New products: Magnetic Encoder Pair Kit with JST SH-type Connectors for Micro Metal Gearmotors

Posted by Patrick on 23 October 2019
Tags: new products

Everyone wants encoders on their motors, but not everyone wants to solder a bunch of wires to a tiny encoder board. That is why I am excited to announce that we are now offering two new versions of magnetic encoders for Micro Metal Gearmotors that feature JST SH-type connectors:

These encoders are easier to get up and running than our previous design that requires soldering to through-holes with a 2 mm pitch. With these new encoders, you just have to solder the board to the two motor tabs (sorry, that part is not going away yet), put the magnetic disc on the backshaft, and plug in your cable (available separately in a variety of lengths)!

We think that the “micro” aspect of our Micro Metal Gearmotors is one of their coolest features since their small size make them useful in a wide array of projects. We designed these encoders with this in mind, making them within the profile of the gearmotor on three sides (the side with the connector extends a few millimeters past the motor). Since everyone’s constraints are different, we decided to make two encoder versions, one with a top-entry connector that lets the cable come straight out of the back, and one with a side-entry connector for applications where there isn’t much space past the rear of the motor. We are also continuing to offer encoder boards with through-holes, which allow wires to be soldered to the board for especially compact installations.

Remember that you will also need 6-pin female JST SH-style cables to use our new encoders. We are offering those cables in three lengths: 12 cm, 30 cm, and 75 cm.

The ends of our cables are unterminated so you can decide how you want to connect them in your project (solder, crimp connectors, terminal blocks, etc.).

Introductory special

In case you are not as excited as I am yet, our intro special might help. Right now, you can get up to five of our new encoder pair kits for just $4.95 each using the coupon code MMGMENCINTRO! (Click to add the coupon code to your cart.) But you better hurry, this offer is limited to the first hundred customers to use the coupon code.

4 comments

Dear Patrick.
Planning to use this encoder and a question arrived:

Why just a 3.3nF capacitor in parallel with the motor power supply and not an RC series combination to damp brushes noise? When driven with PWM it will generate mostly undesirable dI/dt spikes...
Thanks.
Regis.
Hello, Regis.

Is your dI/dt concern based on some problems you have seen, or is it just a general theoretical question? I do not recall ever seeing a resistor in line with the cap, so I suspect the common consensus/wisdom is that added resistors would not be solving a real problem while possibly reducing the effectiveness of the caps for their spark noise suppression purpose.

- Jan
I'd like to use these with a Raspberry Pi but I'm a bit new to working with motors. Is there any information about how to connect the non-JST side of the cables to the motor controller?

My plan is to use a HAT of some description as a motor controller but I don't know where the VCC, OUT A, OUT B, and Ground connections are supposed to connect. Sorry for asking such a Noob question :P
Hello, Stephano.

There is basic information about the encoders pinout and installation available in the product page description, but we do not have any instructions for use with specific motor controllers. Also, keep in mind that most motor drivers and controllers do not have built-in support for reading encoders, so you might need to use something else to read those signals.

The comments of this blog post are not great for this type of discussion, but if you need additional help you are welcome to send an email to support@pololu.com or make a post on our forum with a description of what you want to do and links to what components you are considering. We might be able to help you assess whether they are compatible and offer some guidance for how to connect them.

- Patrick

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Related Products

Magnetic Encoder Pair Kit with Top-Entry Connector for Micro Metal Gearmotors, 12 CPR, 2.7-18V
Magnetic Encoder Pair Kit with Side-Entry Connector for Micro Metal Gearmotors, 12 CPR, 2.7-18V
6-Pin Single-Ended Female JST SH-Style Cable 12cm
6-Pin Single-Ended Female JST SH-Style Cable 30cm
6-Pin Single-Ended Female JST SH-Style Cable 75cm
Magnetic Encoder Pair Kit for Micro Metal Gearmotors, 12 CPR, 2.7-18V

Related Categories

Encoders for Micro Metal Gearmotors
Micro Metal Gearmotors with Extended Motor Shafts
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