Heidenhain (www.heidenhain.com) has introduced its latest EBI 1135 absolute inductive rotary encoder, catering to a growing number of applications that demand multi-turn variants of absolute encoders that are sturdy as resolvers yet low in cost, and provides features beyond those offered by resolvers.

The company’s new encoder is integrated with the fast Endat 2.2 pure serial interface, which is utilized for transmitting high-resolution absolute position value to enhance transmission reliability, specifically in high electromagnetic noise potential environments.

One of the smallest rotary encoders in the world, the EBI 1135 has an overall length of not more than 13 mm while its housing diameter stands at only 37 mm. This makes the encoders ideal for use on compact but highly dynamic servo motors for industrial robots and automation technology. Attaining a resolution of 34 bits — 18 bits for singleturn and 16 bits for multiturn, the encoder’s modular design with a battery-buffered revolution counter and without a ball bearing allows for very compact dimensions.

The optimized inductive scanning of the new EBI 1135 encoder is possible since it operates without optical components, such as LED and glass scale, which can be handicapped by vibration, contamination, high temperature and shock. Unlike multiturn scanning that comes with a mechanical transmission, the sturdy encoder delivers high permissible axial scanning gap tolerance of +/- 0.3 mm and an expanded voltage range of between 3.6 V and 14 V.

In addition, its distinguishable revolutions were significantly expanded to multiturn value range of 65 536, effectively increasing the options of the customer.