The Measurement of Effective Resolution of Nonwirewound Potentiometers

The measurement of the effective resolution of nonwirewound potentiometers has been simplified by the development of test equipment which makes use of the "resolution window" concept, as set forth by Schneider and Silverman. This concept is briefly described again, and a method of mechanization is considered. Analytical and practical experience has shown that the sampling method is the most promising to date, and the development of equipment using this approach is therefore discussed in detail. The concept of the "detection aperture" is introduced and its use in predicting the effective sampling coverage is shown. As a result of these developments, a definite number can now be ascribed to a given nonwirewound potentiometer to describe its resolution capability. It is anticipated that the introduction of these ideas for resolution measurement will contribute materially to the establishment of resolution standards for nonwirewound potentiometers.