POSITAL IXARC Rotary Encoders with Extended Support for SSI Interfaces
March 24, 2026
POSITAL has extended support for SSI communications interfaces across its large family of IXARC absolute rotary encoders. This includes POSITAL’s innovative kit (modular) encoders and its versatile industrial encoders. Both versions are now available in POSTIAL’s new miniature form factor; with a diameter of only 20 mm, these are the smallest multi-turn absolute encoders on the market! For POSITAL’s larger encoders, SSI interfaces are available for a wide range of mechanical configurations, including 36 mm diameter compact designs, rugged 58 mm variants and 78 mm diameter “Explosion proof” (ATEX certified) models. In the larger sizes, both magnetic and optical measurement technologies are available.
SSI (for Synchronous Serial Interface) is a widely used communications interface for many types of sensors. It is simple to implement and ideal for smaller systems where the extra capabilities of industrial Ethernet or fieldbus solutions are not needed. SSI is a serial communications system that connects sensors directly to digital PLC’s or microcontrollers through point-to-point wiring based on RS-422 communications standards. This offers high transmission rates and can support connections over distances of up to 1200 meters. SSI is supported by most major PLC manufacturers.
Most POSITAL IXARC magnetic encoders feature advanced TMR (tunneling magnetic resistance) sensors for angular position measurement. TMR sensors are more stable, less temperature sensitive, and more responsive to small changes in the magnetic field than the Hall effect sensors used earlier. Moreover, they are significantly more energy-efficient than their predecessors. For multiturn versions, the rotation counting system receives power from an energy-harvesting Wiegand sensor, ensuring that every shaft rotation is accurately recorded in non-volatile memory – even if rotations occur when system power is not available. No backup batteries required!
POSITAL also offers IXARC encoders with a unique ‘hybrid’ communications interface that supports both absolute (SSI) and incremental measurements. While absolute measurements are ideal for many machinery positioning tasks, the excellent dynamic response of incremental encoders makes them a good choice for monitoring rotational speed and direction. Combining both measurement capabilities in a single device provides control system designers with extra flexibility, especially when a future upgrade from incremental rotation monitoring to absolute position measurement is planned.
POSITAL encoders with SSI interface are programmable: many operating parameters can be configured through simple software updates using POSITAL’s convenient UBIFAST programming tool.
About FRABA and POSITAL
POSITAL is a supplier of advanced industrial position sensors used in a wide variety of motion control and safety systems. The company is also an innovator in product design and manufacturing processes and a pioneer of Industry 4.0 (Industrial Internet of Things/IIoT), offering customers the benefits of built-to-order products combined with the price advantages of mass-production.
POSITAL is a member of the international FRABA group, whose history dates to 1918, when its predecessor, Franz Baumgartner elektrische Apparate GmbH, was established in Cologne, Germany to manufacture relays. Since then, the company has played a trendsetting role in the development of rotary encoders, inclinometers and other sensor products. The company has a global reach with subsidiaries in Europe, North America and Asia along with a worldwide network of sales and distribution partners.
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POSITAL Introduces 20 mm IXARC Multiturn Magnetic Encoders – The Right Encoders for Tight Spots
POSITAL has expanded its IXARC series of rotary encoders with a new line of 20 mm diameter multiturn magnetic encoders developed for motion control applications where installation space is at a premium. With a total housing length of just 31 mm, these compact units are POSITAL’s smallest multiturn encoders. They provide the full performance profile of the company’s other encoder products with significantly smaller footprint. Moreover, these tiny encoders are virtually maintenance-free, thanks to their battery-free Wiegand-based rotation counting technology.
