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@ kwass
"checking the one you have on a 'scope to see which pin makes the connection to the common first."
I guess 'scope is oscilloscope (not microscope)
yes!
and "common" is the ground right?
It might be, ground depends on the circuit that the encoder is used in, not the encoder itself.
Common is almost certainly the middle terminal of the 3-pin side of the encoder. The left and right terminals make/break contact with the common as you turn the encoder. One contact will be made before the other one is as you turn it. The 2-pin side of the encoder is for the push button function. A connection is made between those 2 terminals when the encoder shaft button is pushed down.
- What are bushing? Do I need them?
Bushing, in this case, is the mounting method. The threaded part surrounding the encoder shaft.
- Are "detents" the clicks I was referring to in the first post?
Detentes are for making the "clicks" and indicated when the contacts are made/broken as you turn the shaft. There is typically none, one or two detentes per make/break connection.
- I am not sure how to measure the shaft length. According to the table at the bottom of the datasheet, it corresponds to the overall length of the encoder (referred as "L"). That would do 25mm in my case.
This is tricky, you need to look at the manufacturers drawing of the encoder to see how that's measured.