Potentiometer Guide

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Introduction

Potentiometers are three terminal resistors with one contact, known as the wiper, which slides across the device in order to create a variable voltage divider. They can also be used with just 2 terminals connected in which case they behave like a variable resistor or rheostat. Potentiometers are a common choice for human interface devices since they can easily be made to resemble a dial or track slider.

How Potentiometers Work

There are 3 pieces to a potentiometer:

Potentiometerdiagram.png