Volume knob position

airofu · 1994

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Offline airofu

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on: March 22, 2019, 11:04:36 AM
Where does the volume normally start when people talk about the clock positions? Would the 0 position be 6am? 12pm is halfway?



Offline ianp

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Reply #1 on: March 22, 2019, 11:23:54 AM
People are referring to a position on a 12 hour clock face as you look down upon it - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_position. Whichever hour the marking on the knob points to is the o'clock position.

On my crack with a non-standard switch the lowest volume setting, effectively off, is at the 9 o'clock position.



Offline airofu

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Reply #2 on: March 22, 2019, 11:33:25 AM
Thanks, I guess when people talk about clock position it's all relative to what their zero position is...



Offline ianp

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Reply #3 on: March 22, 2019, 11:46:09 AM
I'd hope that it is all relative to when you are looking down from the front of the crack, which I take to be where the volume knob and headphone jack are located, so we all have a common reference point. 12 o'clock is pointing back to the RCAs and 6 o'clock is pointing back towards the user. I've never thought about it in any great depth though, so maybe you are correct.

Most of my listening is done with the volume knob between 12 and 4 o'clock as you look down from the front.

« Last Edit: March 22, 2019, 11:47:57 AM by ianp »



Offline Crackawaka

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Reply #4 on: March 22, 2019, 12:34:15 PM
On most devices that I'm familiar with, zero would be at something like 7 on a dial, max volume at something like 5. On my Crack, I've created decals for the chassis (I've been building model kits since I was a kid, eventually learned to print/make my own decals) and I've got a "Volume" decal right under the pot. Zero is right above the "V" (which would be 7 on a clock dial) and max is right over the "e" (which would be 5 on a dial). It took me a little while to make the font exactly the right size, lol



Offline airofu

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Reply #5 on: March 22, 2019, 12:50:35 PM
The clock position makes perfect sense, 12pm being vertically at the top :)

But I guess what I'm getting at is the clock position in relation to how you zero the volume knob in...If I make 9am zero - 12pm would only be a quarter turn versus someone making 6am zero then 12pm would be halfway overall?

Probably over thinking it but it does make a difference!



Offline ianp

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Reply #6 on: March 22, 2019, 12:59:09 PM
Now that I do think about it think there are a lot of variables once you move away from the stock potentiometer - start position, end position, resistances, markings on the knob, how the knob is mounted on the shaft, if the scale goes to 10 or 11, etc.
« Last Edit: March 22, 2019, 01:07:02 PM by ianp »



Offline Paul Joppa

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Reply #7 on: March 22, 2019, 01:09:18 PM
On most devices that I'm familiar with, zero would be at something like 7 on a dial, max volume at something like 5. On my Crack, I've created decals for the chassis (I've been building model kits since I was a kid, eventually learned to print/make my own decals) and I've got a "Volume" decal right under the pot. Zero is right above the "V" (which would be 7 on a clock dial) and max is right over the "e" (which would be 5 on a dial). It took me a little while to make the font exactly the right size, lol
This is the usual practice. Most potentiometers are specified to have a 300 degree rotation.

In the old days, balance, bass, and treble pots were usual, and they all need a well-defined center point - so straight up (12:00) is the obvious choice. These days, nobody has tone controls, and balance controls are less than universal. Only the habit remains.  :^)

Paul Joppa


Offline airofu

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Reply #8 on: March 22, 2019, 02:07:26 PM
This is the usual practice. Most potentiometers are specified to have a 300 degree rotation.

In the old days, balance, bass, and treble pots were usual, and they all need a well-defined center point - so straight up (12:00) is the obvious choice. These days, nobody has tone controls, and balance controls are less than universal. Only the habit remains.  :^)

Yep this sounds good, as it makes halfway around 12pm :)



Offline Deluk

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Reply #9 on: March 23, 2019, 02:44:11 AM
My standard Crack runs from 6 o'clock to about 4 o'clock. That seems fine to me. With full output from my PC 12 o'clock is pretty lethal (good name for a rock band?) with my HD600 on YT heavy metal. Beyond that, my ears start to go into compression but you can gradually increase the volume, as you do............... Sensible concert levels? Ha Ha.  8) Try Rammstein - Du Hast