[sdiy] Pot Survey

[Oakley Sound]

>What problems did you have with the Omeg ECO ?

I have use these pots in the thousands. But I have to agree with the 
other poster in that some pots are easier to turn than others, and also 
that the stiffness varies with temperature.

I also had a batch from Rapid that were very poor. The lube inside the 
pot that prevents the wiper from bouncing as the pot is turned was too 
thin and gravity allowed it to seep. The pots then became crackly. A 
small amount of aerosol lub would fix this, but I wasn't happy. I wrote 
to Omeg and they reckoned it was 'just' a bad batch and that they now do 
things differently. I also had a few pots with off centre shafts, and 
unriveted rear panels.

But I do buy a lot of them so I am bound to see a few duff ones. Even so, 
for the last two years I stopped using the Omeg ECO on all my modular 
products prefering instead the more expensive Spectrol 248.

These are much better parts but at nearly four times the price of the 
Omeg, they should be.

Meggitt do a range of compatible pots called the P16. These are a 
replacement to the Piher P16 pots. They are almost identical to the Omeg 
ones in form factor but with a smoother feel and perhaps a better build 
quality. They have a 6mm splined plastic shaft and are available from 
Farnell and RS Components.

The miniature Alpha pots do seem better value for money in most respects 
though. However, as a repair tech I have seen a fair few of these go bad 
over the years.

Tony

www.oakleysound.com