Hey community,
I am working on my first instruments and I am now looking for the perfect potentiometers...
So my question is:
Do you have any recommendations? I don't want to buy potis that feel quite wobbly like the ones from Dave Smith' Mopho or most Make Noise potis. I am looking for potis that feel rock solid but yet not too stiff...
Something like the potis of Doepfer, Mutable Instruments or Moog.
Greetings
Marvin
Look for almost any pot that has a bushing (the threaded bit that bolts it to a front panel). Almost every "wobbly" pot I have ever seen is a bushless pot. The shaft's fulcrum (the place where it rocks from) on a pot with a bushing is much farther to the front from ones without. This results in the knob end of the shaft being able to move farther than a pot with a bushing. There re many PCB mounted pots that still have bushings and many of these pots have extra legs to secure them to the PCB. This makes them VERY sturdy and wobble is seldom a problem. Typically pots with threads are more expensive since they are also sold with nuts and washers, thus many commercial makers use bush-less PCB hunted pots to save money. Even a Buchla which cost thousands of dollars use them.
Hi,
I have tried many different potentiometers for DIY projects and installations and the one that I have choosen for feeling, durability and price is the Bourns 51.
Some may think it is too expensive at around 7€ but for an instrument that you will use for many years it is better than having to replace it after 5 years due to lack of use or too heavy use!
Great advice, thank you! Do you know whether the nuts are included or whether I have to buy them separately?