Encoder Basics

An encoder is the component of a CPS which measures the movement of a telescope mount's axis. To be useful, an encoder must be monitored by a decoder. An incremental shaft encoder is most commonly used. This type of encoder uses a transparent disc, around the perimeter of which is a pattern of radiating opaque lines with transparent gaps (of the same width) between them. Each of these opaque/transparent line pairs defines an encoder cycle, therefore the total number of line pairs is equal to the encoder's cycles-per-revolution rating. By placing this disc between an optical emitter-detector pair, an electrical signal is generated whenever a transparent line is between them (assuming the encoder is powered). The signal is broken when an opaque line is between the emitter-detector pair, and it is the monitoring of this on-off pattern which allows the movement to be measured. And because each cycle of the encoder disc is divided into an on and an off signal, we can discern a movement as small as one-half-cycle. Quadrature The problem with a single emmitter-detector pair's electrical on-off pattern is that the direction of movement is not measureablea clockwise movement appears no different from a counter-clockwise one. To solve this, a second emitter-detector pair is introduced the first designated Channel A, the second Channel B. Channel B is positioned such that it is one-quarter of a cycle (or 90 degrees) out-of-phase with the Channel A. In other words, when Channel A is at the beginning of a cycle (the leading edge of an opaque line is directly in its beam), Channel B is three-quarters into a cycle (the middle of a transparent line is directly in its beam). If you were to record the signal changes from both channels during one cycle, it would look like this: cycle: Channel A Channel B 0/4 OFF1 ON2 1/4 OFF2 OFF1 2/4 ON1 OFF2 3/4 ON2 ON1

Notice that Channel A's reading at 1/4 cycle is the same as Channel B's at 2/4 cycle (we've added the '1' and '2' designations to make the pattern clearer). Thus, the two channels are one-quarter cycle (90) out-of-phase. If you were to record the signal changes while rotating the encoder the opposite direction, it would look like this: cycle: Channel A Channel B 0/4 OFF1 ON2 1/4 ON2 ON1 2/4 ON1 OFF2 3/4 OFF2 OFF1

Notice that the pattern of readings runs opposite (left-to-right) that of the first example. Because of this, from one reading to the next, we can determine which direction the encoder has moved! There's another important benefit of this dual-channel operation. While each channel only resolves an encoder cycle into two parts (OFF and ON), by combining both channels, we can actually resolve a cycle into four parts (OFF/ON, OFF/OFF, ON/OFF and ON/ON) doubling the resolution! Tics-per-Revolution The process of resolving each encoder cycle into four parts (as described above) is called quadrature, and one quarter-cycle is called a tic. The number of tics-per-revolution is equal to four times the number of cycles-per-revolution. Encoder manufacturers commonly express their encoder resolutions in cycles-per-revolution, but the astronomical community most commonly uses tics-per-revolution. Additionally, an encoder can be externally geared to increase (or decrease) a system's effective resolution. To find the effective resolution, multiply the encoder's resolution by the number of encoder revolutions per revolution of the mount's axis. Example 1: A 2160 tic-per-revolution encoder has a 58-tooth gear on it; the mount's axis has a 116tooth gear. Solution: The encoder will turn twice per mount axis rotation (116 / 58 = 2), therefore the effective resolution will be 2 x 2160, or 4320 tics-per-revolution. Example 2: A 4000 tic-per-revolution encoder has a 32-tooth timing pulley on it; the mount's axis has a 75-tooth timing pulley, with a 200-tooth timing belt between them. Solution: The encoder will turn 2.34375 times per mount axis rotation (75 / 32 = 2.34375), therefore the effective resolution will be 2.34375 x 4000, or 9375 tics-perrevolution. Note that the belt length is not a factor in this calculationit only determines the pulley-to-pulley distance.