Optical Encoder Pair Kit for Micro Metal Gearmotors, 3.3V Overview This set includes sensor boards and reflective wheels to add quadrature encoding to two micro metal gearmotors with extended back shafts. 3-tooth and 5-tooth encoder wheels are included to provide options of 12 counts per revolution and 20 counts per revolution of the motor shaft (to compute the encoder counts per revolution of the gearbox output, multiply by the gear ratio). Because the encoder board outputs are direct phototransistor outputs, some signal conditioning is often necessary between the sensor and a digital system processing the signals. Note: This sensor system is intended for relatively advanced users comfortable with the physical encoder installation and with using the resulting signals. It only works with micro metal gearmotors that have extended back shafts. Pinout and Installation The encoder board is designed to be soldered directly to the back of the motor, with the back shaft of the motor protruding through the hole in the middle of the circuit board. The better aligned the board, the better the output signal quality will be. One way to achieve good alignment is to tack down the board to one motor pin and to solder the other pin only when the board is well aligned. Be careful to avoid prolonged heating of the motor pins, which could deform the plastic end cap of the motor or the motor brushes. Once the board is soldered down to the two terminals, the motor leads are connected to the M1 and M2 pads along the edge of the board, along with the power for the sensors and the two quadrature outputs:The edge connections are on a 2 mm pitch. The board can be soldered perpendicularly to another PCB, to a 2 mm connector, or to individual wires as show here: