Linear SoftPot (Ribbon Sensor)

Linear SoftPot (Ribbon Sensor) — Adafruit — 178

Linear resistive ribbon sensor with nominal 10 kΩ across the outer leads; center wiper voltage indicates press position. Wiper floats when not pressed — use a ~100 kΩ pull-up. Drive with series resistors from GND and Vcc (3–5 V); output ranges from 1/3 to 2/3 Vcc.

Pinout

Logical pinout · physical placement not verified
LINEAR SOFTPOT (RIBBONEnd terminal AEnd terminal BWipermiddle pin
  • End terminal A

    One outer lead of the SoftPot. Adafruit states there is nominal 10K resistance across the two outer leads and recommends connecting one side pin to ground via a 10K series resistor.

    Type · UnknownVoltage · Use through series resistor; do not connect directly to ground or power, per Adafruit product page.
  • Wipermiddle pin2

    Middle pin resistance changes with press position on the strip. Adafruit states this is the pin to read as analogue voltage and that it floats when no pressure is applied.

    Type · AnalogVoltage · Reads approximately 1/3 Vcc to 2/3 Vcc in Adafruit example circuit.
  • End terminal B

    Other outer lead of the SoftPot. Adafruit recommends connecting the other side pin to Vcc via a different 10K series resistor.

    Type · PowerVoltage · Vcc example 3V or 5V through series resistor; do not connect directly to ground or power, per Adafruit product page.

Start wiring

I2C · SPI · Single data line · 3.3 – 5 V · Breakout

Verify supply voltage and logic levels before powering up.

Module pins: End terminal B, Wiper / middle pin. Schematik maps them to your board in the app.

Touch

13 other options

MPR121, CAP1188, CAP1203 Qwiic slider and AT42QT breakouts are sensor ICs for electrodes you wire yourself. Simple single-pad modules like the TTP223B give you one digital output with no bus required.

View all 13

Related groups

4 groups