Dumb question re pots

[vseriesamps]

Hey everybody

I bought a bunch of 100k pots for the output of pedals I'm building. Rather than eyelet terminals, they have like a straight rod. How exactly do the manufacturers expect people will connect wire to these? I try to solder them sortof parallel and I keep getting shoddy solder joints . . .

It's a dumb question but any help would seriously be appreciated. This site is a great resource and everybody's so cool.

K

[Peter Snowberg]

That's not a dumb question at all.

Those pots are for circuit board mounting so they have "leads" rather than terminals.

Try wrapping your wire aroud the pot lead a couple of times and you should be able to get a solid connection.

[petemoore]

Bend a hook on the end of the wire, hook that on the pin, and softly pin it between your thumb and the pot body so there's just enough tension to keep it touching, not enough to unbend the kink in the end of the wire...oh I mount My Iron in a briick...if you mount the iron, then you can bring the whole affair [wire touching pot lug] to the iron tip and have a hand free to add solder.
 *Mount the pot, tape the kinked ended wire to the pot body so it hooks over the potlug, and solder in one hand iron in the other...go to town !!!
 *drill a 1/4'' hole in a board and clamp the board down, stick the potshaft in and screw the threads in a little bit.

[vseriesamps]

the other problem I'm having is when I build a Rangemaster I have to use a mini pot and have it mounted directly on the PC board. Anytime I try to use a big pot it doesn't work. At best it crackles to the touch but I get no sound. I assume this would have something to do with the DC across the pot, but does anyone know exactly why this would be? Maybe just those shoddy solder joints again?