Potentiometer wattage rating.

simple man

I am wondering what wattage rating is required for the pot used for a Curtis 1205 controller? Radio Shack has a 0-5K pot, and it's rated at .5 watts. I can't find anywhere how much the controller input uses! Believe me, There is a tremendous price difference! $3.19 vs $24.95!

BGW

__________________
This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members.
Register your free account today and become a member on Buggies Gone Wild Golf Cart Forum

sonicj

doesn't matter. no current is passed through the pot.

what you should look for is 5k resistance, linear taper and XX° of travel.
-sj

simple man

Thanks " sj " ! Even if it's a cheap taihootie version, you could get several and still be ahead!

By the way, they are available in linear and log, and with a 270° sweep!

P.S. The shafts come in different lengths too!

sonicj

if you've got the time & the skillz, you can build a throttle pot for far, far less than the retail offerings.

a few things to consider...

that 270° of travel is a bunch! put a protractor on your pedal and measure the travel in degrees. you get what? 20° or 30° or so? now how do you translate that into 270°? not easy! you could build a gearbox, or use bell cranks, etc. but with each component in the chain, you add complexity & potential for failure or added slop, etc. a much better solution for DIY would be get a pot with far less ° of travel.

curtis uses a custom pot from clarostat thats something like 45°. its normally purdy expensive, but these guys have it for $18.

every car produced int he last 20 years or so has a "throttle position sensor" installed on it somewhere. these are environmentally sealed, high reliability components that can be had on the cheap. companies like vishay and bei offer off the shelf resistive and hall effect sensors for automotive throttle use. link

a 180° 0-20K pot produces 0-5k over 45°

linear travel pots are typically much easier to interface. than a rotary.

thats all i got for now...
-sj

simple man

The 270° is the total travel of the pot when it's out of it's housing. You're right about it only being about 30°, or so, installed. The arm has a pinch clamp, so you can adjust where the pot's shaft is turned in the arm. I remember reading about how to adjust it with an ohm meter to get your proper values for beginning and ending travel. I really appreciate your info as I'm just learning the electronic end of this!