glitching rotary encoders

[signboy]

Hi all, I've got a zoom B2.1U, and the 3 tweaking knobs are the endless digital type with incremental detents.

When I turn them in one direction, the often bounce back & forth direction-wise, so eg: I'll be trying to change a setting from 10 to 1, and the readout will go 9 8 7 8 9 8 7 6 7 8 etc. If I turn them really slowly, they work normally.


Any ideas if this might be fixed by new encoders, or if it might be something else, in the logic circuits?
I don't want to order new encoders online if it's unlikely to help, as I'll never use them otherwise. They're the kind of part that's generally out of my league. If "encoders" is even the right term.

[R.G.]

The cheap encoders are contact switch types. The switch mechanism wears out. Replace the encoders.

[Jazz P Bass]

Take one apart & you will see what is what.

Some of the ones that I have seen, the wiping contacts get squished down from the knob getting stepped on.

[teemuk]

I have encountered several "consumer grade" mini stereo setups where the volume control is a rotary encoder. They ALL had this problem. ALL.

Oh, old-fashioned mouses with the "ball" part turning shafts hooked to guess what.... Again they commonly portray the very same problem.

Tells volumes about the reliability of the said part.

Yours actually does it pretty fine still since the increments jump only little. When it goes really bad it can jump much more. Hellish when we talk about a volume control: Volume first on "1", you touch the dial, it jumps to "10". Ouch!

Yes, replace it. Replace it with very high quality part. Then pray.

[signboy]

Awesome, thanks guys. I'll have a snoodge around Mouser, as it sounds like it'll be a worthy purchase. This pedal is surprisingly good, and I'd hate to see it end up in the cannibalized parts bin.