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July 12, 2011Electronic Potentiometers: Motorized POT in an Electronic Package
For decades, mechanical or analog potentiometers have been utilized in industrial facilities and other applications to provide a signal to certain types of machines. But now there are new and improved electronic potentiometers to help increase productivity by offering many great features that are easy to use.
What is an Electronic Potentiometer?These are digitally programmable units that give a mixed signal to machinery, such as signals for speed. The potentiometer’s digital portion features the interface, control and registers. Both the mechanical type and electronic potentiometer perform the same functions, except the mechanical pot is controlled by hand when needing to adjust it from multiple locations. The electronic type is controlled digitally, using a microcontroller or computer. |
Electronic potentiometers are the modernized version of the mechanical potentiometer, however, it is oftentimes difficult to replace the old with the new in existing applications. This is due to the difference in function and design. The packages are different, and the mechanical type potentiometer circuits are not designed to accommodate control signals. But with new applications, the electronic potentiometer is usually the best and most economical choice. By comparison, these are more cost effective (for manufacturing facilities), can easily be programmed for your needs, are controlled digitally, more reliable, smaller in size and weigh less. Electronic potentiometers are also great fits for standard automated assembly applications.
Electronic Potentiometer Applications
This type of motorized pot can be used in a variety of applications, specifically those that require a variable to be adjusted, regulated or controlled. Power, resistance, capacitance, voltage, bandwidth, gain, duty cycle, frequency, etc. can be handled using an electronic potentiometer.
Carotron now provides the Electronic MOP Module, model MOP250-000, which is basically a motorized pot with MOP function in a small electronic package that is DIN rail mountable. It features dedicated inputs, with pushbuttons for INCREASE/DECREASE. You can push both buttons for a RESET function, which causes the output to drop to minimum instantly. Check out the main product pages for MOP250-000 to learn of other great features and to view the complete manual, specifications, connections and more.
If you’re in doubt about what type of potentiometer you’ll need for your application, give Carotron a call to speak with a knowledgeable sales engineer. We’re happy to walk you through the entire process of purchasing electronic potentiometers and other motor control products.
Resource/Copyright Info: This motor control article about electronic potentiometers is under © Copyright of Carotron, Inc., your source for high quality DC and AC motor drives and other industrial motion control products to keep your operation running smoothly.