General Product Definitions

Resolution is a measure of the incremental change sensitivity in output with wiper travel and is applicable to wirewound potentiometers only. Precision potentiometers provide significantly better resolution than trimmers because of their longer elements. This is true of both single-turn and multi-turn units.

Output Smoothness relates to the noise produced at the output of the potentiometer that is not present at the input. It is measured while the wiper is in motion and an output load current is present. A "noisy" output is symptomatic of a failure. This characteristic is expressed as a percentage of the total applied voltage.

Independent Linearity defines the accuracy of the wiper output, in terms of voltage change on a linear scale, as the shaft of the potentiometer is rotated. On a wirewound potentiometer, the wiper output voltage may appear as small incremental steps on an oscilloscope with the size of the steps dependent on the diameter of the resistive wire. Whereas on a non-wirewound potentiometer, the wiper output voltage will appear as a smooth line.

Rotational Life is the operational cycle life of a precision potentiometer. Ratings will vary from one to twenty million revolutions, depending on the model.

Bourns Precision Potentiometer Offering

The Bourns precision potentiometer product line offers an assortment of sizes that range from 22 mm to 51 mm. Both single-turn and multi-turn styles are available with bushing and servo mount styles as well. Some models are available with seal.