[sdiy] Retractable mini pots

[Dixon, David]

That’s stupid (two standard heights, requiring breakaway PCBs with wired connections between them — no rational person would intentionally engineer such a thing).

Also, after looking more closely at pictures of PS-3100 panels on the Internet (I’ve never seen one in real life), it now appears as if the “temperament adjust” pots just have little Davies-1900-style knobs.  I’m not sure exactly, but it looks as if they actually penetrate through the panel holes, with only about half of the knob protruding.  However, that doesn’t make much sense, and none of the pictures are terribly clear.  They could just be attached in the standard way to protruding pot shafts.

Hence, I think I am just going to use Davies 1900 knobs on those pots, as I have a ton of those on hand.  Problem solved — moving on.

On Aug 23, 2026, at 2:34 AM, Mike Bryant <mbryant at futurehorizons.com<mailto:mbryant at futurehorizons.com>> wrote:

[CAUTION: Non-UBC Email]

  *
My more immediate concern is figuring out a way to mount slide potentiometers to the panel PCBs, given that they are mostly too short.  Why can’t they just make panel components to a standard depth (like mini-toggle switches and pots)?  Why do they make it so hard to build things easily?  That’s not the way I was taught to engineer things.

There are actually two standard heights for most of these components.  If you want to use both with a flat front panel there is usually some wiring arrangement joining two parts of a PCB that snaps apart and then bends into position.



________________________________
From: Synth-diy <synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org<mailto:synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org>> on behalf of Dixon, David via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org<mailto:synth-diy at synth-diy.org>>
Sent: 23 August 2026 03:46
To: synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org<mailto:synth-diy at synth-diy.org>>
Subject: Re: [sdiy] Retractable mini pots

Well, after reading all of your suggestions and having absolutely no luck finding anything suitable on the web, I have decided to just use regular old boring mini pots.  After all, I typically eschew fancy, fussy things in my electronics work.  The idea is to get something that works with a minimum of fuss and cost.

If I do eventually find something, I can simply swap out the mini pots.  I am building the DS-3100 panel in a somewhat modular format, with “islands” of circuitry mounted directly onto the back of the panel.  Hence, it will be easy to change any of the “modules.”

My more immediate concern is figuring out a way to mount slide potentiometers to the panel PCBs, given that they are mostly too short.  Why can’t they just make panel components to a standard depth (like mini-toggle switches and pots)?  Why do they make it so hard to build things easily?  That’s not the way I was taught to engineer things.

________________________________________________________
This is the Synth-diy mailing list
Submit email to: Synth-diy at synth-diy.org<mailto:Synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
View archive at: https://synth-diy.org/pipermail/synth-diy/
Check your settings at: https://synth-diy.org/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy
Selling or trading? Use marketplace at synth-diy.org<mailto:marketplace at synth-diy.org>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://synth-diy.org/pipermail/synth-diy/attachments/20260823/6b1894e2/attachment.htm>