Long pin pots in the UK?

[TejfolvonDanone]

I'm currently trying to make a couple of pedals with all PCB mount components. To make this work ideally I would need a long pin right angled PCB mount pot similar to these: https://www.mammothelectronics.com/collections/16mm-pots/products/mammoth-16mm-single-gang-long-pin-right-angle-pc-mount-reverse-log-c?variant=35158387015

I'm struggling to find any place which sells these in the UK. I went through the bigger places like farnell with no luck. I couldn't even find pots with long enough pins to bend them to right angle.

Anybody knows a place or should I just deal with the $22 shipping cost?

[bluebunny]

Bitsbox sell the right-angle pots, and the pins are obviously long enough to leave the pot clear of a board - but on the back of the board:



If you wanted to mount the pots on the component side (and therefore clear the components too) then these wouldn't be long enough.

[Ice-9]

Bitsbox sell the right-angle pots, and the pins are obviously long enough to leave the pot clear of a board - but on the back of the board:



If you wanted to mount the pots on the component side (and therefore clear the components too) then these wouldn't be long enough.

Those ones are not the long pin pots but useful anyway. Rapid Electronics UK are starting to stock the long pin ones but values are very limited at the moment and I can't seem to find the link on their website. (I can only see the short pin pots at the moment.)

[bluebunny]

Thanks for the tip, Mick. Hadn't noticed them at Rapid since they've not often had what I wanted - so I stopped looking.

[TejfolvonDanone]

Bitsbox sell the right-angle pots, and the pins are obviously long enough to leave the pot clear of a board - but on the back of the board:



If you wanted to mount the pots on the component side (and therefore clear the components too) then these wouldn't be long enough.

Those ones are not the long pin pots but useful anyway. Rapid Electronics UK are starting to stock the long pin ones but values are very limited at the moment and I can't seem to find the link on their website. (I can only see the short pin pots at the moment.)

This is a really useful pot but unfortunately not for me. I wish I've found it years ago...
My idea was to put everything on the component side and fix the PCB with the pots, footswitch and jack sockets. The footswitch is the highest of them and the PCB would be around 16mm from the top of the chassis. Then the pots need to have the same height so the PCB would be parallel to the top.
If I mount these on the solder side I'm not sure if the components on the component side would fit into the chassis (bigger caps especially).
So I either use these long pin pots or I get some chassis mount pots (with solder lugs) and use some tinned wire to to solder it. But the reason I'm doing the whole PCB stuff is to make it look nice (for the first time  ).

After a bit of research I've found that according to the Taiwan Alpha's site (which sells to Europe) don't seem to even make the long pin version. 

Thanks for the help anyway I'll watch Rapid Electronics' site.

[smallbearelec]

according to the Taiwan Alpha's site (which sells to Europe) don't seem to even make the long pin version.

Actually they do. It's the 42-type terminal:

http://www.smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/alpha-single-gang-16mm-rt-angle-pc-mt-long-pin-linear-audio/

Shipping to the UK for the first four ounces is $17.00 or so. Higher than I would like, of course, but our postal service has to make money on package service to make up for some of its losses on delivering letters.

[kaycee]

I just solder extension wires to the normal tab pots. Just solid core hook up wire with the insulation left on, I colour code the tags. It's quick and easy and you can custom the length.

[TejfolvonDanone]

according to the Taiwan Alpha's site (which sells to Europe) don't seem to even make the long pin version.

Actually they do. It's the 42-type terminal:

http://www.smallbear-electronics.mybigcommerce.com/alpha-single-gang-16mm-rt-angle-pc-mt-long-pin-linear-audio/

Shipping to the UK for the first four ounces is $17.00 or so. Higher than I would like, of course, but our postal service has to make money on package service to make up for some of its losses on delivering letters.

Thanks for the info.

Just for the sake of correctness: straight from Taiwan Alpha's site:
"Important Notice!!
Taiwan Alpha does not have branches in Korea and USA. Alpha Products, Inc. ( in USA) and Korea Alpha ( in Korea) have no relationship with Taiwan Alpha group. If you need more product information, please contact us directly or contact our authorized distributors as listed on the web page"
And I believe Alpha Products (which sells in the US) has no branch or dealer in Europe. So they are two different manufacturers with almost the same name.

I just solder extension wires to the normal tab pots. Just solid core hook up wire with the insulation left on, I colour code the tags. It's quick and easy and you can custom the length.

I thought about that but I thought I would give the long pin pots a try first.

[ElectricDruid]

Just for the sake of correctness: straight from Taiwan Alpha's site:
"Important Notice!!
Taiwan Alpha does not have branches in Korea and USA. Alpha Products, Inc. ( in USA) and Korea Alpha ( in Korea) have no relationship with Taiwan Alpha group. If you need more product information, please contact us directly or contact our authorized distributors as listed on the web page"
And I believe Alpha Products (which sells in the US) has no branch or dealer in Europe. So they are two different manufacturers with almost the same name.

Yes, this is a common confusion - Taiwan Alpha and Alpha Products. They both make standard pots and their products look virtually identical. But Taiwan Alpha use a lowercase "a" in a circle, whereas Alpha Products use a lowercase Greek alpha. Korea Alpha I haven't come across, but that's just adding to the chaos!

Tom