Looking to add a secondary speed control pot to the other side of a mobile unit.
Original speed pot has three wires soldered to it. Maybe 16 gage wire.
I'd like to add the same pot on the other side of the unit and be able to switch from side to side kind of like a three way switch in your home.
I'm just going to order another speed pot exactly like the original.
Just need to see what 2 switches I'll need to switch back and forth.
I need the non switched side to be inoperable.
Thank you for your help.

Mike

 

Welcome to AAC!
Is the unit AC or DC powered? What voltage, current?

I need the non switched side to be inoperable.

Don't understand.
Show us how your system is wired at present.

 

You only need to switch two of the wires, the common can be left connected. So a simple DPDT switch/ relay will do.

 

You only need to switch two of the wires, the common can be left connected. So a simple DPDT switch/ relay will do.

It is a DC circuit. 12 volt. It runs a feed for a machine that cleans out drain tiles. Right now you have to duck under things to adjust speeds while running it. (depending on what side you're standing on.....) We'd like to add another pot that would allow us to change speeds from either side. Can you include a little diagram maybe along with? Greatly appreciate the responses.

Mike

 

Based on your 3-way switch suggestion, here is one way to wire it:




R1 and R2 are the control pots. K1 is a relay. The contacts (your 3-way) are shown separatedly from the coil, which is switched on (control by R2) or off (control by R1) as needed.

John

 

Thank You! Will be installing it this weekend sometime.

Mike

 

Never got to the install. Stopped when I found that the original potentiometer runs at 8 volts on one leg. Center connection on pot goes to machine speed control and third connection seems to be ground as per your drawing. I stopped because all the pot wiring goes back to a module.
I'm afraid that hooking two pots together in parallel and just switching the outputs will damage the module somehow? I understand that I can still just use +12 to run the relay with switches. That's no problem. I'm just worried about the parallel circuit.
(As I write this......I guess I could use a second relay to also switch the 8 volts from pot to pot at the same time. )
Thanks for your help

 

(As I write this......I guess I could use a second relay to also switch the 8 volts from pot to pot at the same time. )

Yep. I think that was the intention. Just change K1 to a DPDT relay and switch 2 of the 3 leads of the pot.

Better yet, change it to a 3PDT or 4PDT relay and have indicators at each pot showing it being active.

The switches, in effect toggle and you have a light on the active pot and you can switch from either side.