We have had several enquiries for a 5 watt rated wire wound potentiometer for applications ranging from motor control, light dimming, audio equipment and industrial controls. The standard AW potentiometer is rated at 3 watts but can be used in a 5 watt application. The way we achieve a 5 watt rated wire wound potentiometer is to use a dual gang AW potentiomer with the terminals paralleled up to achieve the higher wattage rating required.
Available Resistance Range
Because the AW potentiometer has a resistance range from 1 ohm to 50k ohms (with a linear taper) when the dual gangs are connected in parallel the available maximum resistance becomes 25k ohms.