This Product Selection Guide contains information to help select products in the Thumbwheel Potentiometers category on DigiKey.com
Thumbwheel potentiometers allow for manual adjustment of an in-circuit resistance value. Also known as thumbwheel trim pots, they are available in side or top adjustment and include a tactile edge on the actuator for human interaction and position indication. They range in value from 10Ω to 5MΩ of resistance and 5% to 30% of value tolerance in surface and through hole mounting configurations.
SelectionCharacteristics
Resistance: Characterizes the nominal resistance of a current path through a device.
Power (Watts): Identifies the amount of heat that can be continuously dissipated by the resistive element without damaging the device. Measured in Watts (W) and typically based on the size of the device.
Tolerance: Characterizes the extent of permitted variability of overall device resistance among samples of a given part number, resulting from variations in manufacturing.
Number of Turns: Indicates the number of actuator rotations required to move a device through its full range of travel.
Adjustment Type: Defines what orientation the adjuster is placed at.
Size/Dimension: The physical dimensions of the device. Typically, diameter and height.
Termination: Selection of termination style used to connect the device to a system, such as PC pins.
Mounting Type: Indicates how the device is attached.
ProductExamples
| MFR PART # | 91WR10KLF |
|---|---|
| DIGIKEY PART # | 987-1760-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | TT Electronics/BI |
| DESCRIPTION | THUMBWHEEL POT 10K OHM 0.5W SIDE |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
| MFR PART # | 3352E-1-105LF |
|---|---|
| DIGIKEY PART # | 3352E-105LF-ND |
| MANUFACTURER | Bourns Inc. |
| DESCRIPTION | THUMBWHEEL POT 1M OHM 0.5W TOP |
| DATASHEET | Click Here |
SchematicSymbol
Schematic symbol courtesy of Scheme-it. Please see their website for more information and symbols.
MediaLinks
TechForum
Potentiometer Linearity Tolerance
Overview of Potentiometers and Their Practical Applications