Rotary Encoder Glossary

This glossary defines common terms used when working with rotary encoders.

Accuracy, Resolution and Repeatability

There are several key terms that are critical to specifying the optimal position sensor for a given application. This application note defines these key terms and how they relate to the sensor’s role in the overall system performance. It is important to consider that precision is very much a system issue and can be dominated by mechanical errors such as eccentricity. This paper discusses the most significant mechanical error for rotary applications (eccentricity) and presents eccentricity tolerant position sensor solutions.

What is a multiturn rotary encoder?

A multiturn rotary encoder is a sensor that measures the angle of rotation of a shaft, as well as the number of complete revolutions that the shaft has made. This is in contrast to a single-turn encoder, which only measures the angle of rotation, 0 – 360°. Multiturn encoders are used in a variety of applications where it is important to track the position of a moving object, such as in machine tools, robotics, and automation systems.

Expanded VLP Encoder Series Offers Control Engineers New Sensing Options

Everight Position is pleased to announce the addition of four new sizes of Netzer’s two-plate VLP rotary encoder amongst other improvements. Based on the success of the VLP-60 and VLP-100, the new options include the VLP-80, VLP-140, VLP-170 and VLP-247.