Industrial Rotary Encoders - Types & Benefits

A rotary encoder is one of the most commonly used electromechanical (EM) devices for the right measurement of speed and direction of motion of a rotating shaft. There are essentially two types of encoders that are used for industrial applications - absolute and incremental. Both absolute and incremental encoders work on magnetic measuring principle.

Incremental encoder

An incremental encoder Is designed to convert the angular motion of a rotary shaft in a digital or analog code, making it easier for you to locate the position of the shaft. 

Benefits of using Incremental encoders:-

• Ideal for frequency monitoring applications that require simple pulse counting - speed, direction, and position monitoring.
• Because they are less complex, they are more cost-effective as compared to absolute encoders.
• Any pulse count up to 16384 PPR is available
• Flexible scaling functionality
• A, B, Z, and inverted signals as HTL (Push-Pull) or TTL (RS422).
• The encoders have a resolution of up to 50,000 pulses per revolution PPR.

Absolute encoder

Absolute encoders are essentially used in high-end applications when you require a unique position value or data word at every point of rotation. To read the unique codes off a disc that rotates with the shaft, the encoder makes use of an optical, magnetic, or capacitive sensor. It typically has functions for speed, scaling, preset, and field bus.

Benefits of using Absolute encoders:-

• An absolute encoder represents the “absolute” position of the rotary encoder and allows continuous position monitoring.
• The encoder remembers its position even after a power outage. 
• It gives you control over the storage of electronic data
• There are multiple interface options: Analog, Ethernet, Fieldbus, Parallel, Serial
• Single-turn and Multi-turn revolution options available
• The encoders have a resolution of up to 65,536 pulses per revolution (PPR).

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