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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: ian87 on December 10, 2003, 11:59:30 AM

Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: ian87 on December 10, 2003, 11:59:30 AM
not a real poll, but what brand of pots are best? have you ever had any just totally crap out on you?

(please refrain from lame weed jokes.... thanks in advance....  :D )
Title: I like the small ones
Post by: petemoore on December 10, 2003, 12:10:42 PM
The big ones for small ckts.
 if you're trying to fit alot of pots ina small box...
 Otherwise I have not had any problems with used new, or any other pots.
 all the pots marked 100k that I've measureed were less than 100k actula.
 These pots are in boxxed ckts and function perfectly well AFAICT.
 If ever you want to clean them the ones with access for a spray nozzle would be nice...
 Im just making a short story long...all them pots are jez fine IMO.
 Wah wah [or pot on a treadle] you want a wahwha [or heavy duty] one
Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: Samuel on December 10, 2003, 12:20:14 PM
The blister packed ones I get from local stores...I guess they're CTS? I've become EXTREMELY frustrated with them. I'm only using Alpha from now on, cause I had TWO pot failures in my Big Muff using the genericy ones.

I was surprised to see that RadioShack pots are made by Alpha. That would be great if they didn't only stock 24mm pots with a shaft length of approximately 124 ft.
Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: Jim Jones on December 10, 2003, 12:37:37 PM
Quote from: SamuelThat would be great if they didn't only stock 24mm pots with a shaft length of approximately 124 ft.

Hehehe!  Very true - be thankful Radio Shack still carries that stuff though...  Here in Canada that section of the store basically doesn't exist anymore.

Jim
Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: javacody on December 10, 2003, 04:01:33 PM
Quoteshaft length of approximately 124 ft

Ha ha. One of my gripes about Radio Shack.

I love the small alpha pots for effects and the larger CTS pots for guitar guts.
Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: Roland on December 10, 2003, 04:07:27 PM
If you hop over to the pete cornish thread I mention a good potentiometer with stainless steel case and steel shaft.
Title: Crap pots
Post by: ErikMiller on December 10, 2003, 04:19:29 PM
Quote from: SamuelThe blister packed ones I get from local stores...I guess they're CTS? I've become EXTREMELY frustrated with them. I'm only using Alpha from now on, cause I had TWO pot failures in my Big Muff using the genericy ones.

Philmore is one company that packages the crappy ones. Since that is what Al Lasher's and Fry's stock, I was using them for prototyping, and have had several failures. Maybe I'm abusing them, but if I am, why haven't I lost a single Alpha?

All they are good for is the breadboard phase, where they get little action.

I don't think they're CTS, BTW.

QuoteI was surprised to see that RadioShack pots are made by Alpha. That would be great if they didn't only stock 24mm pots with a shaft length of approximately 124 ft.

LOL! Their selection of values is kinda sparse, too.

Can't LOL very long about Radio Shack, though. It saddens me when I think of what their parts selection has become.
Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: ExpAnonColin on December 10, 2003, 06:04:31 PM
For the RS ones, I just take a hacksaw to them, and then it's no big deal.

I've been using mainly futurlec ones, which have been fine.

-Colin
Title: Ya Learn Somethin' Every Day !!!
Post by: petemoore on December 11, 2003, 01:41:57 AM
Round Here...
 Nice consumer reports question and answer thread !
Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: keninverse on December 11, 2003, 04:06:13 PM
Omeg ECO PC16s I love the way these feel...like buttah
second spectrol 248 for places where you really need it (sometimes Bourns)
third...alpha/xicon
Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: Ansil on December 11, 2003, 05:37:50 PM
alpha all the way
Title: Pot poll: Alpha, CTS, or ...
Post by: brett on December 11, 2003, 07:35:33 PM
I don't have many choices, so use 16mm Alphas mostly.  Only 2 failures.  One was due to cracked plastic/fibreglass platform that the lugs are mounted on.  Caused an intermittent fault that took AGES to find.  Other "failure" was weird - a high value pot (maybe 250kA) that had very low resistance (10kA?).  It seemed to work as a low value pot, so I figure that it was probably mis-labelled rather than poor manufacturing.
Title: Re: Crap pots
Post by: Samuel on December 12, 2003, 12:35:06 AM
Quote from: ErikMillerPhilmore is one company that packages the crappy ones. Since that is what Al Lasher's and Fry's stock, I was using them for prototyping, and have had several failures. Maybe I'm abusing them, but if I am, why haven't I lost a single Alpha?

Can't LOL very long about Radio Shack, though. It saddens me when I think of what their parts selection has become.

YES! Philmore, that's right. I used to live in San Diego, so I spent way too much time/money at Fry's. Note to Fry's: It rules that you stock a huge number of NTE components, but could you maybe possibly send an employee down that aisle twice a year to try and organize it?

I was so desperate for work while I lived there that I actually applied at Radio Shaque and went to one of their big group orientation thingees (they said I was going to interview  :x ). The woman running the thing said something in response to a question about electronics components like "Oh yeah we carry tons of little parts and things hahaha" and my eyes involuntarily rolled so far back in my head I thought I was going to get a concussion. She went on to say "Well we have special training seminars every couple of months, to make sure our employees are very knowledgeable." And another prospective employee raised his hand and said: "Um, but your employees are knowledgeable at all." That guy left as quickly as I did once that crap was over.
Title: Yiip
Post by: petemoore on December 12, 2003, 12:49:34 AM
RS..seminars and employees...been there...they run the gamrut...lol