What does 10k-100k.. actually mean on a pot?

[britt-stinker]

Hi Everyone.

I've been wondering about something for a long time. When it saids somewhere that I should use a 10k pot, 500k pot or whatever. What does the values actually mean?
For instance if I was to change a pot on one of my pedals and it's value was 100k, and I changed it to 500k - what would that do to the sound?
If you imagine a chorus pedals depth pot turned all the way up. If I then changed that pot to one of a bigger value. Would that mean I could get it deeper?
When someone is designing an effect - how does they know which value(s) to use?

Also if anyone have build the Phaseur Fleur or has a little knowledge on it I need some help. I made a post on commonsound forum but the person I was talking to havent answered my last post:
http://commonsound.org/fud/index.php?t=msg&th=424&start=0&S=76cd6e98313a5d7ad33ff2e7f3bc9b62

Thanks for all

[petemoore]

For instance if I was to change a pot on one of my pedals and it's value was 100k, and I changed it to 500k
 A pot marked as '[gain' and looking like a volume control [schematics] will be wired and work differently than say a TS Type FBLoop gain pot.
 10k pot, 500k pot or whatever. What does the values actually mean?
 In the case of a 10k pot, that is what the wafer's [the wafer ends connect at lugs 1 and 3] 'actual' resistance, +/-about 10%.
 ITC of a slider pot which has a straigh wafer, the slider knob moves the wiper where it touches, up and down the pot wafer...a linear pot, set at 6 would make about 40% of the total pot resistance to the one outside lug, 60% to the other.

[bluesdevil]

Pots are measured by resistance in ohms.  The "K" means a thousand..... so 100k is 100,000 ohms.

[nelson]

A potentiometer is basically a variable resistor.

the value is just the max resistance in ohms or kilohms or even megaohms.


no gigaohms that I have heard of......

one use of pots are  as the name suggests is vary the resistance at a certain point in a circuit to alter resistance to get the desired effect. For instance at the output of a circuit to control volume.

For a more in depth look at pots their various tapers and a much better explanation than my knowledge could ever provide check out "The secret life of pots" over at GEOFEX.com

If you are talking abotu changing the pot in your echoflanger for say depth  Try out different values but use Rev log pots (not many values available). I am unsure of the effect this would have. alss I am sure that the EE who designed that pedal (his name eludes me?) used the optimum pots atleast from what was available at the time.

I am trying to source 2M reverse log pots for the rate control, and having no luck.... :cry:

anyway, I wouldnt mod the echoflanger, except for maybe stereo outs and  killing the dry signal with a switch to create interesting "vibrato-like" effects, an expression pedal out to control any of the pots, a "blend" function between dry and wet, a panning circuit between the stereo out, a hyper triangular clock, a blinking LED, a CV activated on switch, a momentary switch, o and modded for longer delay time.....not many mods at all.....

[Joe Hart]

As far as I know, they are interchangable... to a point. A pot literally acts as a variable resistor (duh) nothing more and nothing less. So, if a schematic asks for a 10K pot, and you put in a 100K, the first 10% would work like normal, but then things would get funky. Just think of changing any random component's value in a circuit. What would happen? Oscilation, mis-biasing, fried components, maybe nothing at all.

I believe that a circuit is designed with components that are actually thought out and specific. I don't think someone would just pick a random value for any part including the pots.

But, again, as far as I know, they are interchangable... to a point. Hope this helps.

-Joe Hart

[Joe Hart]

Nelson beat me to the punch! By 2 minutes. Oh well, I tried!
-Joe Hart

[britt-stinker]

The depth knob was just to illustrate.
And I allready read the article on geofex.

Actually it allready has a blend slide/toggle switch/knob thing. But its not really because you can hear a real difference.

I was going to ad an expression pedal out. But I just couldn't find somewhere practical to fit it in there. But I will have to try again. I really want to control that feedback knob.
But now I wonder. If the pots in it is 2M then shouldn't my expression pedal also have a 2M pot inside?

Also I just realized that I have an original manual if this is at any interest?

[Paul Marossy]

A pot literally acts as a variable resistor (duh) nothing more and nothing less

Well, not exactly. Everyone seems to be forgetting that a pot can also be wired as a voltage divider, as in a volume control - in which case it's kind of like having two variable resistors connected to ground. I know, I'm splitting hairs...  :wink: