Stufenzahlwalze

Stufenzahlwalze is a term found in German-language engineering literature describing a roller used to encode or count discrete steps in a mechanical control system. The name derives from Stufe (step), Zahl (number), and Walze (roller).

Construction typically consists of a cylindrical roller with a pattern of grooves, notches, or raised steps arranged in a regular or coded sequence. As the roller rotates, a fixed sensor, contact brush, or follower produces electrical or mechanical signals corresponding to each step, allowing a counter to advance or a control sequence to switch state. Some versions include detents or a clutch to ensure precise step advancement.

Applications include early automation demonstrations, textile machinery, tabulating devices, and teaching apparatus where discrete step positions must be represented mechanically. Because it is a purely mechanical or electromechanical device, the Stufenzahlwalze predates electronic encoders and digital counters.

With the advent of electronic rotary encoders and microcontroller-based counters, the use of the Stufenzahlwalze declined, though it remains of historical interest and may appear in preservation of vintage equipment or in certain retrofit scenarios where mechanical counting is preferred.

See also: rotary encoder, mechanical counter, cam follower.