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Detent dial select, flicked

Variant: Flick (ease-out)

The same knurled selector knob, but each 90° turn starts at full speed and coasts into the click position, like a thumb flicking the knob. Use it when the change should feel instant and the hand is ahead of the eye, such as quick presets or keyboard-driven switching. The strong ease-out puts nearly all the rotation in the first third of the turn, so the new position is readable almost right away.

dialstate-changerotationphysicalsnappy

The source

A complete HTML document. Paste it into an empty .html file and it plays — no stylesheet, script, font, or image to fetch.

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8" />
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
<title>Detent dial select — flick</title>
<style>
:root {
  /* Neutrals — fixed, never remixed. */
  --ivory: #faf9f5;
  --paper: #ffffff;
  --oat: #e3dacc;
  --slate: #141413;

  /* Knobs — the remix API. A knob exists iff declared here and used below. */
  --hue: 38.8;
  --lift: 0;
  --chroma: 1;
  --round: 1; /* include ONLY if at least one border-radius is wrapped below */
  --speed: 1;

  /* Accents — derived from the knobs with the family's offsets baked in,
     so one hue roll moves them together. Defaults reproduce the original hex
     (#d97757 / #b85c3e / #788c5d / #b04a3f). */
  --clay: oklch(calc(0.6724 + var(--lift)) calc(0.1308 * var(--chroma)) var(--hue));
  --clay-d: oklch(calc(0.5797 + var(--lift)) calc(0.127 * var(--chroma)) var(--hue));
  --olive: oklch(calc(0.6118 + var(--lift)) calc(0.0713 * var(--chroma)) calc(var(--hue) + 88.3));
  --rust: oklch(calc(0.5408 + var(--lift)) calc(0.1357 * var(--chroma)) calc(var(--hue) - 10.3));

  /* Clock — every duration in the document runs off --t. */
  --cycle: 3.6s; /* the authored master loop */
  --t: calc(var(--cycle) / var(--speed));

  --ease-out: cubic-bezier(0.23, 1, 0.32, 1); /* include only if used */

  --_s: min(210px, 72vmin);
  --_loop: var(--t);
  --_shade: color-mix(in oklab, var(--slate) 22%, transparent);
  --_shade-soft: color-mix(in oklab, var(--slate) 9%, transparent);
  --_knurl: color-mix(in oklab, var(--slate) 76%, var(--oat));
  --_glow: color-mix(in oklab, var(--clay) 55%, transparent);
}

* { box-sizing: border-box; }
html, body { margin: 0; }

body {
  min-height: 100vh;
  display: grid;
  place-items: center;
  background: var(--ivory);
  color: var(--slate);
  font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, sans-serif;
}

.plate {
  position: relative;
  width: var(--_s);
  aspect-ratio: 1;
  background: var(--paper);
  border: 1px solid var(--oat);
  border-radius: calc(28px * var(--round));
  box-shadow: 0 1px 0 var(--paper) inset, 0 12px 28px var(--_shade-soft), 0 2px 4px var(--_shade-soft);
}

.well {
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  margin: auto;
  width: 50%;
  height: 50%;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: var(--ivory);
  box-shadow: inset 0 2px 5px var(--_shade-soft), inset 0 0 0 1px var(--oat);
}

/* The drop shadow sits on a static layer so it doesn't turn with the knob. */
.well::before,
.knob {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  margin: auto;
  width: 84%;
  height: 84%;
  border-radius: 50%;
}

.well::before {
  box-shadow: 0 6px 10px var(--_shade), 0 1px 2px var(--_shade);
}

.knob {
  background: repeating-conic-gradient(var(--_knurl) 0deg 5deg, var(--slate) 5deg 10deg);
  animation: turn var(--_loop) var(--ease-out) infinite;
}

.knob::before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 13%;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: radial-gradient(circle, var(--paper) 0 45%, var(--oat) 100%);
  box-shadow: 0 0 0 1px var(--slate);
}

.pointer {
  position: absolute;
  left: 50%;
  top: 19%;
  width: 6%;
  height: 22%;
  margin-left: -3%;
  border-radius: 999px;
  background: var(--clay);
}

.stop {
  position: absolute;
  left: 50%;
  top: 50%;
  transform: rotate(var(--_a)) translateY(calc(var(--_s) * -0.38)) rotate(calc(var(--_a) * -1));
}

.mark {
  position: absolute;
  left: 0;
  top: 0;
  transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
  display: flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  gap: 4px;
}

.led {
  position: relative;
  width: 7px;
  height: 7px;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: var(--oat);
  box-shadow: inset 0 1px 1px var(--_shade-soft);
}

.led::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  border-radius: 50%;
  background: var(--clay);
  box-shadow: 0 0 6px var(--_glow);
  opacity: 0;
  animation: led var(--_loop) ease infinite;
  animation-delay: calc(var(--_loop) * (var(--_i) * 0.25 - 1));
}

.label {
  font-size: clamp(11px, calc(var(--_s) * 0.062), 13px);
  font-weight: 600;
  letter-spacing: 0.06em;
  text-transform: uppercase;
  line-height: 1;
  opacity: 0.45;
  animation: label var(--_loop) ease infinite;
  animation-delay: calc(var(--_loop) * (var(--_i) * 0.25 - 1));
}

/* Each quarter: hold 17%, turn 8% (~288ms at speed 1) into the next detent. */
@keyframes turn {
  0%, 17% { transform: rotate(0deg); }
  25%, 42% { transform: rotate(90deg); }
  50%, 67% { transform: rotate(180deg); }
  75%, 92% { transform: rotate(270deg); }
  100% { transform: rotate(360deg); }
}

/* The LED lights just after the knob lands and dims as it leaves. */
@keyframes led {
  0% { opacity: 0; }
  4%, 17% { opacity: 1; }
  21%, 100% { opacity: 0; }
}

@keyframes label {
  0% { opacity: 0.45; }
  4%, 17% { opacity: 1; }
  21%, 100% { opacity: 0.45; }
}

@keyframes led-calm {
  0% { opacity: 0.2; }
  8%, 17% { opacity: 0.9; }
  25%, 100% { opacity: 0.2; }
}

@keyframes label-calm {
  0% { opacity: 0.5; }
  8%, 17% { opacity: 1; }
  25%, 100% { opacity: 0.5; }
}

@media (max-width: 380px) {
  :root { --_s: min(200px, 74vmin); }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  :root { --_loop: calc(var(--t) * 2); }
  .knob { animation: none; }
  .pointer { opacity: 0; }
  .led::after { animation-name: led-calm; }
  .label { animation-name: label-calm; }
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
  <div class="plate" role="img" aria-label="Speed dial stepping through Off, Low, Mid and High">
    <div class="well">
      <div class="knob"><span class="pointer"></span></div>
    </div>
    <div class="stop" style="--_i: 0; --_a: 0deg"><div class="mark"><span class="led"></span><span class="label">Off</span></div></div>
    <div class="stop" style="--_i: 1; --_a: 90deg"><div class="mark"><span class="led"></span><span class="label">Low</span></div></div>
    <div class="stop" style="--_i: 2; --_a: 180deg"><div class="mark"><span class="led"></span><span class="label">Mid</span></div></div>
    <div class="stop" style="--_i: 3; --_a: 270deg"><div class="mark"><span class="led"></span><span class="label">High</span></div></div>
  </div>
</body>
</html>

The variant family

Same idea, one axis moved. Compare them side by side before you commit.