Voltage control 0-10V

Thread Starter

johnnyhandsome

Joined Jan 19, 2016
8
Hey all!

I'm trying to create a circuit with witch i can control the voltage and change it from 0-10v linearley!

first idea was a simple voltage divider but that will give me a curved output voltage.
the whole idea is to pull a wire that rotates a variable resistor to increase the voltage (and opposite)

Any ideas?

// Johnny
 

Thread Starter

johnnyhandsome

Joined Jan 19, 2016
8
I'd like the voltage output to be linear. Just using voltage divider vill give this equation: Vout=(Vin*R1)/(R1+R2) And lets say that either R1 or R2 is variable the equation is rational and will give me a plotted curve instead of a line :(
 
Last edited:

ScottWang

Joined Aug 23, 2012
7,397
What's the purpose for that 0~10V power supply?
Why you need it from 0V~...?
If you just using voltage divider, does the current enough?
Or maybe you can using LM317 and in series with 3 rectifier diodes on the output pin.
 

Thread Starter

johnnyhandsome

Joined Jan 19, 2016
8
What's the purpose for that 0~10V power supply?
Why you need it from 0V~...?
If you just using voltage divider, does the current enough?
Or maybe you can using LM317 and in series with 3 rectifier diodes on the output pin.
Purpose is to send the voltage signal into compact-rio convert to digital signal and run an Engine. The given task was to make the voltage signal linear. Current are not gonna be much of a problem i was told.
0v is to go from no throttle to 10v(full throttle)
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
I get (I think) you have a 0-10v analogue input to the RIO but what do you want to control WITH?
Manual? a Mechanism? a MCU?
Max.
 

Thread Starter

johnnyhandsome

Joined Jan 19, 2016
8
I Have a 12V Battery. I want to be able to send a voltage signal varying linearly between 0-10v by turning potentiometer. 50%turn on the pot gives me 5v. 75%turn on the pot gives me 7,5V. Thats about it :)

Actually it could vary between 0-12v as well. the issue is to make linear.
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
So you need a stepper motor on the Pot shaft this will give you 1.8° resolution gearing will make it finer.
A PMW open loop DC motor may not be precise enough.
Max.
 

Thread Starter

johnnyhandsome

Joined Jan 19, 2016
8
So you need a stepper motor on the Pot shaft this will give you 1.8° resolution gearing will make it finer.
A PMW open loop DC motor may not be precise enough.
Max.
My plan was to adjust the pot by hand. Don't think you really get me. the potentiometer is linear so it doesn't matter how fine or fast i turn it. The problem is to get an output voltage looking like y=kx+0-400x355.png not image001.gif


Should i use a LT3080 with a pot on the adjust leg? will it be linear? maybe some condensers to make it more smooth?
 

ScottWang

Joined Aug 23, 2012
7,397
If you want to use the voltage as A to D and current is not important then using a rail to rail op amp as a voltage follower, and using a 2K resistor in series with a 10K pot connecting to +12V and gnd , and pin 2 of 10K pot connecting to the input of voltage follower.

(+12V) → 2K → 10K pot → gnd
Pin 2 of pot → input of voltage follower.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
My plan was to adjust the pot by hand. Don't think you really get me. the potentiometer is linear so it doesn't matter how fine or fast i turn it. The problem is to get an output voltage looking like y=kx+0-400x355.png not image001.gif


Should i use a LT3080 with a pot on the adjust leg? will it be linear? maybe some condensers to make it more smooth?
I think you are confusing a potentiometer and a potentiometer wired as a rheostat (variable resistor).

A true potentiometer is a fixed (lets say, 10K pot connecting 0 to 12V. Then you have a wiper that slides from the zero point to the 12v point. Any place the wiper is located, you get the output as a/10k. The total sum of resistance above plus below the wiper is always a constant so no curve.

A variable resistor (rheostat) can be made by connecting the wiper of a potentiometer to one leg and essentially by-passing part of the resistance of the potentiometer. Coupling this with a fixed resistor makes a potentiometer of sorts - not a good one.

