Sensors Technology − short and to the point
1 End cap 2 Electrical connections, motor and encoder 3 Printed circuit board
4 MR sensor 5 Pole wheel
6 Encoder housing 7 Graduated disk 8 Encoder fork coupler 9 Flange 10 Solid measure 11 Sensor with housing
Magnetic encoders In magnetic encoders, a small permanent magnet is mounted on the rotating motor shaft. Sensors in the stator capture the changes in the magnetic flux. The signals are evaluated in the encoder and trans- mitted to the controller as pulses or as an absolute signal. Magnetic encoders are typically very small and resilient to dirt. EMT (absolute) – Multi-turn absolute encoder – Resolution: 16-bit multi-turn, up to 17-bit single-turn – BiSS‑C or SSI interface – No battery required thanks to Wiegand wire technology
IMR encoder (incremental) – Magneto-resistive sensor with/without interpolator – Various counts per turn available (up to 1024 counts) – With/without index channel and/or line driver – Magneto-resistive sensor – Up to 1024 counts – With/without index channel and/or line driver
EASY, TSX, and MAG encoder – Integrated circuit based on Hall sensors and interpolator – EASY incremental: Factory- programmable resolution from
1 to 1024 counts per turn, with index channel and line driver – TSX incremental encoder for peripheral installation: programmed for a specific rotor and stator; 2 channels plus commutation signals – EASY absolute: Single-turn with 4096 states (12-bit) and Biss-C or SSI interface – MAG incremental: Various resolutions available (up to 256 counts per turn); recommended for battery operation
GAMA encoder (incremental) – Digital Hall sensors without interpolation – Line driver not possible – 16 counts per turn
– Please note: For operation with maxon controllers, at least 16 counts per turn are required.
Optical encoders In optical encoders, an LED emits light through a finely structured pulse disk (HEDL) or directed at a structured reflector (RIO) attached to the motor shaft. The receiver converts the light/dark signals into electrical currents, which are amplified and turned into electrical pulses by the respec- tive electronics. Optical encoders typically have a high resolution and high accuracy.
Inductive encoder In the inductive MILE encoder, a high‑ frequency alternating field is transmitted transformer‑style and angle‑dependently modulated using a structured copper disc. Properties – Highly robust against magnetic and electrical fields as well as contamination – Suitable for high speeds – High accuracy – Line driver available (partly RS422-compatible)
RIO encoder – Reflective interpolated optical encoder – Very high resolution (typically 4096 to 16,384 counts per turn), programmable at the factory – With index channel and RS422 line driver – Very small size HEDL encoder attachment – Transmissive optical encoders – With RS422 line driver – Relatively large size
maxon 85
© 2026 maxon. All rights reserved.
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software