Leaderboard

Most likely the encoders come with a 6mm D-shaft. The flat is 4.5mm so this is the standard shaft, unless you go for a splined, a.k.a T18 serrated shaft. There are also 4mm and 6mm plain shafts, and 1/4" (6.35mm). Anywho, enough with the shaft sizes, it is a 6mm D-shaft if you got the recommended part. The nut that you normally want covered is either a M7 or M9 so you want a knob with a base diameter 12-13mm minimum. Of course, you should go for the aesthetically correct choice and join the Albs "Waldorf" knob bulk order that was just announced :) It is not easy to find "plain Jane" knobs without an indicator line for encoders.

I have just completed my LPCXPRESSO board sitting on top of the new MBHP_CORE_LPC17 base board. As I wanted it to be removable - the LPCXPRESSO will be used on more than one base PCB - I used male and female headers. Female headers are attached to the LPCXPRESSO, just because they are the more expensive ones, and I plan to circulate one LPCXPRESSO board between a number of different LPC17 base boards. It is a little tricky to align the sockets properly, as the female SIL sockets you can get from Reichelt are slightly too long. It means you cannot simply "chain" them, but some material has to be removed from the short side in order to keep the grid. Before soldering the sockets, they should be attached to each other - male into female, so they sit aligned and will be easy to separate again later. Also, I made sure that male and female headers sit perpendicular (horizontal vs. vertical alignment in the fotos) to each other, so that the hole assembly cannot fall apart. Also, this way you make sure that the spacing is correct in both dimensions. Here the two boards have been separated again: you can see how nicely the grid is kept, although it consists of many different (separate) headers. I will use the exact same LPCXPRESSO board again when I prepare the next LPC17 base board! Edit: changed board names to what TK uses here in order to avoid confusion /Edit TK: fixed link