need help on pot tapers

nhuwar · 18th January 2007, 05:17 PM

How can tell me the diffrences between a audio taper and a linear taper.

Thanks Nick

hitsware · 18th January 2007, 05:25 PM

http://sound.westhost.com/pots.htm

radtech · 18th January 2007, 05:35 PM

In a linear taper pot the resistance is distributed evenly, so if you set a 10K pot in the middle you would have 5K on each side of the wiper, set it 3/4 of the way you'd have 2.5K on one side and 7.5K on the other.

In an audio taper pot the resistance is not even across it, it is related to the logarithm of the wiper position. This is because of the way our ears respond to sound, they can detect smaller changes at low volume levels than at high. As you turn an audio pot up, the resitance changes slowly at first, and then as the setting gets higher the resitance changes faster.

Here's a chart of an audio taper pot http://media.maxim-ic.com/images/app.../A254Fig01.gif

Note how at the halfway point, the resistance is divided around 15/85 instead of the 50/50 it would be in a linear pot.

nhuwar · 18th January 2007, 05:40 PM

Thanks for the info I got what I need now.

Thanks Nick

18th January 2007, 05:17 PM	#1
nhuwar diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tomball Texas	need help on pot tapers How can tell me the diffrences between a audio taper and a linear taper. Thanks Nick

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18th January 2007, 05:25 PM	#2
hitsware diyAudio Member Join Date: Mar 2002	http://sound.westhost.com/pots.htm

18th January 2007, 05:35 PM	#3
radtech diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2006	In a linear taper pot the resistance is distributed evenly, so if you set a 10K pot in the middle you would have 5K on each side of the wiper, set it 3/4 of the way you'd have 2.5K on one side and 7.5K on the other. In an audio taper pot the resistance is not even across it, it is related to the logarithm of the wiper position. This is because of the way our ears respond to sound, they can detect smaller changes at low volume levels than at high. As you turn an audio pot up, the resitance changes slowly at first, and then as the setting gets higher the resitance changes faster. Here's a chart of an audio taper pot http://media.maxim-ic.com/images/app.../A254Fig01.gif Note how at the halfway point, the resistance is divided around 15/85 instead of the 50/50 it would be in a linear pot.

18th January 2007, 05:40 PM	#4
nhuwar diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tomball Texas	Thanks for the info I got what I need now. Thanks Nick

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