View Single Post
  #101  
Old 22-12-2009, 08:56 PM
bojan's Avatar
bojan
amateur

bojan is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Mt Waverley, VIC
Posts: 7,065
Quote:
Originally Posted by mswhin63 View Post
If they are mechanical, it may require extra circuitry to get the pulses needed for EK box whereas the optical encoders provide the necessary pulses out from the encoder. I have never thought about the differences between mechanical or optical.
Not really..
Mechanical encoders have two sets of mechanical contacts -brushes - that open and close as shaft rotates, producing the series of pulses with help of pull up resistors on board (there are no pulses if shaft is not moving). .. just like optical encoders have two opto-interupter switches, and electrically the interface is exactly the same.

However, the are a special class of high resolution optical encoders that produce two sinusoidal output voltages (90° phase difference between them) as shaft rotates, and this type of output requires more involved electronics, Ek box does not handle them.
Reply With Quote