scope:

This part of IEC 60393 is applicable to all types of resistive potentiometers, including leadscrew actuated types, presets, multi-turn units, etc. to be used in electronic equipment. It establishes standard terms, inspection procedures and methods of test for use in sectional and detail specifications of electronic components for quality assessment or any other purpose. It has been mainly written, and the test methods described, to conform to the widely used single-turn rotary potentiometer with an operating shaft. For other types of potentiometers: - the angle of rotation may be several turns; - the reference to an operating shaft shall apply to any other actuating device; - the angular rotation shall be taken to mean mechanical travel of the actuating device; - a value for force shall be prescribed instead of a value for torque if the actuating device moves in a linear instead of a rotary manner. These alternative prescriptions will be found in the sectional or detail specification. When a component is constructed as a variable resistor, i.e. as a two-terminal device, the detail specification shall prescribe the modifications required in the standard tests.