Well gang,
it's not elegant, but solved the problem. You can't go too fast, as the software can't read the encoder at top drill speed.
Seriously, anyone come up with a fix to this? My encoder takes two clicks to make a digit change. Perhaps my Chinese encoders

aren't aren't sending the necessary pulses to the ardunio.
No matter how fast I turn the encoder, it will only change the LSD. 7.258.9
the encoder will only change digit after the 8.
Still playing, still having fun
I'm mike wb8vge