So, wire a potentiometer across your voltage supply and the wiper will give you the linear voltage reference you are looking for. This solution will be particularly precise if there is no load (current flow) on the wiper. Sending it to the input of an ADC for an arduino or other high input impedance chip will do the trick. What are you connecting to? The higher the current flow out of the wiper, the less accuracy you will see (and less linear your voltage vs. wiper position).
 
Last edited:

crutschow

Joined Mar 14, 2008
34,280
Gopher T is correct.
You need to connect the pot in a potentiometer configuration, not a rheostat one.
That will give you the linear voltage with rotation that you want.
 

WBahn

Joined Mar 31, 2012
29,976
Using a potentiometer that is turn some fraction of its travel, say x (which varies from 0.0 to 1.0) your two resistors in your voltage divider are Rpot·x and Rpot·(1-x).

So your output voltage is

Vout = Vcc · (Rpot·x) / [Rpot(x) + Rpot(1-x)] = x·Vcc

Seems pretty linear with respect to the pot position.
 

Thread Starter

johnnyhandsome

Joined Jan 19, 2016
8
I think you are confusing a potentiometer and a potentiometer wired as a rheostat (variable resistor).

A true potentiometer is a fixed (lets say, 10K pot connecting 0 to 12V. Then you have a wiper that slides from the zero point to the 12v point. Any place the wiper is located, you get the output as a/10k. The total sum of resistance above plus below the wiper is always a constant so no curve.

A variable resistor (rheostat) can be made by connecting the wiper of a potentiometer to one leg and essentially by-passing part of the resistance of the potentiometer. Coupling this with a fixed resistor makes a potentiometer of sorts - not a good one.

So, wire a potentiometer across your voltage supply and the wiper will give you the linear voltage reference you are looking for. This solution will be particularly precise if there is no load (current flow) on the wiper. Sending it to the input of an ADC for an arduino or other high input impedance chip will do the trick. What are you connecting to? The higher the current flow out of the wiper, the less accuracy you will see (and less linear your voltage vs. wiper position).
Thats way to easy :) you are right and i made it more difficult than it should be. thank you!
I think that we are connecting the signal to a NI 9401 module but I'm not totally sure
 

hp1729

Joined Nov 23, 2015
2,304
Hey all!

I'm trying to create a circuit with witch i can control the voltage and change it from 0-10v linearley!

first idea was a simple voltage divider but that will give me a curved output voltage.
the whole idea is to pull a wire that rotates a variable resistor to increase the voltage (and opposite)

Any ideas?

// Johnny
Not just a pot? Pot with op amp buffer on the output?
 

ScottWang

Joined Aug 23, 2012
7,397
Not just a pot? Pot with op amp buffer on the output?
He seems didn't want that buffer, did you see my posted on #11.
I even thought about to protects the ADC when its input voltage exceed 10V could be damaged itself and I used 2K as the voltage divider to make sure the input keep less than 10V.
 

hp1729

Joined Nov 23, 2015
2,304
My plan was to adjust the pot by hand. Don't think you really get me. the potentiometer is linear so it doesn't matter how fine or fast i turn it. The problem is to get an output voltage looking like y=kx+0-400x355.png not image001.gif


Should i use a LT3080 with a pot on the adjust leg? will it be linear? maybe some condensers to make it more smooth?
I don't remember the LT3080 going up to 10 Volts. Check out the data sheet carefully. The idea is good. An op amp with a buffer transistor on the output configured as a buffer. How much current do you need?
 

Thread Starter

johnnyhandsome

Joined Jan 19, 2016
8
The currents I need should not be to large so it would damage the compact rio, and not to small so it will be disturbed by the engine and other things I would say max is about 200mA. No need to burn to much power.

Simplest idea is now to have 12v battery connected to a resistor(voltage drop 2v) resistor connected with a pot parallel with a resistor. And my signal is from the tap on the pot. With this I can regulate the voltage from 0-10v and not risking a to high current. I'll post the circuit later. But all ideas are welcome!
 
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