Do you know what this device is called?

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) General Frequently-Asked Questions
#1

I have no idea what this device is called, but I think it would be perfect for my project.

It’s a physical input device with a dial that goes from 0-9, and has two push buttons (one turns dial up 1, other turns it down 1)

I can draw it, if I didn’t explain it well enough.

Thanks!

#2

BCD rotary pushbutton switch Sometimes (usually?) a subset of “thumbwheel switches.”

Alas, like the above, these usually come in 0-7 or 0-F outputs, since their primary use was device select on SCSI peripherals.
It looks like digikey has some that have the full decimal outputs (grouped with their thumbwheel switches.) Here’s another one

#3

That’s it!

Thanks a bunch, exactly what I was thinking of!

#4

The August edition of Nuts & Volts has a tutorial on the pushbutton rotary encoder on page 52. It uses a pic micro but the lesson is still relevant. Only 2 days till the next edition but you might still be able to get one. Just a heads up.

#5

Thanks for the heads up.

It took some creative googleing, but I was able to find an explanation on another forum Read a BCD value (Thumbwheel Switch)

I will grab that issue of nuts & volts anyway, can never have to much info!

#6

Just stumbled onto this page http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Main/RotaryEncoders

I did not read through it yet though.

#7

A “rotary encoder” is NOT usually the same things as a BCD encoded rotary switch…

#8