a similar function. Except for the difference in whether the analog operation is on a linear or rotary axis, the slide volume and rotary volume can be considered almost the same thing.
Slide potentiometers are a potentiometer used to adjust volume, and as the name "volume" implies, it is mainly used as a knob to adjust the volume of audio equipment and other devices.
There are two types of potentiometers for volume adjustment: volume rotaries and slide potentiometers. The slide potentiometers are effective when used for radios and other equipment where you want to predict the volume level before turning on the power, because it is easy to determine what percentage of the volume is set at the knob position.
The slide potentiometers has a resistive element with a certain length, and a certain voltage is applied between the electrodes at both ends. On top of that resistive element, there is a third electrode that can move in conjunction with the knob, and the voltage corresponding to the distance between this electrode and the two end electrodes can be extracted.
Placing the third electrode closest to the reference electrode produces the lowest volume, while placing it farthest away produces the highest volume. The position of the third electrode between the two electrodes changes the volume according to its distance from the reference electrode, but the volume is not necessarily linear. Depending on the slide volume used, there are several patterns, from linear to quadratically increasing.
The slide volume controls the volume by physically sliding one electrode on the resistive element according to the principle described above. Therefore, slight electrical noise is generated when the electrode slides on the resistive element, and depending on the frictional force between the resistive element and the electrode, the noise may be mixed into the sound.
Repairing the slide potentiometers are relatively easy compared to other electrical components. This is because its structure is simple. Therefore, if you are familiar with a slide potentiometers that has broken down, it is often possible to repair it yourself if you have a good understanding of its internal structure.
The most common problem that occurs with slide potentiometers are the phenomenon that the contact point between the volume itself and the resistive element, which is the moving part that is most often moved, cannot be switched. In most cases, if the volume is used as is, there will be an unusual noise when the volume is moved, the resistance value will not change to where it is supposed to, and eventually there will be no response whatsoever. Therefore, to correct this problem, it is necessary to disassemble and restore the internal contacts to their initial state.
One possible cause of contact failure is that if the contacts have been moved over and over for a long time, the contacts have developed burrs, which are uneven surfaces that occur when the metal is worn away. The first step is to polish this area with a file to remove the burr. The second possible problem is soldering. When the contacts move, the solder that connects the lead wires to the board and the volume is often removed or nearly removed, so additional solder should be added to reinforce the connection. The slide potentiometers will now operate as it did in its initial state, and the repair of the slide potentiometers are complete.
A slide potentiometers are type of potentiometer that slides sideways. Potentiometers are another name for variable resistors, and are also called volume resistors or slide potentiometers. The name of the variable resistor varies depending on whether the variable method is by a volume switch or a horizontal sliding method. However, the function of varying the resistance of the resistive element is the same for all of them.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Ranking as of January 2023 Globally
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Bourns, Inc | 100% |
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the slide potentiometer page as of January 2023. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
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