500R Pots - anyone know where to find them? (Preferably 6mm diameter)

[mkstewartesq]

Title says it all. I’d like to move all of my tearjerker wah controls to the outside of the enclosure but I can’t find a 500R pot for the Low trimpot. Apparently Alpha makes them but Tayda is out of stock with no forecast of when they will be back in – and I don’t see that the usual suspects (Stompbox Parts, Small Bear, Love My Switches) carry them at all.

I know that the Low control should ordinarily be just a set and forget but I’m actually finding that I am going to need to ride it from time to time – while leaving it at 75% (for the approximate Crybaby settings) works in most use cases, I find that when I combine the wah with a treble booster (regardless of pedal order) all of the gain quickly overloads my audio interface, even with all preamps off and gain on the interface turned completely down.

Thanks.

 

[KR Sound]

You could take a 1K and put a couple of resistors on it to lower the value.

 

[mkstewartesq]

You could take a 1K and put a couple of resistors on it to lower the value.

Thanks. I was thinking about this is a possibility but, being a newbie to modifying the values of pots, I wasn’t sure how to calculate what resistor(s) I would need. Any advice? I assume I would just solder tack the resistors between lugs one and three?

 

[Robert]

Another possibility if you don't want to change the taper of the pot by adding resistors is to use a 1K dual gang pot and parallel the two gangs together. All you'd have to do is let the connecting wires pass through both lugs, connecting the two gangs together.

That'll give you a linear 500R.

StompBoxParts has 1K dual in solder lug and PCB mount. (Solder lug might be preferred in this case)

 

[mkstewartesq]

Another possibility if you don't want to change the taper of the pot by adding resistors is to use a 1K dual gang pot and parallel the two gangs together. All you'd have to do is let the connecting wires pass through both lugs, connecting the two gangs together.

That'll give you a linear 500R.

StompBoxParts has 1K dual in solder lug and PCB mount. (Solder lug might be preferred in this case)

Thanks, Robert. Yes, solder lugs is definitely the way I’m going here with all of these pots. I’ve never worked with a dual gang pot before but that sounds like a great idea. So just strip the wire and pass it through both lugs, soldering it to each?
Thanks again.

 

[Robert]

Yep, like this. You don't have to connect anything to lug 1 (or pad 1 on the PCB).

 

[Robert]

I just noticed Tayda does have 500 ohm in stock if you don't mind long PCB pins and/or splined shafts.

500 OHM Linear Taper Potentiometer PCB Mount Round Shaft Dia: 6.35mm

ALPHA - Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping

www.taydaelectronics.com

500 OHM Linear Taper Potentiometer Spline Shaft

Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping

www.taydaelectronics.com

500 OHM Linear Taper Potentiometer Spline Shaft PCB Mount

ALPHA - Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping

www.taydaelectronics.com

 

[mkstewartesq]

Yep, like this. You don't have to connect anything to lug 1 (or pad 1 on the PCB).


View attachment 45260

Wow, Robert, thank you – that’s perfect. And you anticipated my question about lug 1. Is that also true of the other trim pots that I will be replacing with single gang pots (no need to connect anything to lug one)?

Mike

 

[music6000]

Thanks, Robert. Yes, solder lugs is definitely the way I’m going here with all of these pots. I’ve never worked with a dual gang pot before but that sounds like a great idea. So just strip the wire and pass it through both lugs, soldering it to each?
Thanks again.

You could just cut these legs off?

500 OHM Linear Taper Potentiometer PCB Mount Round Shaft Dia: 6.35mm

ALPHA - Get It Fast - Same Day Shipping

www.taydaelectronics.com

EDIT: You just beat me Robert!

 

[Robert]

Low - Lugs 2 and 3
Mid - Lugs 1 and 2
Q - Lugs 1 and 2
Volume - Lugs 2 and 3

You can determine this by looking at the schematic. If two lugs of the pot are connected together you can omit the connection to whichever outer lug is involved.

For example, the lugs 1 and 2 of the Low pot are connected together (on the PCB) so you only need to connect wires to lugs 2 and 3.

 

[mkstewartesq]

Low - Lugs 2 and 3
Mid - Lugs 1 and 2
Q - Lugs 1 and 2
Volume - Lugs 2 and 3

OK, well, that saved me from doing something stupid in my ignorance. Thank you again.

I also appreciate you and others finding the other varieties of 500 ohm pots – I was really hoping to stick with a round shaft of 6 mm to match the other three pots that I already have and the 4 knobs I had picked out. But at least now I know I have options either between SBP or Tayda’s that will work, either with or without various modifications

Thanks to everyone

 

[music6000]

I like to use the Lumpy's Leg 1 to Ground design With a Diode Leg when needed:

 

[Big Monk]

As a former Tearjerker user, I can tell you the only useful external control is Mids or Q.

 

[Feral Feline]

I've read it's good practice to connect the "unused" leg of a pot, anyway.

If something goes wrong and there's some type of failure, then signal can still pass through and you don't get awkward silence when it happens at a gig.

So for example, if you only need lugs 1 & 2 because 3 is just shorted to 2 on the schematic, then run a jumper from the pot's lug 3 to lug 2.

How likely is a failure and how often ? IDK, but it's a small bit of insurance that doesn't harm anything, yet may save you from a headache.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Did you want a linear taper 500R?

 

[mkstewartesq]

Did you want a linear taper 500R?

Yes – it’s to replace a 500R internal trim pot, which I understand is linear.