Rotary Potentiometers, Rheostats

P260P-S2BS3CA10K is a type of rotary potentiometer or rheostat. Rotary potentiometers are parts of electrical circuits that measure the angle of rotation of a shaft. Rheostats are variable resistors used to control current.

Application Field

Rotary potentiometers are mainly used as volume controllers on audio equipment such as radios and guitars. They are also used in a variety of other fields such as automotive control systems, medical electrical stimulation, and data communications.Rheostats are used to control voltage and current in a variety of applications such as controlling the speed of motors and dimming lights. They can also be used to measure electrical resistances.

Working Principle

A rotary potentiometer consists of a resistive element which is connected to two terminals. The third terminal is connected to a wiper which is connected to the rotary shaft. By rotating the shaft, the wiper moves along the resistive element, thus changing the resistance between the two terminals.A rheostat consists of a resistive element which is connected to two terminals. A variable tap is connected to the resistive element, and the third terminal is connected to the tap. By rotating the tap, the resistance between the two terminals is changed.Both the rotary potentiometer and the rheostat are simple devices. As they rotate, they change the resistance between two terminals, which can be used to measure electrical current and voltage in various applications.