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Could a mouse's optical sensor be used for a fairly accurate way to track how far a motor has turned? I've seen hall effect sensor used for this, but for slower things I wonder if a mouse could work.

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Not likely. Mice have accuracy of 400-1200 dots per inch (DPI). A motor's shaft is a small fraction of an inch, and mice can lose track on occasion.

you dont want to track motor shaft, you want to track the business end of your actuator/machine and use closed loop to control motor.

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