Stupid Questions

[flanagan0718]

-So a while ago someone here needed a couple of pots, I had something close and grabbed them before I left the house in the morning. I had them in my pocket and it turned out that he just ordered them with some other stuff. I forgot them in my pocket...then they went through the wash. They are the 9mm pots from Tayda with no nut and a plastic shaft. My question is, Are they still good?

-I bought a 5 pack of vtl5C3 "work alikes" on eBay. Is there a way to test these to figure out how close they are?

-How much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?

Ok so, not that last one but thanks in advance guys.

[Haberdasher]

i have never tried it, but i would just use my multimeter to test the pots. if they are still variable resistors & in spec, then you could probably use them i guess.  i would try to figure out how to make sure they didn't have lots of moisture in them first, though.  maybe blow dry them and set them on top of the dryer for a few days.  throw them in a ziplock with some dessicant packs or something.

a woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

[m-Kresol]

I'd say check the pots for the resistance across lug1-3 and then test how it responds from 1-2/2-3 when you turn the knob. If phones survive stuff like that, I don't see why a simple mechanical pot shouldn't. But I guess only time will tell.

No idea about the vactrol, sorry.

I guess it depends how fast the wood chuck could chuck the wood. But at approximately 1 tree per hour and an average work day of 8 hours, I'd say:
A wood chuck could chuck 8 trees, if a wood chuck would chuck wood. (That is even harder to write than to say!!)
But I guess, if the wood "chuck" was Chuck Norris, the right answer was "none, the would chuck themselves out of fear"

[flanagan0718]

But I guess, if the wood "chuck" was Chuck Norris, the right answer was "none, the would chuck themselves out of fear"

Hahaha! Awesome!
-I suppose I could just ditch the pots and order new ones. Like I said they are the ones with the plastic shaft (the cheap 9 mm ones at tayda) and just order 2 more. I'd only be out a buck and a half.
As for the vactrols I wish they would print some sort of identifier on them.


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[midwayfair]

-I bought a 5 pack of vtl5C3 "work alikes" on eBay. Is there a way to test these to figure out how close they are?

Step 1: Check if they're made by Perkin-Elmer.
If yes: They probably work alike.
If no: They probably don't.

That sounds dumb, but I have yet to try a work-alike for the VTL vactrols that doesn't have something fundamentally different about it.

Anyway, what you should test are:
1. Forward voltage of the LED. If it's higher than 1.5V, it's wrong. This matters a ton, because an LED with a higher Fv may require more current to function properly in the circuit driving the LED, regardless of the specs on the LDR side.
2. Measure the LDR side. Check the data sheet for the maximum on and off ratings. The datasheet also describes the test parameters, so you can measure over time or just do it cold.

This isn't a dumb question at all, by the way.

[GermanCdn]

I was waiting for Jon to chime in, as I know he's had some challenges with workalikes.

My $0.02.  I don't buy VTL workalikes anymore.  Have not been satisfied with the Macrons vs. the Vactecs in the same circuits, and for the couple of bucks difference, not worth the aggravation/tweaking/troubleshooting.  YMMV. 

[flanagan0718]

-I bought a 5 pack of vtl5C3 "work alikes" on eBay. Is there a way to test these to figure out how close they are?

Step 1: Check if they're made by Perkin-Elmer.
If yes: They probably work alike.
If no: They probably don't.

That sounds dumb, but I have yet to try a work-alike for the VTL vactrols that doesn't have something fundamentally different about it.

Anyway, what you should test are:
1. Forward voltage of the LED. If it's higher than 1.5V, it's wrong. This matters a ton, because an LED with a higher Fv may require more current to function properly in the circuit driving the LED, regardless of the specs on the LDR side.
2. Measure the LDR side. Check the data sheet for the maximum on and off ratings. The datasheet also describes the test parameters, so you can measure over time or just do it cold.

This isn't a dumb question at all, by the way.

Thanks for the info. I didn't get a data sheet with these. It was an eBay auction I won for $5. I figured event if only one is a decent "work alike" then I could find a use for the others. I will look for any kind of identifier/MFG when I get home. Then I'll check the Fv on the LED. Should I bread board these and throw 9V at them?

[flanagan0718]

-I bought a 5 pack of vtl5C3 "work alikes" on eBay. Is there a way to test these to figure out how close they are?

Step 1: Check if they're made by Perkin-Elmer.
If yes: They probably work alike.
If no: They probably don't.

That sounds dumb, but I have yet to try a work-alike for the VTL vactrols that doesn't have something fundamentally different about it.

Anyway, what you should test are:
1. Forward voltage of the LED. If it's higher than 1.5V, it's wrong. This matters a ton, because an LED with a higher Fv may require more current to function properly in the circuit driving the LED, regardless of the specs on the LDR side.
2. Measure the LDR side. Check the data sheet for the maximum on and off ratings. The datasheet also describes the test parameters, so you can measure over time or just do it cold.

This isn't a dumb question at all, by the way.

So i finally took a good look at these the last night. They are marked and they are NSL7053. here is the data sheet http://www.alliedelec.com/images/products/datasheets/bm/SILONEX_INC/70136794.pdf
From what I see the Fv is 2.0 v. So this is better used in something other than a compressor or where the VAC isn't super important. Thanks for all the help guys.