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Alternative to Wheel Encoder? - Page 2 — Parallax Forums

Alternative to Wheel Encoder?

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  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    edited 2014-07-08 21:06
    Help! Do you make your own wheel encoders or do you buy them? It took me several days to come with a way, in theory, to sync the wheels. Now I'm finding out how difficult it is to get an IR pair to count stripes! I'm willing to take them from mice scroll wheels but is there a better way?
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2014-07-08 22:01
  • lardomlardom Posts: 1,659
    edited 2014-07-09 07:29
    @erco, I got up from my computer in frustration almost ready to take another break by going back to my second hobby. I had a pair of striped encoder disks that I bought several years back that were still unopened. The IR detector was finicky before I found a good resistor value. Forget about a road test. Steppers are a piece of cake by comparison.
    I'll order some P5587 sensors and test again. They look like surface mount modules which I hope is a minor challenge.
    Thanks a million.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2014-07-10 10:28
    Okay, I got this.. an alternative to wheel encoders? How about feet? Easier than PID. I think I will go back to studying Chinese adverbs now. I have acutally wanted RADAR from very early on.
  • Duane DegnDuane Degn Posts: 10,588
    edited 2014-07-10 11:48
    lardom wrote: »
    I'll order some P5587 sensors and test again. They look like surface mount modules which I hope is a minor challenge.

    I posted photos of a couple of boards I had made for the P5587 in this thread. I could post the gerber files to the boards and you could have the boards made at OSH Park for a few dollars. Small boards like these are really inexpensive.

    Let me know which board(s), if any, for which you would like the gerber files.

    You can mount the sensors without a custom PCB.

    attachment.php?attachmentid=103703&d=1378241943

    But IMO they're easier to use with a PCB with the correctly spaced holes so the leads rest properly on the section where the leads get a bit thicker.

    attachment.php?attachmentid=105436&d=1386432532

    The shape of the leads holds the sensor away from the PCB a small amount.

    I'm sure there are lots of ways to mount these sensors without having a PCB made, but those little purple boards from OSH Park are a lot of fun to get in the mail.

    There's more information about these P5587 sensors in this thread.
  • JLockeJLocke Posts: 354
    edited 2014-07-10 21:58
    Duane Degn wrote: »
    I'm sure there are lots of ways to mount these sensors without having a PCB made, but those little purple boards from OSH Park are a lot of fun to get in the mail.

    I have to agree with you there. I have a question (as a fellow OSH Park customer). What do you do with all the dang stickers that they send you? I love getting stickers, I guess a holdover from when I was a kid, but I'm stumped as to what I'm supposed to do with all these!
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