Is there a work around on the adjustable potentiometer? My steering gets jumpy on some rides and I feel like it is going to go hard left or right at anytime so I pulled the fuse and just manhandle the car on rides.
When it works, it's great. But I just don't want to risk it. I thought of buying a new unit without the adjustment but was told I could ohm out the sensor and place a diode inline and that will take care of my issue.
If you think the potentiometer is moving and changing resistance (or loosing contact/connection) while your driving you could measure how many ohms across the terminals of the potentiometer and solder in a resistor with the same value. I have an assortment of resistors if you need one.
Harvey (can't remember his board name) might know or having something for this. I am going to either solder in a resistor or set it full on and epoxy it for my car.
If you think the potentiometer is moving and changing resistance (or loosing contact/connection) while your driving you could measure how many ohms across the terminals of the potentiometer and solder in a resistor with the same value. I have an assortment of resistors if you need one.
I doubt it is moving. The knob has good resistance when turned. Good chance it's a vibration thing inside as it happens when driving only. I would love to just get rid of that link in the chain and bypass it.
Here is my setup. I see they sell a diode in a set. Do I use both or just 1? And I am assuming it goes inline from the potentiometer or do I jump those two wires together with the diode.
An unsealed pot is a bad idea to use anywhere moisture is present over time it will fail - just poor engineering it should be sealed or in a sealed box and really vibration can move it too - its not designed for that application - I have seen the potentiometer get flakey over time many times - usually the result is the steering gets hard and moves in one direction hard (bad) - because the setting is changing usually to one extreme or another. Likely moisture gets in causing higher resistance - there is very little current going through the connection so a little more resistance due to corrosion makes a huge difference - the easiest thing is just to ohm out the setting by disconnecting the pot and placing a multimeter between the wires use the meter's scale that gives you the most accurate reading (highest numbers of decimal points or use a self scaling meter) and replace the potentiometer with a 5% resistor of the same value, a 1 watt resistor would safe - but I think most pots that size are 1/2 watt at best - using a 5% gives you good accuracy - you could go 1% but the setting is not that critical as the pot is likely not that accurate anyway - this is way better than just replacing the pot that will fail again over time and once you set the pot where you like it - you probably will never move it again. You might want to clean the POT before taking the reading by marking the spot its in then moving the knob back and forth a 1/4 turn - that will clean the wiper off and then setting it just off the mark you had it on to make sure its a good resistance reading - you disconnect it before taking a reading because it needs to be isolated so other circuits do not affect the reading . Its really easy - A two wire Pot is just a resistor (made of a variable winding) there is no magic in there like impedance. You are adjusting one side of the resistor to the center - for the visual learners that did not rip these things apart in engineering school due to curiosity and just because breaking things was fun... the diagram below I think helps ..
Here is what it looks like inside to help make sense of whats going on
Quick Note ..... as stated above A diode does NOT replace a potentiometer a diode is a voltage gate - it lets electricity flow in one direction or the other depending on which way you put in the circuit
A diode essentially is a straight piece of wire with little to no resistance - don't replace a Pot with a diode - that could be bad - very bad ...
A potentiometer is a variable resistor based on a sliding circuit
How it works
How it looks inside that little metal can with wires - the resistive strip is just a coil of uncoated copper wire the wiper is just a spring steel metal strip putting pressure on the coil sliding across the coil
