What is it?

Mocoder is a complete 12-bit magnetic encoder (4096 steps). Use it to sense the position of any object that needs to rotate continuously, like an RC servo, wheel, gear-train, or some robot joints. It is a drop-in replacement for many potentiometers.

Mocoder is composed of a breakout board for the AS5600 IC. This tiny PCB is mounted inside of a nylon housing, and coupled to a magnetic spindle that spins freely above the center of the AS5600 encoder chip thanks to the embedded ball-bearing. The housing has a couple of screw mounts, and registration pins to securely affix it to your project.

To use the encoder, simply add power (5V/3V selectable), and hook up the output to your ADC. It is also possible to read out values as Pulse Widths (eg. using Arduino pulseIn command), or use i2c to read values direct from memory. All of the AS5600 pins are broken out for user access. Wires can be soldered directly to the board, or solder the included SMD header to Mocoder for a quick connect option.

What's included:

• AS5600 Breakout Board
• Nylon SLS 3D printed housing, with spindle
• 7mm Ball-Bearing
• N35 Neodymium magnet, diametrically magnetized
• One 4mm 2-56 screw for mounting

Why did you make it?

Mocoder was first created as way to make RC servos have both position sensing and continuous rotation. It is used as part of the Moti Smart Servo project. However, during Moti's development it became clear that Mocoder could stand-alone, and so I'm selling some here on Tindie. This way if you have a different application in mind, or simply want to create your own Smart Servo you can do so. In fact, there is detailed documentation on how to modify a servo with Mocoder in the sidebar.

What makes it special?

Mocoder is not just a breakout board but a complete encoder with a ball bearing-reinforced magnetic spindle. This saves the user some development time and a few extra bucks in parts. Furthermore, most encoders are either cheap, low-resolution, mechanical types, or they are expensive ($40+). Mocoder is priced in the mid-range, while offering higher resolution than some more expensive versions.