Solutions for getting encoder wheels

[Lilwolf]

I have a ton of things to hack and haven't had the time.  But I'm hoping to get a few things up soon.

Anyway, I need about 8 encoder wheels to finish all the projects (assuming I don't spend to much time on ebay... then it will be more).

I was wondering how others where making / or where they were buying their wheels?

CD Hack.  (drill holes around a CD and then paint it black).
I've heard people do this, is it doable without a drill press (just a hand held?) or if the wholes are to far apart, does it work still?

Can you buy them at any hardware stores?

Oscar, will you sell them yourself?  

[ErikRuud]

I have made two so far.

[ErikRuud]

Here are two links showing pin index jigs.  Both of the examples are for drilling evenly spaced holes in a straight line, but the principal is the same.

http://www.7volts.com/case_baybus.htm

http://www.diynet.com/DIY/article/0,2058,2374,FF.html

I hope these make my rambling a little easier to understand.

[JustMichael]

Have you tried Bob Roberts?  He has them listed on his site:

Atari TB encoder wheels (2) with screws       $6.00

[JMDickson]

If you need patterns, you can download my Encoder Printer.  It gives you templates for just about any size or # of teeth you can come up with.  I have had good luck printing encoders on  transparency film, but I have heard some printers can't print dark enough.  

[OSCAR]

I have a ton of things to hack and haven't had the time.

[1UP]

The encoder wheel doesn't necessarily need to have actual holes in it.  I've seen encoders printed on transparencies and wrapped around a clear plastic drum, like the clear cap off a hair mousse can or a throat spray bottle.

Seems if you needed a really big encoder wheel, you could use a CD labeler program to print one on sticky transparency film, and stick it on one of the clear protective discs that come on top of a CD-R stack.  You could probably get away with just printing radiating stripes in a band around the outside, to save ink.

[SirPoonga]

I have a ton of things to hack and haven't had the time.

[Lilwolf]

Thanks everyone.  I think I'm going to get some from Oscar (since they are cheaper then the transparencies).

THANKS OSCAR!