Potentiometer lubricant?

TerryMasters

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Hey everyone. I have a potentiometer on a remote board that's on the fritz. It's the H. Hold, and seems like it's loose, as sometimes moving it all the way in one direction it works properly, and other times moving it a hair will cause the picture to be wavy (like the image is shivering, not like the H. Hold is out of place). Sometimes, turning the pot will actually shutdown the monitor, although it's fixed by simply turning the machine off and turning it back on again.

I was wondering if I could use some sort of lubricant on this pot. I didn't want to do something stupid like spray something that was conductive on it that will end up shorting it out or what not, so I figured I'd ask here first. I already sprayed the pot with a can of air and re-soldered the joints, for the most part it seems OK. But if I can throw something else in there to help I'm all for it.

Unfortunately I don't have time to order a new pot - the machine is shipping out tonight. So if any of you know whether or not it's OK to spray a pot with some sort of lube, please let me know! :)
 
You could use some dielectric grease, at least a very thin coat, making sure the arm still makes good contact, they have small tubes of it at Ace Hardware..
Are you sure it needs lube and not some electrical contact cleaner sprayed on it?
Where are you located?
I know I keep spare pots in my bench stock, others may as well?
 
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There are special volume control/potentiometer cleaning & lubricating spray chemicals available.

Radio Shack sells # 64-4315 Tuner & Control cleaner/Lube for around $9 a can. Comes with a plastic "pipe" to spray it in tiny areas.

Personally, I would NEVER use Aero Kroil on a pot. It is corrosive.
 
Hmm. never had any problems with it, we've been using it for years on all the O-scopes that come in for calibration.
 
There are special volume control/potentiometer cleaning & lubricating spray chemicals available.

Radio Shack sells # 64-4315 Tuner & Control cleaner/Lube for around $9 a can. Comes with a plastic "pipe" to spray it in tiny areas.

Personally, I would NEVER use Aero Kroil on a pot. It is corrosive.

Interesting comment -- I never knew you could lubricate volume control / pots.

It's way too late now but when I was a kid I had a GE SuperRadio that got incredible long distance AM radio reception but over the years the volume control got incredibly staticy -- you'd turn it a hair only to get big bursts of static from it. At some point I gave it away in frustration -- now I'm wondering if I'd taken it apart and lubrcated the pot if that might not have taken care of this?
 
As long as the wiper isnt wore out you can certainly bring pots back to life. On smaller ones its better just to replace them but on the big can pots they are easy to take apart, clean, adjust wiper tension and reassemble.
 
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