SOPELEM RI-640 2500 Incremental Rotary encoder

A rotary encoder, also called a shaft encoder, is an electro-mechanical device that converts the angular position or motion of a shaft or axle to an analog or digital code. An incremental rotary encoder provides cyclical outputs (only) when the encoder is rotated. They can be either mechanical or optical. The mechanical type requires debouncing and is typically used as digital potentiometers on equipment including consumer devices.