Encoder

Let's say you are running a pump with motor. You set a speed. How do you know it's actually running at that speed? That's encoder. You set a speed. How do you know it's actually running at that speed? That's encoder. How does a machine know how far something moved or when to stop at a perfect position? The answer is simple: encoder. How far something moved or when to stop at a perfect position? The answer is simple: encoder. An encoder is a sensor that tracks the motion. It can track position, speed, and distance. And it sends the information to a controller like PLCs. So, encoders send signals to the controller and those signals are converted into useful information that program can understand and use. There are different types of encoder technologies. Magnetic and optical. Optical encoders measure motion in many ways: linear, rotary, partial arc, multi-DOF. It measures position along a straight line. Measures angular position of rotation. Measures less than that. Multi-DOF. And how does an encoder work? It uses light. Inside, there is a spinning disk with a pattern like tiny lines. A light shines through the disk and adds its spin. Light gets blocked and unblocked like opening and closing a shutter. On another side, the sensor reads this pattern and turns it into electrical pulses. Each pulse represents a moment. More pulses mean more movement. Faster pulses mean higher speed. That's how a system can understand what's happening. Encoders are used in practical industrial applications. And what are the different types of encoders? Absolute and incremental. Let's talk about incremental encoders first. Incremental Encoder -> Gives change in position using pulses. It measures the movement, sends pulses as it rotates. Position is actually counted from the starting point. So, key idea here is if power is lost, your position is still known. Think of it like a GPS. It knows exactly where you are. Think of it like a step counter. It only knows how far you have moved. Now let's talk about absolute encoders. Absolute Encoder -> Gives the exact position. It measures the exact position each time. It always knows the exact value. It always knows exactly where you are. In one line summary: incremental tracks the movement, absolute knows the exact position. Incremental vs. Absolute. Incremental tracks the movement. Absolute knows the exact position. So, if you like this video, consider hitting the like button because it's very very motivating. If you haven't subscribed this YouTube channel, consider subscribing, turn your notification on because you will see amazing content like this. So, thank you for watching. Goodbye.