[sdiy] Alpha pots group buy

[Tom Arnold]

On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 04:12:46PM -0700, David G. Dixon wrote:
> This latest message has got me wondering, what is the consensus among other
> diy'ers concerning:

Hah!

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

I typically use 16mm panel mounted Alpha pots.  As I make more of my own
boards I'm moving to the 9mm pots as I mentioned before so I can use better
pots if the need arises.  I got some of the Alpha 16mm board mount pots and
became less enamored with them quickly due to the scarcity of options and
sources for them and the slightly weird layout.

As with anything DIY, sometimes you wind up using a 24mm cause its all you
can find, like if you want a dual reverse taper... ain't gonna find that
16mm off the shelf.

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

Mostly Alpha.  I like the feel of them.

> Pot shaft length

The standard "short" length ( ie : without the slotted end that the longer
shafts have.  I think its 10mm.

> Pot shaft style (smooth, knurled, split, D-profile, etc)
> Knob installation style (tension or set-screw)

1/4" Smooth/Round with set-screw.  I *hate* press-fit knobs esp splined.

> Are these things a matter of choice, or more often a matter of expediency
> vis-a-vis what is available?

I am very opinionated. :-)

> 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.

As I usually use brackets to mount the board to the front panel using the
pots, I trim the pin off so its approx .050" long and punch a hole for it.

I have some of the parts I use here : http://www.sdiy.org/xyzzy/parts/
and I have details on how I physically assemble my modules here :
http://www.sdiy.org/xyzzy/panels/

For my own boards I am making the transition to the board mounted pots just
to ease assembly.  A few extra minutes of board layout can save hours of
wiring if you are making 4 or 8 of something like VCOs...

-- 
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 - Tom Arnold       -  Free Synth DIY webspace http://www.sdiy.org 
 - SynthGeek        -
 - BBD Fanatic      -  "...is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?" 
 - echo evho wjxo   -    Juanita Shrugs. "What's the difference?" 
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