Choosing a Potentiometer for Sim Controls

We use potentiometers (“pots”) to convert the mechanical motion of our simulator controls into electrical signals our computers can use. A pot is a three terminal variable resistor. Two of the terminals connect to the ends of the resistance element. The third connects to a moveable contact called the wiper. Moving the wiper changes the resistance between the wiper contact and the other terminals. Interface circuitry uses this changing resistance to create a changing voltage which is converted to a digital number which is passed to the simulator application which does really neat things (hopefully). While there are other devices that can be used to sense control movement, the potentiometer is the most common.

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