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[solved] what do you call the digital spin dials with push-buttons? [A: “rotary encoder”] Is it typical for them to lose the ability to detect spinning? [A: yes, the cheap ones] (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/askelectronics@discuss.tchncs.de
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I have a couple DAB radios with a dial that spins mechanically. The dials spin in steps, not smooth like a variable resistor. They also have a push-button so if you push the button it serves as an /ENTER/ button. What is that kind of knob called? I am struggling to even search for my problem because I don’t know the terminology.

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[–] 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Rotary encoder

You can try to clean its internals to remove oxidation

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 child)

    Thanks for the info! I think I would have to destroy it to open it, but someone tells me it sometimes works to flood isopropal alcohol in it and hope it reaches the needed area. So that is what I have done. (edit: it did not work for me, nor did compressed air)

    The board gives no part number if I need to replace the encoder. I wonder if I can hack this by soldering wires to the contacts of the encoder and touch two wires together to make it register a rotary step.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago

    I wonder if I can hack this by soldering wires to the contacts of the encoder and touch two wires together to make it register a rotary step.

    Yes, but there's a spesific order which you need to touch the wires so that it registers movement in one way or the other. You could also solder wires to another rotary encoder and use that (assuming of course that the new part electrically matches the old part).

    Spraying contact cleaner in the case might work too while rotating the knob. Just drowning it in something most likely won't help much, but if you can get the encoder off the board then you can sink it in a isopropyl alcohol and rotate the knob around. Just let it dry properly before putting it back together, contacts may spark when used and if there's alcohol vapours around that might cause some new and exciting problems.

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    • [–] 0 points 1 month ago

    It's every single one I've ever encountered. I suppose you could say I've just encountered cheap ones - that could be true.

    But I've never seen a single one (since the 90's) that didn't start failing in short order.

    Some just sucked from the word go. Have one in my car that had hardly been used because there are separate controls on the steering wheel. Steering wheel ones are fine, the one on the head unit, that's rarely used, is failing.

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