We were using reflectance sensors. Either way there’s a trick to detecting which direction a rotary encoder is turning. We’ll explain that for you after the break.

A single-chip CMOS magnetic rotary encoder system based on magnetic pattern analysis is presented. Magnetic sensor arrays are integrated with ADCs and DSP circuits and fabricated in a standard 0.25 ...

The disc rotation creates a light-dark pattern through the clear and opaque disc segments. An absolute encoder has multiple detectors and a disc with multiple, unique tracks.

Absolute encoders contain multiple detectors and up to 20 tracks of segment patterns. For each encoder position, there is a different binary output -- shaft position is absolutely determined.

The Orange 1024 PPR Incremental Optical Rotary Encoder operates by utilizing a combination of internal components, including a light source, a patterned disc, and sensors. Here's how it works: Light ...

Rotary encoders are pretty interesting pieces of technology. They’re a solid way to accurately measure rotation including the direction. [David] recently wrote some software to handle these i… ...