How to Do Circuit Bending with a Kid's Toy : Learn About Potentiometers for Circuit Bending

[thkro20]

huhu huhu huhu she said screw!

[suzylux]

Some of the comments on these vids have such a pissy undertone to them. Why? If someone's made a mistake, can't you just point it out in a kinder, cooler way?

[Alrightistan]

I think if you measure the resistance between the two points (when the circuit is turned off) you can deduce how many ohms you might need. A "large" resistance would be large compared to this measured resistance.

[Alrightistan]

So if your pot isn't working like an on/off, it is probably because the pot has too little resistance, to figure out how much resistance you need you'll need some background in electrical engineering or even just engineering physics. Measure the voltage between the two point and see if it is a large number of volts (probably compared to the battery). If the voltage is large, you'll need less resistance, small -> more resistance. "Large" resistance might differ between circuits.

[Alrightistan]

A pot is a variable resistor. The reason why it can be used in some applications as an on/off switch is that when the resistance is at its highest the potentiometer has little (negligible) current running through it coming through it and vice versa. The more current that is running through your pot, the more you are bending the circuit.

[Evelyyn70]

i found 2 circuits that i put together and they lower the pitch but when i put my potentiometer on it, i cant change the pitch

[700bees]

remember that this is an intro to circuit bending and electronics in general. a pot is like a switch in that you move it to different positions. she doesn't say that its gradually on/off.

[lalalalala5151]

i think u two who are saying she thinks a pot is a switch should listen to what she is saying again

[DontStopTheBeat1090]

who told her a pot is a switch? who let this happen?

[youroptionsaremusic]

@DontStopTheBeat1090 She didn't say a pot IS a switch, she said it works somewhat like a switch as it changes from one function to the other, but in a gradual change.

[joeyisfunny]

A pot is not an on/off gradual switch!!!! Get it right! It is a variable resistor. Thats why they are rated in OHMS.

[lunatic84x]

circuit bending is fun :)