Upgrage your optical encoders

VEX V5 General Discussion New Product Ideas
1

Your encoders would be far more useful if they gave direction as well as count.

My experience with your encoders was negative and I’m sorry I purchased them . They seem oversized and sloppy.

I recommend changing the design to add quadrature slot detector and adding an easyC function to support it. A/B non absolute outputs are easy to use if you program in MPLAB where you have access to interrupt programming. However, I didn’t see a way using easyC.

You can , however, use easyC with absolute analog output encoders like those I used on my Vex balance bot.

https://vexforum.com/t/working-vex-pendulum-balance-robot/13545/1

These encoders are made by US Digital and although twice the price, they provide superior performance with a ballbearing shaft that fits Vex gears and they give direction of course. See absolute magnetic analog output encoders from US Digital MA3-A-B8. http://www.usdigital.com/products/ma3 ($35 each)

2

I agree completely.
Shaft encoder needs quadrature and would be nice if smaller.

disappointed.

3

They do make a quadrature shaft encoder.

4

Yes, how come vex encoders are so big?

That encoder is really tiny, i just wish vex could make the encoder the size of the light sensor.

5

There is usually a correlation between size and price. I’m guessing to keep prices low VEXLabs decided to make the encoders just a little bit bigger.

6

Yea i bet its because of cost but still i wish they were smaller.

7