Pots and testing pcbs

[Jay]

Possibly silly question.
Do you need to have the potentiometers soldered in to test a pedal?

Part of me thinks yes, because not having them leaves a gap in the circuit.

Part of me says no, it just will play as if all the controls are maxed out.

School me please!


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[mjg]

It totally depends on the circuit, and which pot you are talking about.  Usually leaving it out will leave a gap in the circuit, so you'll get nothing.  But sometimes it will have limited effect, and other times you'll end up with a deafening amount of volume. 

Did you have an example schematic that we can look at?

In terms of testing a circuit without soldering in the pots, I use push-in pcb pins to a breadboard, and connect the pots temporarily that way.  It can be a bit fiddly, but no solder required. 

[Jay]

Nothing in mind. Just musing. Thank you for your answer. I'll try the breadboard. That's a good idea.


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