Knobs without markings

[Rachie5272]

I'm trying to source some knobs for a rotary encoder.  It seems strange, but I can't find any knobs without lines, dots, or other direction indicators.  These are of course pointless on a rotary encoder, and may confuse the user.  Does anyone have suggestions?  It's for a 6mm D shaft.

[Richard Crowley]

I'm trying to source some knobs for a rotary encoder.  It seems strange, but I can't find any knobs without lines, dots, or other direction indicators.  These are of course pointless on a rotary encoder, and may confuse the user.  Does anyone have suggestions?  It's for a 6mm D shaft.

It would be helpful to know WHERE you are on the planet so we have some clue about where to suggest looking.

[Pjotr]

I am facing the same problem. Mentor has some nice aluminium ones (silver and black anodised) but these are quite low. These come with a set screw but fit a D-shaft as well. Available from Mouser, Newark, Farnell, etc.

[0xdeadbeef]

It is indeed surprisingly hard to get affordable 6mm D-Shaft knobs for rotary encoders.
I bought six perfect ones on eBay last year but it was an overstock item and I never found them again.
BTW: it seems there are also different variants of D-shafts.

The best ones I found up to now are:
1) http://www.voelkner.de/products/320048/Cliff-Drehknopf-K12-CL172877-Achse-USA-D-Schwarz-Achs-Durchmesser-6-mm.html
You can buy a front plate with and without marker. They are a bit too small and pretty ugly from my point of view, but they work.

2) http://www.pollin.de/shop/dt/ODA5OTg1OTk-/Bauelemente_Bauteile/Mechanische_Bauelemente/Knoepfe/Drehknopf.html
Very ugly white and there is a small marker. I thought about dyeing them black with textile color but haven't tried yet.

Then of course, you can also use knobs with a slug.

[Rachie5272]

I'm in the US.  I'm trying to source parts for a product I'm designing, so it would be nice if I can make large orders at some point.

Here's the encoder I plan on using:
http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?KeyWords=PEC16-4220F-S0012

[uChip]

I agree they are hard to find.  If you have access to USA based Mouser or Digi-Key there are a few choices.

For an encoder with a 6mm D shaft:
Mouser #450-BA600 (Eagle Knobs & Dials # BA600) black, no indicator, 7/16" dia with a 5/8" skirt
Mouser also has knobs for encoders with a fluted shaft but I don't have numbers handy.

For an encoder with a 1/4" D shaft:
Digi-Key #GH7339-ND, black, no indicator, about 5/8" dia
Digi-Key #GH7342.ND, black, no indicator, spinner, 1.3" dia, about 1/4" tall
Digi-Key #11K5020-KCAG-ND, gray, no indicator, spinner, 1.3" dia, about 5/8" tall

Good luck,
Chip

[Mr.B]

I am having a similar, but slightly more difficult problem.
Trying to find knobs for this encoder:
http://nz.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=PEL12T-4225S-S1024virtualkey65210000virtualkey652-PEL12T4225SS1024
Bourns Knurled shaft, illuminated...
The ideal knob would have a black body with a clear or translucent top cap.
While Bourns make the encoders, they don't seem to make any knobs to suit them.
Not needing any great volume - only looking for 10.

[Rachie5272]

Mouser is rather frustrating today.  Some knobs don't show up in the parametric search, but I can enter the part number directly.

This one seems to fit: 450-AA150
The quality looks a bit low, but it will work for now.

[Psi]

I managed to remove the white markings on top of a kilo international metal knob using some very mild abrasives.
The paint came off without leaving any sign it was ever there.

So if this is for a one-off or very short run you could do that.

Side note: knobs are cheaper on aliexpress/ebay. (but not kilo ones, kilo is a usa company, all the cheap ones are from china)

[sleemanj]

D shaft knobs are a bit of a rarity in the chinese markets if Taobao/Aliexpress is anything to go by.

