How do i wire pots?

[boedonaldson]

I need a bit of an overview on pots
1) What lugs are which and how do i know?
2) When it comes to wiring an audio (A taper) pot as a volume control and all it says is 'lug', how do i wire the rest to the output socket?
3) What does each taper mean and their properties?
4) Can i substitute an A pot with a B pot and vice versa

[Mark F]

I'm pretty sure you can find a wealth of info about pots in the DIY FAQ and the GEO FAQ at the top of this page.

[KORGULL]

Check here :http://www.diystompboxes.com/cnews/FAQ.html
Hopefully that will help clear some things up.

[Alex C]

Go here and read the third through seventh topics.

Then go here and read all of it. 

1) What lugs are which and how do i know?
Looking at the pot with the shaft pointing up, and the lugs facing you, they are clockwise 1,2, and 3.

2) When it comes to wiring an audio (A taper) pot as a volume control and all it says is 'lug', how do i wire the rest to the output socket?
I'm not sure what you mean when by "all it says is lug."  If you're using a volume control at the end of a circuit, lug 3 (the farthest to the right when the shaft points up and the lugs are facing you) connects to the circuit output, lug 2 (the center lug) connects to the tip of the output jack, and lug 1 (the leftmost lug in the same orientation as above) connects to ground.

3) What does each taper mean and their properties?
This is answered in "The Secret Life of Pots."  Linear taper means that as the pot is turned, the resistance increases at a linear rate, and "audio" or "logarithmic" means that at the lower end of the pot's rotation, the resistance changes less than it does with the same amount of rotation at the other end of its rotation.  This is done to better match the way humans perceive volume increase.

4) Can i substitute an A pot with a B pot and vice versa
The circuit will function the same, but especially with a volume control, the increase in apparent volume will not seem to match the amount of pot rotation.