Potentiometers

Introduction Rapid developments in the fields of control engineering and in microprocessor and semiconductor technology have resulted in the widespread use of electronically controlled systems in every branch of industry today. This has created a need for sensors that are inexpensive but, at the same time, sufficiently robust, both electrically and mechanically, to withstand a wide range of temperatures (e.g. from -40 to +160 degrees centigrade), particularly in applications involving large quantities, such as the automobile industry. Fig. 1 provides a summary of the various types of sensors for angular and linear motion that are in use today. Such potentiometers...