Splined shaft knobs are much more common - for one-offs if you get a splined knob with a plastic core, it's fairly easy to just grab a 6mm drill bit and ream it out so you can put it on the D shaft, usually it will still be tight enough to be fine for a rotary encoder (there's not much torque involved turning an encoder, unlike a pot or rotary switch), if not a drop of glue in the hole first.

Conversely (from China) splined/split shaft encoders are less common than D encoders, but they are available and not really any more expensive, so if I was making a product, I'd get splined encoders and use splined knobs for best results.

I'm partial to aluminium knobs myself, they don't have markings, and come in a large range of sizes, 30 to 40mm diameter is my preference for a "control dial" type setup if space permits as they are both easy to "jog" quickly and to increment a unit at a time, any smaller than 30mm and jogging isn't really possible.

[rdl]

This is one of those times where the parametric search may not find what you want. Too much depends on data being entered correctly, if at all. Consider the fact that at Mouser, "Push On" and "Push on" are listed as two separate style parameters for Knobs & Dials. It may be best to just scan through all of them since they stock fewer than 500 types.

Another option would be to switch to an encoder from a manufacturer that also offers matching knobs.

[Pjotr]

I managed to remove the white markings on top of a kilo international metal knob using some very mild abrasives.
The paint came off without leaving any sign it was ever there.

A really good tip 

Ordered some anodised aluminium knobs from Mouser with a printed-on mark. Used methylene chloride on a piece of old cloth and the mark went off very easily without any sign of damage. I think acetone will do as well. Obviously this won't work with engraved marks :lol: With plastic knobs it depends, PE and PP stand most solvents but other plastics dissolve quite fast with methylene chloride and so on.

[dkonigs]

Have any more options surfaced in the past few years?  I'm now finding myself with a similar need, and its still slim pickings.

The best options I've come across so far are:
TE KN1251B1/4 (6.35mm shaft) - this one sells for ~$15, which is ridiculous, and the majority of the product photos out there show it with an indicator mark. However, the Digi-Key product photo (and the actual TE catalog) claim it doesn't have one.

Eagle 450-BA600 (6mm shaft) - this one is cheap enough ($1.29 or less), but not quite as nice looking

What I really want is something like the "Solid Machined Metal Knob" that Adafruit sells, though obviously without the indicator mark. The likes of AliExpress have a lot of products the sort-of look like this, but they still have the mark. (And I'd rather buy from a vendor I can easily reorder from and not wait months.)

It seems like there are a lot of people out there who want something like this, but not many companies actually selling anything like this. It kinda makes me want to just 3D print something, but I really shouldn't have to.

[0xdeadbeef]

At some point, I decided to 3D print buttons instead of spending an insane amount of time and/or money to try to buy some.

https://bitbucket.org/fade0ff/ngen/downloads/NGen%20Knob%20v3.FCStd
https://bitbucket.org/fade0ff/ngen/downloads/NGen%20Knob%20v3.stl

[mathsquid]

Do a google search for "knurled guitar knobs."  They tend to be plain and high quality.

[dkonigs]

Do a google search for "knurled guitar knobs."  They tend to be plain and high quality.

I stumbled across some of those on Amazon (ordered a handful to check out) recently, but thanks for the keywords. It'll help me dig up even more options.

With the popularity of rotary encoders these days, its kinda surprising that its hard to come by these via normal channels. (Though it reminds me of the difficulty I once had trying to find a thumbwheel for a volume pot for a project, despite every old clock radio having a bunch.) Maybe they just get custom-made for products so often that no one ever bothered to sell them as a standard part?

[Renate]

I agree with the premise, these are hard to find.
Yeah, cylindrical knurled metal guitar knobs are out there, but they usually are for split shaft 1/4".

I'm looking for 6 mm/4.5 mm flat skirted knob with a rubbery feel (and not too big).

[soren]

This vendor looks promising:

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/group/Knob-D-axis/1383759_518751350.html

Several knob styles without indicators.