# Question regarding mounting potentiometer in enclosure



## carlsoncoder (May 1, 2020)

I purchased the following pots from Tayda for use in an enclosure for a PCB I'm building:

https://www.taydaelectronics.com/p-...taper-potentiometer-round-shaft-pc-mount.html

If you look at the picture, you can see that there is a little metal tab that sticks up.  There appears to be another metal tab on the other side, that is folded down.  I'm also posting my own picture here that might make it more obvious:





I tried putting a washer/nut all the way down the threads, but the tab is still 'higher' up than that.  The problem this seems to cause, is that when I put the pot into the enclosure, it's not flush/level against the inside of the enclosure - since one side is flush but that extended metal tab isn't letting the other side go flush.

I've only dealt with pots when installing guitar pickups, and don't ever recall this extended metal tab.   What am I supposed to do here?  Add a few extra washers to the bottom so I get the nut higher than the tab, so then the nut would be flush on the inside of the enclosure, not the base of the pot?  Or can I just clip/trim that tab?

Really confused - any help would be appreciated!!!


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## K Pedals (May 1, 2020)

carlsoncoder said:


> I purchased the following pots from Tayda for use in an enclosure for a PCB I'm building:
> 
> https://www.taydaelectronics.com/p-...taper-potentiometer-round-shaft-pc-mount.html
> 
> ...


You gotta snap that little tab off with needle nose pliers...


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## carlsoncoder (May 1, 2020)

K Pedals said:


> You gotta snap that little tab off with needle nose pliers...



Sounds easy enough.  Is there any valid reason (maybe for some use outside of guitar pedals) why that tab is even there in the first place??


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## Chuck D. Bones (May 1, 2020)

Yes.  You can drill a hole in the panel for that tab and it will align the pot during installation and prevent the pot from rotating if the nut loosens.  If you do that, and I'm NOT recommending it, make sure you have a knob fat enough to cover the ugliness of that tab poking thru a hole in the box.


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## carlsoncoder (May 1, 2020)

Chuck D. Bones said:


> Yes. You can drill a hole in the panel for that tab and it will align the pot during installation and prevent the pot from rotating if the nut loosens. If you do that, and I'm NOT recommending it, make sure you have a knob fat enough to cover the ugliness of that tab poking thru a hole in the box.



Cool, thanks.  I definitely don't want to do that either.  Snipping it off it is!


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## Robert (May 2, 2020)

Chuck D. Bones said:


> You can drill a hole in the panel for that tab and it will align the pot during installation and prevent the pot from rotating if the nut loosens.



I've also seen a lot of lab equipment where they add a metal plate inside the enclosure with holes drilled for the pot and tab.   It serves the same purpose but doesn't protrude through the face of the enclosure.

But yeah, just snap it off.


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