[mmaunu]

As Ginto said, you can use an AnalogChannel object to represent your potentiometer but the Java API also has an AnalogPotentiometer class that you can use as well (wpi api link).

When our team uses potentiometers, we tend to correlate the different positions that we are interested in to readings from the potentiometer (e.g. when the arm is in the "up" position, the potentiometer has a reading of x) and then we use a PIDController to get a motor/speed controller to move the mechanism into position. This sounds like what you are talking about but I am not sure.

If you have some more questions, can you give us some specific details on how you are trying to use the potentiometer and what type of potentiometer it is (single-turn-270-degrees or 10-turn or a string potentiometer)? I am assuming that you will be monitoring something other than the output shaft of the mini-cim, like an arm that rotates or an output shaft on a gearbox...but I am sure that more help will come if you can provide a few more details.