Slidey pot

[aettin]

Hello there!
So sometimes my mind runs away with ideas, and have come to realize that a lot of you folks here are MUCH smarter than me when it comes to this sort of stuff. So, if you have a minute, I would really appreciate some help with this conundrum..

I've built a diy rebote 2.5 delay pedal (lots of fun), and have taken it apart again to tinker. I thought it would be so awesome to have a slider switch for the delay time, instead of the normal looking turney-knob pot (technical term). So I did some googling and quickly started realizing that these slidey swtiches (not the on-on ones, the gradient variety-- below) have terminals that look very dissimilar to my normal 50k linear.

So.. is there a way to swap out my regular 3 prong pot for something that will function as a sliding knob? There looks like theres an extra terminal on these things. Can it be done, or am I barking up the wrong tree?

Many thanks!

[pappasmurfsharem]

A potentiometer is a potentiometer. They perform the same function. So there shouldn't be any issue. Although taper might make a difference

[Unlikekurt]

use your meter and probe the terminals.  my guess is that two of them are equal.

[alparent]

Yes, 2 of them (on the same side) will be the same. Get the same taper as the pot you want to replace and your good to go!

[senko]

Here's what you need to do:

1. Go to a website that carries this part.  There are lots of options if you look hard enough, and Mouser or Digikey are sure bets to have at least something close to what you need.
2. Under the product listing, find the datasheet.  It might take some work to dig through the datasheet for your specific part, so make sure you know the manufacturer's part number.
3. When you find your specific part and the diagram associated with it, you will now know how you can use it.  For ICs, you'll probably see a pinout or something.  For potentiometers, you'll see a physical model with distances and measurements along with a schematic match-up.

Then you test and see if all is good.  If it doesn't work, you did something wrong.  Try again and test your connections/parts/etc.
'

[aettin]

Thanks everyone for the awesome, awesome advice. Special mention to senko-- I really appreciate the step by step guide 

So... this is totally happening! I've found the datasheet and specific diagram of what I need (bit of digging indeed), and you're totally right-- two lugs are the same. Although it seems as though they're on opposite sides in this one (2, 2).



Can I just treat labels 1, 2, and 3 like I would any 1, 2 and 3 of a layout diagram for normal pots? Also, the two 2's... is that just to change which side is 0% and which is 100%?