Surface mount pots?

ExpAnonColin · November 19, 2003, 10:52:32 AM

I want to start mounting PCBs with pots rather than using screws and having to put wires all over to all the pots (my designs tend to have a lot of wires in them, less is better..) so does anyone know where I could get some pots that are surface-mountable at the correct angle right "out of the box"? I've used futurlec pots, which wouldn't work... they need terminals that go out from the pot then 90 degrees down for a ways... needs to be able to fit in perfboard holes.

Thanks,
Colin

D Wagner · November 19, 2003, 11:17:55 AM

I remember seeing pots like this in the Mouser catalog (paper version). I think that they were intended for wire wrap use. The leads were really long, and would need to be trimmed after being soldered in place.

As an alternative, you could solder lengths of straight solid wire to the lugs and use the standard Alpha pots...17mm or 24mm.

Good Luck,

Derek

ExpAnonColin · November 19, 2003, 11:27:03 AM

Quote from: D WagnerI remember seeing pots like this in the Mouser catalog (paper version). I think that they were intended for wire wrap use. The leads were really long, and would need to be trimmed after being soldered in place.

As an alternative, you could solder lengths of straight solid wire to the lugs and use the standard Alpha pots...17mm or 24mm.

Good Luck,

Derek

I was thinking of using some 22 gauge straight copper wire, but I guess it would just be a LOT easier to just get standard old surface mounts and not really have to cut any wire and all that goe with that.... it's also nice to have the shell terminals of the pots... I'll start digging through the mouser catalog and see if I can find anything.

-Colin

BillyJ · November 19, 2003, 12:02:43 PM

There are some type of surface mount alphas. They are green in color.
The Tube Driver I goofed with recently had the same alpha type pots but they were larger and beige IIRC.
I forget where I saw the alphas but they were cool.
Sorry I don't have a mouser number but I am pretty sure they have them.
LMK if you find them

ExpAnonColin · November 19, 2003, 05:02:07 PM

It seems that the bourns 3310Y, P, and R will work for me, however they seem to have very few values on mouser.

-Colin

ExpAnonColin · November 19, 2003, 05:05:24 PM

I take that back, they look like this:

Hmm... The EHX frequency analyzer uses pots exactly like I'm looking for... I'll look deeper for those alphas, but none of them have datasheets or images, so I'm not sure how the pins are mounted...

-Colin

ExpAnonColin · November 19, 2003, 05:24:00 PM

Nope, can't find any of it... shoot shoot shoot. Bourns makes some panel mount ones like I want, but they only have a few values of those, too. And new sensor doesnt have the frequency analyzer ones.

-Colin

BillyJ · November 19, 2003, 05:49:39 PM

Oooops forgot to mention the ones I saw had few values available as well.
Sorry about that.

ExpAnonColin · November 19, 2003, 05:56:04 PM

Quote from: BillyJOooops forgot to mention the ones I saw had few values available as well.
Sorry about that.

Shoot. Maybe I'll have to get some ones with long leads and bend them, but I used to do that with some alpha's I had and the terminals broke off on one or two of them.

-Colin

D Wagner · November 19, 2003, 06:35:31 PM

Colin,

A quick search on Mouser was all it took, since I knew that I had seen them before. Check these out:

Here is the spec sheet showing the part.
http://www.mouser.com/catalog/specsheets/143116.pdf

Here is the page in the catalog. Not bad at $1.27.
http://www.mouser.com/catalog/616/405.pdf

Hope this helps.

Derek

ExpAnonColin · November 19, 2003, 06:49:55 PM

Quote from: D WagnerColin,

A quick search on Mouser was all it took, since I knew that I had seen them before. Check these out:

Here is the spec sheet showing the part.
http://www.mouser.com/catalog/specsheets/143116.pdf

Here is the page in the catalog. Not bad at $1.27.
http://www.mouser.com/catalog/616/405.pdf

Hope this helps.

Derek

Thanks! Looks like I have to work on my mouser-search-savy-ness. I was searching for panel mount, or SMD, potentiometer... looks like I just needed long PCB terminals. Thanks again.

-Colin

idlefaction · November 19, 2003, 07:23:40 PM

i've been using ribbon cable to connect pcbs and pots, and making little pcbs for mounting the controls on. it works really well! here's some photos:

shot with small pcbs with pots mounted on:
http://b.wadda.org/gallery/view/2003-10-19_gadgets/keith_inside.jpg

shot where you can see a pot with its mini pcb:
http://b.wadda.org/gallery/view/2003-10-19_gadgets/paddy_inside.jpg

shot where you can see the plastic standoffs i've been using to mount pcbs:
http://b.wadda.org/gallery/view/2003-10-19_gadgets/bette_inside_2.jpg
the 12mm ones have enough room underneath for a pot and its mini pcb.

the ribbon cable comes with like 20 colours all joined together, i can do about 10 projects off a metre

and they make the box look really tidy. something to consider instead of pcb mounting pots. i used to connect pots to boards with short stiff wires as well and mount the PCB on the back of the pots, but i've found this stabler in the long run.

ExpAnonColin · November 20, 2003, 08:02:03 AM

Hmm... I still just want one PCB and no wires at all except the 3pdt and the battery. I think I'll try to use SMD pots and jacks, and have a PCB that covers most of the inside (although I know the design isn't that big). It just seems more solid that way, last time I had everything seperate it didn't turn out so well. Wire is not one of my friends.

-Colin

Paul Perry (Frostwave) · November 20, 2003, 08:36:21 AM

The magic word is "snap-in". As in alps snap-in pot,
http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?handler=listcategory&&categoryid=31

I use a lot of alps snap-in 9it is called snap-in because if you get the hole sizes for the body tags *exactly right* there is a satisfying snap sound as you push the pot in. I use a LOT of these & no problems. (there are some shitty mainland China knockoffs that have wobbly shafts).

ExpAnonColin · November 20, 2003, 08:59:34 AM

Quote from: Paul Perry (Frostwave)The magic word is "snap-in". As in alps snap-in pot,
http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?handler=listcategory&&categoryid=31

I use a lot of alps snap-in 9it is called snap-in because if you get the hole sizes for the body tags *exactly right* there is a satisfying snap sound as you push the pot in. I use a LOT of these & no problems. (there are some shitty mainland China knockoffs that have wobbly shafts).

A-ha. It looksl ike alps is the only one with "snap in" ones... do they have any other values than 5,10,20,and 50k? That's all I can find.

-Colin

petemoore · November 20, 2003, 10:21:05 AM

I got a slew of little board mount pots that match the perf holes spacing.
10k 47k 4,7k 100k Ive got them in these values and maybe more are available...

ExpAnonColin · November 20, 2003, 10:47:46 AM

Quote from: petemooreI got a slew of little board mount pots that match the perf holes spacing.
10k 47k 4,7k 100k Ive got them in these values and maybe more are available...

Where did you get them? What brand?

-Colin

sfr · November 20, 2003, 01:42:36 PM

Quote from: anonymousexperimentalistHmm... I still just want one PCB and no wires at all except the 3pdt and the battery.

i was thinking about going this route after seeing how well things were crammed into one of my MXR pedals. I think they actually soldered in the jacks as part of the mounting process, if that makes sense, because w/o detaching them from the board, it was impossible to get out of the case (jacks on both sides of the box, so you couldn't tilt the board out, had to either flex it or desolder) Working on a multi effects enclosure, so that plan has gone by the wayside -

but, anyway, if you can get all yr internal measurements right, you can mount the switch to the board as well - I have a couple of newer MXR effects that do this, drill larg holes through big pads and put the connectors on the stomp right through and solder them on. I can't think now if they make oblong holes matching with the shape of the connectors on the switch or just big holes, but either way should work. could squeeze a few more components into a box this way, too I suppose, using the space around the switch without having to cut a wierd shaped circuit board.

petemoore · November 20, 2003, 01:45:11 PM

Radio Shack ...aka Rat Shack
I would call or go in, they've been cuttin' this stuff off the shelves lately, but dudes manager managed to be nice enough to order me some...ys try a different one if they give ye the slough [can't sp order that]...they can be trying selling those silly phones ya know, ... look up on the RS website and see what's up there [is that a TANDY corp. ?] I think you just type RS or radio shack in your brouse window.

ExpAnonColin · November 20, 2003, 05:03:38 PM

Quote from: petemooreRadio Shack ...aka Rat Shack
I would call or go in, they've been cuttin' this stuff off the shelves lately, but dudes manager managed to be nice enough to order me some...ys try a different one if they give ye the slough [can't sp order that]...they can be trying selling those silly phones ya know, ... look up on the RS website and see what's up there [is that a TANDY corp. ?] I think you just type RS or radio shack in your brouse window.

Blech, but RS is often so expensive. And about 25% of what I've bought from them didn't hold up too well. How much were they? I think I'll go with the afor-afor mentioned ones, from mouser.

SFR, I was thinking about going with the switch being PCB mounted too, but the good part about pots is that in most cases the shaft isn't 3/8" wide, normally it's a bit skinnier, so if you drill 3/8" holes and get them lined up on the perfboard right you have a bit of leway (sp) because there will be space around each of the shafts... then with a washer and a knob you've got them all aligned just about just right, or at least that's what I figure. The problem with the switch is that the shaft is as big as my drill goes! So there's no room for error at all unless I want to go back and shave the hole bigger.

-Colin

News:

Surface mount pots?