optical pots

[Jim Patchell]

    If you look in digikey, these controls are not cheap.  The Clarostat
part, which does have a very nice feel, is ~$40 each (128 pulses per rev/512
counts per rev),  the Grayhill part (32 pulses per rev/128 counts per rev) is
~$20,  both of those are optical.  Going mechanical, you are down in the $3
range.  I have never used a mechanical encoder.  Anybody ever have problems
with the mechanical encoders (life, etc).

    -Jim

Thomas Hudson wrote:

> Paul Perry wrote:
> >
> > At 03:20 PM 6/05/99 +0100, Paul (aka Mr XeoN Freemail wrote:
> >
> > >I was thinking about a digital emulation synth with high resolution
> > >infinite rotary knobs. The knobs would work just as a computer mouse
> > >does but with far better accuracy. Put a special "FOCUS" mode into the
> > >software.
> >
> > there is a similar technique where the software looking at the pulses
> > from the knob decides whether the knob is turning 'fast' or 'slow',
> > and runs the parameter up or down by singles or eg 10s acordingly.
> > This is suprisingly intuitive & not hard to set up in software.
> >
> The volume control on my car stereo is similar. If you turn it slowly,
> it probably takes four revolutions to go from full off to full on. If
> you turn it quickly it seems like a half revolution (or 3/4) is needed
> to cover a large portion of the range.
>
> The important thing is that it FEELS perfect. My wife thought I was
> crazy; we buy a new car and all I can do is rave about the feel of
> the volume control. Of course the amount of fine control is probably
> overkill in an automobile.
>
> This seems like the perfect way to save panel space (coarse and fine).
> If each click was say a quarter tone or smaller, but a quick yank o'
> the knob would jump several octaves.
>
> I would love to see a large panel of these rotary encoders, perhaps
> software configurable or directly interfaced to a PC.
>
> Thomas