Uploaded June 2013 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago
Full Details : dscript.org/diy-salt-water-potentiometer
So yesterday I was doing an experiment and I was missing some potentiometers.
A potentiometer (aka. Rheostat, aka variable resistor, aka pot) is an electrical component used to vary and control the power, more specifically voltage, or a circuit. In simple terms it is an adjustable resistor.
I had an idea, all of a sudden , that I almost abandoned.
I grabbed a couple wires and a battery, and slide them into the water to see if as they slide in the voltage changes.. sadly, it did not.
only later when playing with a water circuit that had a load on it (as opposed to just a multi-meter for measuring DC voltage) that i noticed voltage does change. but only if there is a load on the circuit.
This is because the measurement function does not add load, and the "blockage" or "resistance" in this salt-water resistor, is mostly due to ionic and chemical reactions.. these reactions "block" preceding reaction because they have "consumed" all the "chemical and ionic resources" in the immediate vicinity and it takes time for them to "diffuse" and "clear"
The result is a simple way to build a DIY power control component. The end result, you can control the power of a circuit without a commercial potentiometer. And it is way more flexible in range and sensitive than the standard "drawing with pencil on paper" DIY potentiometers.
Full Details : dscript.org/diy-salt-water-potentiometer
So yesterday I was doing an experiment and I was missing some potentiometers.
A potentiometer (aka. Rheostat, aka variable resistor, aka pot) is an electrical component used to vary and control the power, more specifically voltage, or a circuit. In simple terms it is an adjustable resistor.
I had an idea, all of a sudden , that I almost abandoned.
I grabbed a couple wires and a battery, and slide them into the water to see if as they slide in the voltage changes.. sadly, it did not.
only later when playing with a water circuit that had a load on it (as opposed to just a multi-meter for measuring DC voltage) that i noticed voltage does change. but only if there is a load on the circuit.
This is because the measurement function does not add load, and the "blockage" or "resistance" in this salt-water resistor, is mostly due to ionic and chemical reactions.. these reactions "block" preceding reaction because they have "consumed" all the "chemical and ionic resources" in the immediate vicinity and it takes time for them to "diffuse" and "clear"
The result is a simple way to build a DIY power control component. The end result, you can control the power of a circuit without a commercial potentiometer. And it is way more flexible in range and sensitive than the standard "drawing with pencil on paper" DIY potentiometers.
