The Bourns potentiometer, a hallmark of imported high-quality potentiometers, necessitates a thorough understanding of its performance parameters for optimal selection and application. This analysis delves into several principal performance parameters of the Bourns potentiometer, facilitating a deeper comprehension and effective utilization of these crucial components.
1. Rated Power: This parameter signifies the maximum power the potentiometer's fixed ends can endure. It's a crucial concept; the rated power differs from the power between the center tap and fixed end. Selecting a potentiometer with an adequate power rating is essential to avert overloading and potential damage.
2. Nominal Resistance: The nominal resistance, marked on the potentiometer, plays a pivotal role in the circuit's overall performance. Choosing the right nominal resistance value is vital for the circuit's proper functioning.
3. Allowable Error Level: This represents the permissible deviation between the actual resistance value and the nominal resistance. Precision potentiometers, crucial for high-precision applications, can have error tolerances as low as 0.1%, ranging up to 20% for other types.
4. Resistance Change Law: This parameter describes how the potentiometer's resistance alters with the slider's contact point movement. Selection from linear, logarithmic, or inverted logarithmic (exponential) patterns hinges on specific circuit requirements to attain desired performance.
5. Resolution: Particularly for wirewound potentiometers, resolution is a significant performance aspect. It's defined by the ratio of output voltage change to total output voltage per revolution of the moving contact. For linear wirewound types, the resolution, typically a percentage, is inversely proportional to the wire's total turns. Higher resolution equates to finer adjustments, ideal for high-accuracy needs.
6. Dynamic Noise: A critical performance aspect during operation, dynamic noise refers to the electrical disturbances generated as the potentiometer's movable contact slides over the resistor under voltage. Influenced by numerous factors like shaft rotation speed, contact resistance, resistivity variations in the resistor body, number of moving contacts, and applied voltage magnitude, dynamic noise is a key consideration for ensuring electronic equipment's stable performance under high-demand conditions.