Variable resistor device

Claim 1

A variable resistor device, comprising: a housing formed of walls including end walls, one of said walls being detachable and being provided with resistive material on the inner surface thereof, said one wall further being provided with at least one electrical terminal connected to said resistive material; a screw shaft longitudinally mounted in said housing and rotatably supported by said end walls, said screw shaft having threads and being made of conductive material; a second electrical terminal disposed at one end of said screw shaft and in electrical contact therewith, said second electrical terminal extending externally of said housing; and a movable contact element positioned on said screw shaft and bidirectionally advanced along said screw shaft in accordance with the rotation thereof, Said contact element being formed of a resilient conductive plate bent between end portions thereof to thereby form a contact portion which is resiliently urged into physical contact with said resistive material, one end of said movable contact element being bent into engagement with said screw shaft at an inclination in accordance with the thread angle of said screw threads and being formed of a Vshaped cutout, and the other end of said movable contact element having a pair of guiding portions formed integrally therewith which extend outwardly along said screw shaft so as to not engage with the screw threads but to be supported by said screw shaft by abutment therebetween.