# An Open Source Linear Capacitive Encoder

https://hackaday.com/2026/10/22/an-open-source-linear-capacitive-encoder/

If you’ve ever pulled apart a set of digital calipers, you’ve probably marvelled at the capacitive encoder that does all the measuring work. There’s nothing stopping you from using the same techniques yourself, as [Nick] demonstrates with an open-source capacitive encoder of his own design. The sensor PCB works by by having a grid of eight transmitting antennas, etched into a PCB, beneath a larger receiving antenna. The transmitting antennas pulse out a pattern as the sensor PCB moves, with the signals bouncing back from the reflector PCB which is fixed in place. The varying capacitance

Image: https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-22-214534-e1792665961677.png?w=800

Image: https://hackaday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot-2026-10-22-214534-e1792665961677.png

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Canonical URL: https://qwibbit.com/q16555

Created: 2026-10-22T20:32:42.638399+00:00

Last edited: 2026-10-22T20:32:42.638399+00:00

Board: 3

Origin: Syndicated

Original source: https://hackaday.com/2026/10/22/an-open-source-linear-capacitive-encoder/