[sdiy] Alpha pots group buy

[Tom Wiltshire]

Hi David,

I can only speak for myself, but my answers are as follows;

> Panel-mounted (as opposed to pcb-mounted) pot size (12, 16, 17, 24 mm)

16mm is fine. 24mm I only use for replacements on guitar amps. I've  
never bothered with smaller sizes, even when building things into  
little enclosures, like stomp boxes.

> Pot type (Alpha cheapo vs Bourns/Spectrol break-the-bank)

Alpha might be cheap, but they don't feel cheap, so that's all good.  
I've never had one wear out on me yet. The Alps pots are identical,  
and seem equally good.

> Pot shaft length

If only I got a choice...whatever you can find will have to do. Often  
I've had pot shafts in a vice and hacksawed them down.

> Pot shaft style (smooth, knurled, split, D-profile, etc)

I prefer set-screw knobs, so I go for D profile usually. Splined  
shafts are ok, but I've often found that the knobs come off. If I  
was  designing for a production environment, I'd use them, because  
the assembly is far easier (just bang 'em on) than tightening all  
those set screws.

> Finally, I'm curious, do most diy'ers clip off the positioning tab  
> and rely
> just on nut tightness to keep pots aligned, or do they drill  
> auxiliary holes
> in their panels to accommodate the tabs, and if so, are these holes  
> drilled
> clear through or not.

I clip them off. I don't think I've ever bothered keeping them.  
Occasionally this is a bother for panel mounted pots, but I usually  
try to have pots on the edge of a PCB to avoid any problems.

Hope this helps you make your own choices!
Regards,
Tom