Can I use a Potentiometer to control the flow output of an air simulator pump?

Hi All, basically I would like to know if I can replace a toggle switch on an air pump which selects two different output flow rates, with a potentiometer so that I can manually adjust the flow output myself in small increments or decrements? Any help would be great.


Thanks.Can I use a Potentiometer to control the flow output of an air simulator pump?
if the toggle switch is single pole single throw (spst) then cant seem why not, if its i high power circuit, make sure you use a high rated pot. (or the same rate as the switch.





unless of course, the circuit is digital, and is using some sort of microcontroller or logic gates to drive the circuit, then u r on your own! ;-)Can I use a Potentiometer to control the flow output of an air simulator pump?
A toggle switch simply switches between two separate circuits.


A potentiometers controls the flow of current to a circuit.





If the flow is controlled by some resistor and you now have two separate resistors (or if the toggle switch in effect changes some resistance) and you toggle between them, then you can combine the circuit and use a potentiometer; however, if the flow is controlled by other elements as well, then it will not work. Without a schematic it is difficult to give you more help.
The potentiometer needed to control the voltage for the motor driving the pump would probably need to be very large to handle the current. Trying to run the pump this way may ';current starve'; the motor and cause it to burn out. As the other answer says, you need a schematic of the pump to see if there's any other way to control the motor.


Have you thought of just installing a regulator in the air line to adjust the air rate rather than trying to change the motor speed. This would probably be much easire and more effective.