pic: ABS-114, supercompact planetary PTO shifter

[Aren Siekmeier]

Originally Posted by asid61

Currently you basically just depend on the encoder.

I'd predict this to be fraught with problems, since the CIM shaft position is not necessarily linked to the position of the carrier plate or of the ring gear. You'd have to track both of these somehow in code based on how many counts you've accumulated in each of the PTO cylinder and shift cylinder states. And then you don't know what counts you're missing when either cylinder is actuating. But maybe that's not an issue if you never actuate the PTO cylinder until the end, and you can keep track of things well enough.

Seems it'd be more reliable if you can put an encoder on the carrier plate/ring gear themselves (a wheel side encoder might be all you need, if zeroed properly), or just have them automatically engage from any position.