Rotary encoders are extremely useful, but they’re usually not anything to write home about from a visual standpoint. This Rotary encoder with circular LEDs changes all of that. The fully assembled board comes in both a vibrant red and a cool blue. The rotary encoder has 16 LEDs around the knob and includes 20 steps, a push-switch, and a rating for 5 volts.
Interestingly, the LEDs are controlled separately from the rotary encoder. They are driven by a TLC59116 constant-current LED sink driver via the I2C Bus. You can also change the I2C address with 4 on-pcb solder bridges as well.
You can choose to turn the LEDs on, off (why would you?), or faded. The individual lights can also be set to blink or fade using PWM. The original purpose of the board was to work as a volume knob for an amplifier, but you can connect it to a microcontroller for a variety of uses!
