A potentiometer is comprised of a three-terminal resistor having a sliding or rotating connection that creates a customizable voltage divider. Most often, two terminals are used, one terminal and the wiper. It works as an adjustable or variable resistor or rheostat. The component, hence its name, is an application of the same idea as the measuring device known as a potentiometer, which is effectively a voltage divider used to measure electric potential.
Typical Applications of Rotary Potentiometers, Rheostats
Potentiometers are seldom used to control large quantities of power directly (more than a watt or so). Instead, they are employed as control inputs for electronic circuits and to modify the strength of analog signals (such as audio equipment volume controls). A light dimmer, for instance, employs a potentiometer to regulate the switching of a TRIAC and so, inadvertently, regulates the brightness of lighting.
A very wide range of equipment operations may be controlled by user-actuated potentiometers, which are frequently utilized as user controls. In the 1990s, potentiometers' use in consumer electronics decreased as up/down pushbuttons, rotary incremental encoders, and other digital controllers were more widely used. However, they continue to be used in various applications, such as position sensors and volume controls, including:
- Audio Control
- Television
- Motion Control
- Transducers
- Computation
How Do Rheostats Work in the Industry?
The typical use of rheostats is to monitor the resistance in a circuit constantly. It is frequently employed to automate the magnitude of voltage in a circuit by changing size. The name rheostat is becoming obsolete, with the common name potentiometer replacing it. For applications having low power capability, a three-terminal potentiometer is commonly used, with either one terminal connected or unconnected to the wiper.
A resistance wire coiled around a semicircular insulator may be used to construct rheostats if the power rating must be greater than around 1 watt, with the wiper moving from one turn of the wire to the next. Resistance wire coiled on a heat-resistant cylinder is sometimes used to create rheostats. The slider is constructed of many metal fingers that softly grasp a few twists of the resistance wire.
How Do Potentiometers and Rheostats Differ?
The typical difference between the two is the number of terminals; a potentiometer consists of three terminals, an input and two outputs, while rheostats contain two terminals, an input and an output. a wonderful modification to the potentiometer's three terminals. It can be used in the same way as rheostats, but one of the terminals is left floating.
