How do you mount a pot?

[Sugarfree]

Those popular Alpha Electronics potentiometers have a little metal piece sticking out of the cylinder. (on the shaft side)
What do you do with it? Do you just break it off? Is it supposed to be useful?

[blue hell]

It is supposed to go into a drilled hole in the front panel, and it then keeps the pot from rotating if it was not fixed too tight ... I've broken it off as needed or drilled holes for it, but it is a useful feature.

[Sugarfree]

Thanks Jan, it's very helpful. I think I'll try to drill a blind hole for it.

[Don Erskine]

A few points.

1 ) The anti-rotation tab is designed to be easily removed if you don't want it. Pliers make the job easy.

2 ) If you are using front panel hardware (pots, switches) to hold metalwork like a stooge panel in place behind the front panel, you may be able to put the locating hole for the tab in the stooge panel, not the front panel.

3 ) If you are using the tab and planning where to locate the hole, bear in mind the rotation / orientation of the potentiometer. If you are using one with a flat or slot on the spindle to locate the knob/grubscrew, make sure that you have allowed for this. Be aware that some makes of pot allow the relationship between the spindle flats etc and the tab to be oriented (rotated) differently.

4 ) If you are bolting straight into a thick front panel, and are using Front Panel Designer, the software allows you to place blind holes on the back of the panel (i.e. location holes that do not come through to the front of the panel) which is cosmetically preferable. You may need to file the tab down a little though.

5 ) I think everyone just breaks the damn things off

[Sugarfree]

I think, I'll use it only for rotary switches then.
Thanks for #5