Why You Should Look for an Alternative to Potentiometers

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Potentiometers are simple devices that have been around for years&period; These instruments function by having an electrical contact attached to a moving part&period; This part then makes contact with a restrictive track&period; They are common in controlling electrical devices&period; An example is the volume control we see on audio devices such as a radio or <a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;newsforpublic&period;com&sol;amazing-ways-to-enjoy-wireless-music-using-bluetooth-speakers&sol;">speakers<&sol;a>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">They have also been one of the most common position sensors used&comma; hence the name&period; Despite the potentiometer’s popularity&comma; some engineers are not in favour of their use&period; The main reason why they do not like them now is that they cannot withstand harsh conditions&period; Pots&comma; as they are otherwise called&comma; fail in three intense situations&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">1&period; Vibration&period;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Pots are prone to break down faster in a high-vibration application&period; Some examples of this are road vehicles&comma; aircraft&comma; and heavy plant&period; The restrictive track gets worn out in a couple of hours in this condition&period; This leads to the pot&&num;8217&semi;s poor performance&comma; despite how simple and inexpensive it is&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">2&period; Foreign matter&period;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Tiny particles that enter the pot also cause their quick demise&period; These particulates wear down the surface of the conductive track&period; This happens when they enter the track and the wiper&period; An example of this particulate matter is desert sand that gets blown in by the wind&period; Lubricants are another culprit of this problem&period; They work as insulators that hinder the pot&&num;8217&semi;s operation when applied on the track&period; They also act as attractants when combined with tiny particles&period; The combination of both hastens the breaking down of the pot&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2 style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">3&period; Extreme environment&period;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<hr &sol;>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">This is also in relation to the previous item&period; Extreme weather conditions can bring about tiny particles inside the pot&period; Humid air&comma; for example&comma; when condensed can bind particulates in the track and wiper&period; This condensed air can settle on the wiper as well and lead to its corrosion&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The fact that pots are also a passive device contributes to their unreliability these days&period; They do not need a power supply or extra circuitry to perform their basic function&period; In short&comma; they are simple devices that are not used with complicated electronics or coils&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">These reasons&comma; along with the factors that go with them have made engineers seek an alternative&period; They have suggested non-contact sensors but switching to them is still up for debate&period; Some examples of these are Hall effect sensors&comma; optical encoders&comma; and capacitive sensors&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">There are also other position-sensing technologies to choose from nowadays&period; Linear&comma; rotary&comma; and tilt sensors are available from reputable manufacturers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Pots are becoming a thing of the past due to these technological advancements&period; Not only will these new sensors be sturdier&comma; but they are also created for specific purposes and have unique functions that others do not have&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Spending a bit more on these new sensors should not be a big burden&period; Pots might be easy to find anywhere and are affordable&comma; but it is better to invest a bit more for components made to last longer&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;