Economical 1000 mm Draw Wire Displacement Linear Encoder Sensor AB Phase CESI-S1000E (0-1000mm Measuring Range, TTL Output)

Great way to measure linear motion without having to rely on gear coupling or friction rollers. This encoder that measures the length of a flexible wire as it is extended and withdrawn. Quadrature encoding is easily done with an Arduino or ESP32 to determine precise positioning. A very handy tool.

I haven't even hooked this up to test it and I can tell you it is not going to give an accurate measurement. I pulled the draw line out about 2/3rds of the way and let it wind back in. Then when I turned it in my hand the spool inside wound more slack up even though the string was all the way pulled in. It is not going to give an accurate measurement because of that. It doing that is repeatable so it wasn't a one time and done thing. Every time I pull the line out and let it wind back in and just give it a tap with my finger and I can feel and also hear it wind up more slack even tho it has pulled the line all the way in.

This item will not be put into full time usage for at least a few months. But..... upon it's arrival..... I inspected and tested it to make sure it will work for the application I need. This is the first one of these wired/rotary encoders I have used and I have to say... they are impressive. I love the idea of the wire rope (a plastic covered wire rope to be exact) allowing us to compact the indicated travel needs of the machine we are building. The test was simple and measured A B and B A outputs. Of course it worked.I highly recommend the Economical 1000 mm Draw Wire Displacement Linear Encode

This is a very fair price for a control sensor. This is actually very easy to use: just attach the retractable wire to an actuator, wire up and code up, and you have yourself a diy servo linear actuator. If you are into robotics or automation and are comfortable with whatever programable logic system you're using, this is a very useful tool. You may need to read up on servo error programing if you have a fast actuator.TTL logic and 5v power make this a great fit for Arduino-based builds.