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How do you use a Bourns Potentiometer?

Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by molymoly, Jul 22, 2009.

  1. Jul 22, 2009 #1
    molymoly

    molymoly

    Apr 9, 2009
    Umm, I bought these pots because the base was smaller than a CTS and I was replacing the cheap mini pots in an Aerodyne Fender.
    How do you use them in a wiring setup? The casing is a conductive polymer...can you solder to them or what? I've never used them but they are touted as "very nice" pots for guitars. If I can't solder to the back of them, how do I do all the jumpers on say a P/J passive wiring setup like on my Aerodyne?
    Has anyone ever used these Bourns pots in a passive wiring setup and how did you do it? Can you solder to the backs of these?
     

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  2. Jul 22, 2009 #2
    electroken

    electroken

    Sep 2, 2008
    Shelton, CT
    The bodies of those pots are plastic and will turn to molten poo if you heat them. By "conductive" the manufacturer is stating that they provide a path for static discharge. Your only chance to ground them is to put a tabbed washer on the shaft of the pot before you install it and make all of you connections to the tab of the washer.

    If it was me I'd just get different pots with metal covers. There are many small ones out there.
     
  3. Jul 22, 2009 #3
    molymoly

    molymoly

    Apr 9, 2009
    Cwap. You don't happen to know of a mini-pot with extra long threads do you you? My cavity is just a tad deep (I added a plate on the front that added some extra depth). I,m trying to avoid having to make the cavity any deeper itself and it's kind of a small place to work with.
     
  4. Jul 22, 2009 #4
    JTE

    JTE Gold Supporting Member

    Mar 12, 2008
    Central Illinois, USA
    They're very very good pots. I'd use 'em. They have a little diagram that shows which lugs are attached to which part of the wiper/conductive strip. And just ground things to a central ground point, it's really easy.


    Well, easy if you understand the way a passive V/V/T set up works and can read a real schematic. If your only experience with wiring is looking at pictures and just putting wires where the picture says, it'll be more of a challenge. Everything that goes to the body of the pot will need to go to a ground point. But that's not too hard.

    jte
     
  5. Jul 22, 2009 #5
    line6man

    line6man

    Jun 20, 2008
    Close to Los Angeles, CA
    If your bass is properly shielded, the pots should already be grounded through the copper foil/conductive paint when they are screwed in...
     
  6. Jul 22, 2009 #6
    molymoly

    molymoly

    Apr 9, 2009
    This standard p/j diagram is what I'm going off of.
    Can anyone make modifications to this diagram, so that I can still use these Bourns pots.
    Instead of soldering to the back of these pots (like in the diagram) I should just connect through lug 3 on all pots and connect "wire to bridge" directly to the jack? Is that right or completely wrong.
    Is the jack the central ground or do I create one somewhere else?
    As you can tell, I'm quite a newbie. You called me out, I'm just soldering where the pics say without much "real" knowledge, but I'm trying.:smug:
     

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  7. Jul 22, 2009 #7
    line6man

    line6man

    Jun 20, 2008
    Close to Los Angeles, CA
    Wire all of the connections that go to the back of the pot to the sleeve terminal of the output jack.
     
  8. Jul 22, 2009 #8
    JTE

    JTE Gold Supporting Member

    Mar 12, 2008
    Central Illinois, USA
    Yep-

    1. The white wire from each pickup goes to the wiper (the center lug) of the pot.
    2. Connect the rihgt-hand lug of each volume pot together so the signal goes out of the pot to the wiper of the tone pot.
    3. Run a wire from the wiper of the tone pot to the hot of the output jack.
    4. Connect the black from each PUP, the unused lug (left-hand) of each volume pot, and one side of the capacitor to the ground lug of the output jack
    5. Connect the other side of the cap to the RH lug of the tone pot.

    That leaves one unused lug on the tone pot, and it should work fine. Make sure none of the connections touch anything they shouldn't, make sure you solder quick but get a good connection, and be patient. If the controls work backwards (i.e. turning the volume pot CW decreases the volume instead of increasing it), then swap which connections go to the LH and RH lugs of each pot.

    Oh, and get a copy of Donlad Brosnac's or Richie Fleiger's (spelling?) book about guitar electronics. I like Fleiger's better because it goes into mainteance and amps too. It'll help you a lot to learn about guitar guts instead of just "reading tab" like a trained monkey.

    jte