LilyPad Protoboard Small + Potentiometer

[chebe]

Do you know what's great? Control. The ability to adjust something without having to recode it. Potentiometers. But to use them in a wearable piece more easily they need to be set into a Protoboard. Previously I have set a headphone jack and wearable keypad into small Protoboards. I did notice the newer Protoboards have fewer holes but they still suit our current needs.

Get yourself a 10kOhm through-hole rotary potentiometer with 1mm mounting hole diameter. I went with a snap-in flatted shaft/d knob style, and matching knob. Fit the potentiometer onto the Protoboard. I had to angle the snap-in prongs outwards with pliers (to align with the Protoboard pins) to get it to fit.

Potentiometer and small prototype board
Photo by chebe

Examine the traces of the Protoboard and work out non-crossing paths from each of the potentiometer pins to Protoboard pins.

Follow traces
Photo by chebe

With a sharp blade break the traces you want to isolate. Looking at the base here I have the Ground going to bottom-left, Data to bottom-middle, and Power to bottom-right.

Break traces where needed
Photo by chebe

Solder. I also soldered the snap-in prongs for a little extra stability.

Solder
Photo by chebe

Finish with suitable knob. And that's it, you now have a potentiometer unit you can use easily in wearable pieces.

Finished
Photo by chebe

Parts;
LilyPad Protoboard Small
Potentiometer
Knob