I bought a potentiometer. It came with some metallic rings of circular and hexagonal shapes. Can someone help me understand their use?

 

Post a pic of the rings. Aren't they just a washer and nut for mounting the pot on a panel?

 

yes, they are washers. Do they have any specific advantage?

 

Well, when you solder the pots onto your board, sometimes you want to attach the pots the the chassis of your project, so that pots wont break out of your board..
Just an example:

 

Thanks. That's very helpful.

 

You have 2 nuts, a serrated lock washer and a Bellville washer.

Some potentiometers and switches had a small tab that you drilled into the panel to prevent rotation. The switch ones work a little differently.

The two solid nuts basically allow you to accomodate different panel thicknesses. You want one nut flush with the front panel.

The serrated lick washer "bites" into the panel uniformly.

The Bellville washer I haven;t seen int his application, but it provides a constant torque.

The potentiometer nuts should be tightened from the back with a special wrench,

So Pot-nut-Belleville washer-A-panel-B-nut

The Seated washer should be effective in both the A or B positions. The first nut in the sequence is the one you tighten, so to not mar the panel. Hollow shaft nut-drivers work from the front panel.

In the old days, pots were mounted on a secondary bar and had long shafts,