Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kazuo Oshima

Shunzo Oka

Matsuo Nishioka

Akitoshi Miyashita

A variable resistor is disclosed which may readily attain or reproduce a preset value. A wiper arm or plate is carried by an outer shaft for rotation with a wiper in sliding contact with a resistor so that the resistance value may be continuously varied in a conventional manner. In order to detect the angular position of the outer shaft where a preset value is obtained, a click mechanism is incorporated. A click spring of the click mechanism is fixed to a switching plate carried by an inner shaft fitted into the outer shaft for rotation therewith or independently thereof in case of presetting, and a ball loosely carried at the free end of the click spring is adapted to engage with a recess formed at a predetermined position of a stationary click plate so that the inner shaft may be stopped at a predetermined angular position. To preset, one rotates the outer shaft to a desired resistance value, and then while holding the outer shaft stationary, he rotates only the inner shaft until it is stopped by the click mechanism. After presetting, a preset value is readily reproduced when one rotates both the outer and inner shafts until and they are stopped by the click mechaism. Furthermore, the variable resistor incorporates a switch so arranged that when, and only when the inner shaft is stopped by the click mechanism, the switch is closed to turn on an indicator lamp.

Variable resistor

There is provided a combined variable resistor assembly provided with position indicator means for indicating positions of individual variable resistors by respective bright spots adapted to be moved by manipulating the associated variable resistors. This variable resistor assembly may find use mainly for electronic tuners, and with which the present states of the individual variable resistors for volume control, balance control, sound quality control and so forth can be known at a glance at the indicator means.

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Osaka, Japan

Kazuo Oshima