Micro-optical encoders have housing diameter of only 16mm

The new SPF and SPFH optical incremental encoders from MEGATRON offer a wide range of resolutions while requiring the smallest possible installation space. Available in solid or hollow shaft versions, the encoders’ extremely compact design makes them the ideal solution for demanding applications. The ball-bearing versions of the SPF offer a very long service life, while the sleeve-bearing models are ideal for manual control applications.

The micro-optical encoders have a housing diameter of only 16mm and a housing depth of only 9.83mm (SPF) for solid shaft or 8.92mm (SPFH) for hollow shaft. This makes the encoders, with resolutions from 250 to 4096 pulses per revolution, ideal for use in medical, metrology, instrumentation, and robotics applications where space is often at a premium.

With a solid shaft, the SPF can be fitted with ball bearings for maximum service life or sleeve bearings, depending on the application. The latter offers a choice of shaft torques that provide a pleasant tactile feel when used for manual operation. The wide choice of shaft diameters – 3.175mm, 6mm and 6.35mm – also allows the SPF to be used in applications often reserved for potentiometers.

The hollow shaft SPFH uses the shaft of the application and allows a maximum operating speed of 48,000rpm depending on the number of pulses. It is supplied as a kit encoder and uses an innovative clip-on encoder disc that can accommodate shaft diameters of 1.5mm or 2mm.

Both encoders are electrically connected to the application via a 5-pin connector with 0.8 mm pitch. They provide a reliable TTL signal in the form of A, B and Z (index) signals.