00:00E58 SS6 vs PKD 53-8192 encoders, which is better.
00:06Alright, so if you've been digging through the same rabbit hole I have,
00:09searching E58 SS6 vs PKD 53-8192 encoders, which is better,
00:14you already know the spec sheets are a mess and half the listings lie.
00:18Here's the thing, I stopped comparing those two and just bought five encoders that people
00:22actually rate highly, then figured out which one earns its spot on your bench.
00:27Some of these are two bucks.
00:29One is twelve.
00:31Let's sort it out.
00:33Starting cheap and boring, which is exactly what you want for a breadboard,
00:36the KY040 module, $4.43, and it's got over 4,000 sales at a 4.9.
00:43The best part is the breakout board, pull-up resistors and a 5-pin header already done,
00:48so it plugs straight into your Arduino and your reading detents in 10 minutes.
00:5320-pulse, 360-degree, push-button in the shaft.
00:57If you're building a menu, a volume knob, or jogging a motor, this is the no-thinking option.
01:03You're paying a bit extra for the convenience, and it's still under five bucks.
01:08Next one is the Value King.
01:10EC11, 5-pin, push-button, 20 positions, $1.82, and it's outselling almost everything at 4.9 with
01:184,000 plus sold. This is the encoder you find inside real gear, audio gear, digital pot circuits,
01:24control panels. It's just the raw component, no board, so you solder it yourself, but you get the
01:30exact same electrical behavior as the KY040 for less than half the price. If you're building more
01:36than one project, buy these in fives and stop thinking about it. Then there's the right-angle
01:42EC11, a $1.94, 4.8 rating, right around 4,000 sold. Same 20-pulse, same push-button, same 5
01:50-pin
01:50layout, the difference is the shaft comes out sideways. And that matters more than you'd think.
01:56If your enclosure is shallow, or your board sits flat and you want the knob on the front face,
02:01this saves you from cutting a weird bracket or redesigning your layout.
02:05It's the same part, mounted smart. For $1.94, keep a couple in the drawer just for that.
02:12Now we jump up a tier, because this is where the encoder question actually gets interesting.
02:17The E6B2CWZ6C, $8.96, 4.8 rating, $2,500 sold. This is an industrial shaft encoder, not a knob.
02:285-24 volts, NPN output, 2-meter cable, and it comes in everything from 10-1200 pulses per
02:35revolution depending on which version you pick. If you're measuring real shaft speed or position
02:40on a motor actual RPM, actual travel, this is the smallest amount of money that gets you a real answer.
02:46That cable and that housing are the whole point. So which is better?
02:52Honestly, the E58SS6 vs PKD53-8192 debate is the wrong question.
02:58If you're turning a knob on a menu, grab the KY040 and be done, or the Barry C11 if you
03:04like soldering.
03:05If you're mounting sideways, the right-angle EC11.
03:09If you need to measure a real motor shaft, the E6B2.
03:14If it has to run forever, the Optical 38S6.
03:18All 5 links are in the description below, price like this today.
03:22If this saved you some scrolling, hit like and subscribe, I'll keep digging so you don't have to.
