This is my first post, so I would like to start off by saying hi my name is Rip, and I truly appreciate this forum and the ability to ask my question.
I have been messing around with a project that I believe the arduino is can help with. What I'm hoping to build, is a system that I can read in the knob change of position and/or rotation, and use a servo to rotate a 'normal' potentiometer to control volume and other settings.
On newer stereos and car radios there is sometimes a knob that can be spun around with no stops. Is this a potentiometer? If so what type is it? If someone here knows what I'm talking about, and what it's called, can you please let me know?
And a side question, if anyone knows and would like to save me a little bit of time, how is one of these devices used? I imagine it senses a change, counts in the rotation and direction, then does something (change volume by x counts of clicks).
Thank you for the time and any help you may provide.
Rip
probably a rotary encoder which is digital rather than a "continuous pot" which is not only analogue, but the software would have to handle going from max to min value as it's rotated
Thank you very much, I see there is a Rotary Encoder tutorial, so I need to read through that. But at first glance this is exactly what I was looking for.
RipVW:
Thank you very much, I see there is a Rotary Encoder tutorial, so I need to read through that. But at first glance this is exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you again
Rip
Don't use a servo to change the position of a real potentiometer (unless that is -really- called for) - there exist components out there called "digital potentiometers" - you would take your value from the encoder (which will give you a pulse train from which you can determine the speed of the rotation and direction), munge it thru some software, and use that info to update a "volume level" value, which you would then send to the digital potentiometer - which has pins that correspond in the same manner to a regular potentiometer's two terminal pins and center wiper pin. This is more or less how such radios are constructed to work.
Yep, unfortunately I need the mechanical interface, rather I will only provide up to the servo. Also is it true that most servos are only good to 180 deg?
With most pots having a 270 deg rotation looks like I'll need to up the gearing to 1:2 ish range. Anyone see this sort of gear box for servos? I found one on a robotics online store but the gear was backwords.