Bourns Model 82 Guitar Potentiometer Factory Tour - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: John B
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 09:23:38 pm
content: Bourns stuff is good. Even high end guitar makers can end up being cheap on the pots.I have some bourns conductive plastic pots on the shelf waiting to go into a preamp, though they come in lower values like 10k, so they might be a bit battery hungry. I'm curious to see if conductive plastic works better long term in regards to scratchiness.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 12:41:41 am
content: Bourns 82 is CAD $26 single and $43 dual from Digi-Key, few offerings for values/tapers. I guess it's the amount of labour involved but that is up there for price.Great to see somebody is not in the race to the bottom.I find potentiometers out of Taiwan and china are too low quality - the resistance track is terrible so overall resistance can be way out, as well as at say 1/2 rotation not linear or log it's just out to lunch and much worse with high value like 1MEG pots. Then they go scratchy, short lifetime as well

author: MT
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2025, 01:28:59 am
content: Quote from: John B on April 24, 2025, 09:23:38 pmTheir PEC12 encoder with push switch is utter crap, it contains a design flaw that make the rotor to fracture, unless they have redesigned it. I have 32 broken ones! Their pots i haven't had a problem with for past 30 years.Quote from: floobydust on April 25, 2025, 12:41:41 amI find that a bit to generalizing. point out the brands you had problems with, i haven't had much issues with Alpha pots for example.https://www.taiwanalpha.com/en/products/4

author: phil from seattle
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2025, 02:30:27 am
content: I am using a bournes SMD trimmer pot in one of my designs. It is not very expensive though more than equivalent chinese designs. It does not add much to my BOM cost and I have confidence that it won't be a failure point.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2025, 03:12:18 am
content: Quote from: MT on April 26, 2025, 01:28:59 amI checked and the lemon potentiometer was a 16mm Taiwan AlphaRV16series, COO china, purchased from Mouser313-1100F-1M.Specifically RV16A03F-10-15R1-B1M-0030 supposedly linear taper. 1 MEG 20% tolerance. I bought a few and they all sucked badly, resistance very high until the very last bit of rotation.Datasheet (for 10k)shows "JIS:B taper".I think chinese-manufactured potentiometers are pure garbage. They seem to use villagers with a spray bomb of carbon ink or something to make such a shit resistance track.I totally understand Bourns (and musicians) avoiding that trap and commend them for keeping quality up there, albeit at a price.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2025, 03:20:58 am
content: For rotary encoders, they are all short lifetime I find. I've taken them apart and find the stator just wears out, the pattern gets grooved up by the wipers. It's not oxidized contacts.What happens next is firmware bungles the (aged) encoder extra long debounce times required and you get an encoder that jiggles back and forth and rotates nowhereThese were Alps AlpineEC12E2420803COO Malaysia. Lifetime spec 30,000 cycles. They seem cheap.

author: aeg
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2025, 12:46:02 am
content: I think the trick with rotary encoders is if you want them to last, you gotta use the optical ones.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2025, 12:59:48 am
content: It looks like you can get: 10k, 30k, 50k, 100k, 200k, 1M, 10M cycles for encoders. So 30k isn't the lowest end but its probably standard for consumer gear. 40c each on LCSC. Wonder how close you were to that figure, I'm sure its optimal with no lateral/axial loading.Once you hit 200k you start to see magnetic and optical, as mentioned above.