Applications of Optical Encoders

Looking to know how fast a motor is spinning? Put an optical encoder wheel with regularly spaced holes in it on one end of the motor shaft with a light on one side of it and a photodetector on the other.

Every time one of the spinning holes passes in front of the photodetector, the detector will register a pulse. If you know how many holes your rotary encoder has, you can calculate the speed of the motor by counting the pulses of light over time.


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