Central Controls & Engineering Services

An incremental encoder is a linear or rotary electromechanical device that has two output signals, A and B, which issue pulses when the device is moved. ... The resulting, very low latency of an incremental encoder allows it to be used to monitor the position of a high speed mechanism in near real-time

Absolute encoders are feedback devices that provide speed, position information by outputting a digital word or bit in relation to motion. Unlike incremental encoders that output a continuous stream of ubiquitous pulses, absolute encoders output unique words or bits for each position