On Sun, 09 Jan 2011 15:04 -0800, "Kirk Wallace"
<[email protected]> wrote:
> On Sun, 2011-01-09 at 12:41 -0600, Jon Elson wrote:

> > The hal component encoder is a specific implementation of an encoder, 
> > equivalent in function
> > to a general encoder counter module which might be partly implemented in 
> > hardware or software.
> 
> I think the term encoder has been used rather loosely, but Wikipedia
> states:
> "
> An encoder is a device, circuit, transducer, software program, algorithm
> or person that converts information from one format or code to
> another,...
> "
> 
> To me, that means a rotary disk and sensor encodes position information
> into a set of quadrature signals. Then, I consider that the quadrature
> signals are "decoded" by the misnamed encoder component into counts
> which are then stored and managed by a count/position register --
> encoder => decoder => counter.

Technically you are probably correct, but if we used that nomenclature
we would confuse the hell out of everybody.  In the CNC world, the
encoder is the thing connected to a shaft that generates the pulses.
To be precise we should say "absolute encoder" or "incremental
quadrature
encoder" or one of several other possibilities, but the default meaning
is "incremental quadrature encoder", and when we refer to encoder
signals
we mean quadrature, possibly with an index pulse.

The HAL component is technically a decoder and counter of those signals,
but if we called it a decoder people would be really confused.  Calling
it an "encoder counter" or "encoder interface" would be better than just
"encoder", but people usually know what we mean.  Likewise, hardware
boards that support quadrature signals with or without index pulses
usually call them "encoder inputs" or "encoder counters".
 
> It's really just mice nuts, but I'm doing jury duty right now, so I may
> me in a lawyer's frame of mind.

Lawyers, ewww.

-- 
  John Kasunich
  [email protected]


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