Wiring a PG71 with encoder

[smcmahon]

We have a pair of AndyMark PG71 motors with Hall Effect encoders mounted on our Stronghold machine.

Through the encoder plates there is a way to wire in the red and black wires. We have done so, but they keep coming loose. I'm quite worried they will come loose during competition.

See photo. Perhaps our wires are just too big for the ports? Or perhaps we have loose screws? The wires are 10 gauge that came in the kit. We had 12 gauge in there originally, but those wires were much more stiff than the 10G and they were even more prone to coming loose, despite tightening the screws in the green plastic housings.

[ethan271]

Have you tried pushing the wire in all the way were you see no wire and then tighten it?

[MrForbes]

We had an interesting issue with one of our motors like that, the terminals were somehow in the wrong position. Loosing the clamp screws all the way, and pushing them in, seemed to fix it.

But yeah, make sure the wires are stripped to the correct lenght, and fully inserted, and the screws are tight. Also it might help to zip tie the wires to the motor, or at least to something that is attached to the motor, so that you are not relying on the terminals to take the load of the wires flexing when a mechanism moves.

[smcmahon]

That we did Ethan. This picture was taken after they started to pull back out. They look fine at first but after a while they start to snake their way out.

Mr. Forbes- we tried to stress relief them with some velcro wrap. The wires just don't seem to want to bend far enough to not damage anything else. Maybe we're just being too easy with them.

[billbo911]

Smaller gauge wire might help a bit.
It will allow you to bend then tighter and secure them with a zip-tie very close to the terminals.

[MrForbes]

Keep in mind that the motor wire size rules are related to the circuit breaker powering the circuit. If you use a 20 amp breaker, you can use 18 gauge wire. 30 amp breaker, you can use 14 gauge wire. If the motor is being loaded at a comfortable level, smaller wire and lower current breaker might be just fine.

[Alan Anderson]

Is that the kind of connector with a "clamp plate" that the screw pushes on in order to hold the wire? If you try to tighten the screw directly on the wire with a connector like that, it won't be secure. You need to loosen the clamp fully, put the wire in the right place, and close it down again.

[smcmahon]

This is that sort of connector Mr. Anderson. We'll double-check and make sure the wire is on the proper side of the clamping plate.