potentiometer

Its a 5k, +/- 20% 1/2 Watt linear pot. That means it varies from zero ohms to 5K, or 5,000 ohms, +/- 20%, as measured from the center terminal to either outside terminal.

terminal 2

The page states "5K-Ohm Linear Taper Potentiometers"

You're welcome

Cheers

PeteS

The pot has three connections. The center one is the "wiper," which travels (linearly in this case) along the resistance element (5000 Ohms, +- 20% in this case).

Each of the outer connections is connected to an end of the resistance element so the resistance between these two connections does not change.

So..... The resistance varies between the wiper and the outer connections.

It's how pots are built.

Don

Hi, Mike. A couple of notes on Radio Shack potentionmeters in addition to Mr. Terrell's good answer:

Radio Shack pots are frequently second quality parts which have been brokered off. As such, you can expect one or more of several limitations.

Linearity is a measure of the correspondence between degrees of pot rotation and resistance. For instance, with a 5K pot with perfect linearity, 10% rotation would show exactly 500 ohms delta R, 20% rotation shows 1K, and so on. You may find these pots are sometimes not very linear.

A more common, and more pressing problem with Radio Shack pots is their residual resistance. An ideal pot would have zero resistance (zero percent of full scale resistance) between the wiper and leg when the wiper is turned all the way to that leg. These pots may have up to several hundred ohms or several percent of full scale resistance (frequently because of mechanical misalignment of the wiper with the element).

Another typical problem is intermittent contact between the wiper and the resistive element. Again, this is frequently due to mechanical misalignment between the wiper mechanism and the resistive element.

Best check for all of these problems is to open the blister pack and immediately connect an ohmmeter from the wiper to a pot leg, and very slowly turn the wiper, observing the change in resistance. Be sure to do two checks -- from the wiper to both legs. If the pot action is not satisfactory (it depends on your application), take it back for a refund.

Voice of experience on Radio Shack pots -- trust, but verify. It's convenient to be able to get a repair component on a Sunday afternoon, but these can be a headache.

Cheers Chris

Just to shed a little more light on the subject. Pots (potentiometers) come with two main types of tapers (the resistive strip in the pot narrows with some pots): linear (no taper) and log (logarithmic taper). There is also a rare anti-log taper.

Linear pots are used typically in non-audio applications such as power supply level controls or test equipment level controls.

Log pots are used mainly in audio equipment because of the non-linear response of the human ear to sound levels.

The following link offers more than you need to know (at least for now) about pots:

Dorian