Knob-controlled LED dimmer
Read the wiper on A0 and map it to a PWM pin to fade an LED up and down by hand. This is the classic first analog-input sketch.
10kΩ Potentiometer
A 10kΩ three-terminal rotary potentiometer that acts as an adjustable voltage divider or variable resistor, with custom resistance values supported.
What is the 10kΩ Potentiometer?
A potentiometer is a three-terminal variable resistor. The two outer legs (VCC and GND here) span the full track resistance, and a wiper (the SIG pin) slides along that track to tap off any point between them. Because the wiper splits the total resistance into two parts that always sum to the whole, the part behaves as an adjustable voltage divider when all three legs are used.
With a linear taper, the wiper voltage rises in proportion to shaft position: at the far ends you get roughly VCC or GND, and at center you get about half of VCC. Feeding the wiper into a microcontroller analog input lets the code read knob position directly. On an Arduino Uno the 10-bit ADC returns 0 to 1023 across the 0 to 5V range. The body is compact at 9.5mm wide, 11mm tall, and 5mm deep.
The default value is 10kΩ, though custom resistance values are supported for this part. Ordinary carbon potentiometers of this size are low-power devices (commonly a fraction of a watt) with a wide tolerance (often around plus or minus 20 percent), so they are meant for control and sensing rather than for carrying significant current.
10kΩ Potentiometer pinout
| Pin | Function | Type |
|---|---|---|
VCC VCC | Power | Power in |
SIG Signal (Wiper) | Analog | Passive |
GND GND | Power | Power in |
Specifications
- Dimensions
- 9.5 × 11 × 5 mm
Verified from the Tinkered component library.
Circuit requirements
- To read shaft position as a voltage, wire it as a divider: one outer leg (VCC) to 5V or 3.3V, the other outer leg (GND) to ground, and the wiper (SIG) to an analog-capable pin such as A0.
- Swapping the VCC and GND legs reverses the sweep direction so the reading counts the other way. It does not damage the part; correct it by swapping the outer legs or inverting the value in code.
- As a rheostat (simple variable resistor giving 0Ω to 10kΩ), use only the wiper and one outer leg. Tying the unused outer leg to the wiper avoids an open circuit if the wiper ever lifts off the track.
- Read the wiper with analogRead(), then use map() to scale the raw 0 to 1023 value into whatever range your project needs.
- The wiper is a high-impedance signal tap. Keep its lead short and avoid pulling meaningful current through it, since the wiper is rated for far less than the end-to-end track.
- A 10kΩ track across 5V draws only about 0.5mA, which is negligible. Much smaller total resistances waste current and heat the element, so avoid very low-value pots directly across a supply.
Common 10kΩ Potentiometer mistakes
Wiring it as a rheostat but expecting a voltage
Connecting only two legs leaves the analog pin floating, so readings drift with noise. For a clean analogRead, use the full three-leg divider with VCC and GND on the outer legs.
Connecting the wiper to a digital pin
A digital pin only sees HIGH or LOW, so the knob appears to jump between two states. Route the wiper to an analog input (A0 to A5 on an Uno) to read the continuous position.
Assuming linear response from an audio-taper pot
Logarithmic (audio) taper pots do not map position to voltage evenly, so the reading crowds toward one end. Confirm the part is linear taper when you want a smooth, proportional analog scale.
Expecting an exact 10kΩ and a perfect midpoint
Wide tolerance means the end-to-end resistance and the center point will not be exactly 10kΩ or exactly half. Calibrate the min and max in software if you need accuracy.
Reversed knob direction
If turning the knob raises the value when you expected it to fall, the VCC and GND legs are swapped. Reverse the outer connections or flip the reading in code.
Popular 10kΩ Potentiometer projects
Manual servo positioning
Map the pot's 0 to 1023 reading onto 0 to 180 degrees to steer a hobby servo directly from the knob, a common intro to reading sensors and driving actuators together.
More passives & discretes
resistor-220220Ω Resistor
Custom resistance values supported
resistor-1k1kΩ Resistor
Custom resistance values supported
resistor-10k10kΩ Resistor
Custom resistance values supported
capacitor-ceramic100nF Ceramic Capacitor
Custom capacitance values supported
diode-1n40071N4007 Diode
General-purpose rectifier
diode-1n41481N4148 Diode
Fast switching diode
Build with the 10kΩ Potentiometer.
Drop the 10kΩ Potentiometer into a circuit, write firmware, and simulate it in your browser, then deploy to real hardware. All in one editable Tinkered project.