[sdiy] Alpha pots group buy

[Andre Majorel]

On 2008-10-22 16:12 -0700, David G. Dixon wrote:

> This latest message has got me wondering, what is the consensus
> among other diy'ers concerning:

Consensus ? What consensus ? <g>

> Panel-mounted (as opposed to pcb-mounted) pot size (12, 16, 17, 24 mm)
> Pot type (Alpha cheapo vs Bourns/Spectrol break-the-bank)
> Pot shaft length
> Pot shaft style (smooth, knurled, split, D-profile, etc)
> Knob installation style (tension or set-screw)
> 
> Are these things a matter of choice, or more often a matter of
> expediency vis-a-vis what is available?

The first choice I've made is cheap vs. expensive. And once you've
decided on cheap, you gravitate towards the knurled shaft 16 mm
Alphas because they are the most widely stocked (Futurlec, Mouser,
Rapid), and reportedly good.

Small Bear have 16 mm Alphas but mostly 1/4" round shafts. Which
forces you to use knobs with set screws, which cost more than
push-on knobs (knurled or D-shaft). When the knob costs more than
the actual pot, something has gone wrong somewhere...

The other big choice is whether your pots are PCB-mounted. I opted
for panel mounting as that gives me more freedom in panel layout,
PCB choice and pot choice, which is a bigger deal to me than
having to run wires.

> 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 think I'd drill a hole, blind if I can.

Please don't top post, especially not with a sig like this.

-- 
André Majorel <URL:http://www.teaser.fr/~amajorel/>
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