We are excited to announce our newest product that will make a nice enhancement to any project that uses a rotary encoder as an input device. The Rotary Encoder LED Ring gives you a ring of 16 LEDs around a rotary encoder that you may use any way you like. Most projects that we see with a rotary encoder use a knob with an indicator line or dot. This doesn't make sense because the rotary encoder has 360º rotation and no start or end points. The indicator isn't really representative of how the control is changing with input or the parameter's real value.
Some real-world applications for using the Rotary Encoder LED Ring are for multi-function encoders (an encoder is used as a control for several parameters) or where the encoder rotation isn't proportional to the parameter that is changing (a parameter increases more if the encoder is turned faster).
The Rotary Encoder LED Ring was designed to minimize the number of microcontroller pins necessary by using a constant current shift register for the LEDs. The PCB accepts rotary encoders that are soldered or shaft mounted, and the units can be daisy chained for systems with many encoders.
The Rotary Encoder LED Ring is available with blue, green, yellow, or red LEDs and is compatible with most rotary encoders on the market.
Please check out the product page for more information and a user guide.