Look what I found, from what I understand it works the same way knitter-switches MRP1-20 does:********************Mfr. Alps A small and compact rotating pulse sensor for PCB mounting. Provides 20 pulses/rotation, with direction indication. Can be used as a sensor for setting programmes in home electronics, or as a sensor for measuring instruments and control equipment. Clockwise rotation provides contact between pins 1 and 2, while anti-clockwise rotation provides contact between pins 3 and 4. Pulses/rotation: 20 Breaking capacity: 100 mA, 16 Vdc Contact resistance: ≤50 mΩ Insulation resistance: 1

this thing sounds cool 'noughcuz i've been using digital potentiometer(i hope this is what you mean with knitter-switch ??)the result i get with the digi pot is that if i turn one way, i get a good & fast result (e.g. increase of the hdg)if i turn the other way, fast, then i get increase of hdg :(if i turn the other way, slow, then i get required decreas of hdgi use the "shift+a" or "a+shift" system to increase / decrease

Hello :I have a other alternative for rotary knobs.With this system you can turn on right or left and send 2 differents signal. Simple, not hightech, but efficient ! . . .http://projetb777.free.fr/encodpince.htmThanks to Claude Kieffer for this idee ! It's work well :-)

A great idea and a very nice site. I got the gist of the idea just by scanning the pictures. (Which is very fortunate as my French has suffered years of decay.)Mikewww.mikesflightdeck.com

>this thing sounds cool 'nough>>cuz i've been using digital potentiometer>>(i hope this is what you mean with knitter-switch ??) No, a knitter switch is a rotary switch that gives a series of closed signals across pins 1 & 2 when turned one way, and across pins 2 & 3 when turned the other way. I bought 100 of them a couple of months ago for distribution to a number of list members. I've not been too impressed. If you turn them at any sort of speed other than "slow" they have a tendancy to not make contact. This is a mechanical issue I think - at higher turn rates I just think the spring contact doesn't drop down and hit the fixed contact before hitting the next lifter.Richard

> I bought 100 of them a couple of months ago for>distribution to a number of list members. I've not been too>impressed. If you turn them at any sort of speed other than>"slow" they have a tendancy to not make contact. This is a>mechanical issue I think - at higher turn rates I just think>the spring contact doesn't drop down and hit the fixed contact>before hitting the next lifter.>>RichardOooppppss, that's not good :-(In the "hot" enviroment that you can find in a cockpit, you need fast movements and actions!!Knitter switches may was a very good solution and they was included in my next days shopping (or ALP's), instead of rotary encoders.Does anyone has used ALP's ones from ELFA? Do they have the same problems?ThanksEddie ArmaosAthens-Greece