High Quality Rotary Encoders?

[Phrazemaster]

Hi everyone, I'm doing a project that needs a rotary encoder for use as a jog wheel, like the kind they use on control surfaces.

I've been researching but having some trouble finding a decent encoder. It needs to have a momentary push switch as well, and also I'm looking to source a large knob for it too. Trouble is, I'm not sure I can tell the good ones from the cheap ones just by looking, and I'm not really up for buying 15 of them to try them all.

If anyone has any leads as to which brand(s) are decent, or even a link or two, I'd be grateful.

All the best,

Mike

 

[gyraf]

If not for the switch requirement, I'd be using the "Photoelectric Incremental Rotary Encoder" type that comes with ball bearings and all such niceness

e.g. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005071771659.html

 

[TimG]

I bet I can find out who makes this very nice and robust knob on my Belka shortwave radio from Belarus.

As the main metal knob it gets twiddled pretty aggressively and a push changes tuning speeds and other menu functions.

Some technical info that was handy about the encoder.

“That being said, while the radio is pretty simple to use, having the only rotary knob controlling any variable parameter on the radio comes with a few ergonomical drawbacks and since that knob also dubs as pushbutton, there’s some opportunity to end up on a slightly different frequency than before after adjustments in the menus – the encoder is quite sensitive with many (100?) pulses per revolution and no indents…

….Using memory slots to jump to bands is not the only way to quickly reach another band though: keeping the knob pushed while turning is putting this into a “fast” mode. If you have selected a step width of 1 kHz or more it’s quite easy to jump to a band several MHz away with very few turns of the knob. With 100Hz step width, each encoder pulse is 10 kHz and it’s often only one quick push-and-twist to go from one segment of a band to another.”

 

[zamproject]

Hello
As mentioned by @gyraf optical are the best, no mechanical contact, with high tick per turn, but usually expensive and I'm not aware of that kind including push button.
Have a look at Bourns, ? seem to be some nice ones there.
I'm only used to standard ALPS, 24 tick/turn. With detents, which may or may not be desirable for jog.
About knob, you better have a weighted one, I don't search that much by the time I need one, but RS offer some 40mm, with different weight.
https://docs.rs-online.com/f543/0900766b815829b3.pdf

Cheers
Zam