What is the difference between an absolute and an incremental encoder?
There are a few subtle differences between absolute and incremental rotary encoders. Incremental encoders have output signals that repeat over the full range of motion. It is important to understand that each mechanical position is not uniquely defined. When the incremental encoder is turned on, the position of an incremental encoder is not known since the output signals are not unique to any singular position. Absolute encoders have a unique value (voltage, binary count, etc) for each mechanical position. When an absolute encoder is turned on, the position of an absolute encoder is known (this function resembles a resolver, although the principles of operation have no similarity.) The similarities of both absolute and incremental encoders are form factor and the issues of count and directional information. They can be obtained from both absolute and incremental encoders equally.
