REV Throughbore Encoder with SPARK Max

[Baby_Carrot]

Hi everyone,
Our team is currently looking to use the REV Throughbore Encoders plugged into the SPARK MAX. We have heard that it is possible to use the Alternate Encoder Adapter Board (Alternate Encoder Adapter - 2 Pack - REV Robotics) or the Data Port Breakout Board (SPARK MAX Data Port Breakout Board - REV Robotics). Which should we use?
-Aiden, 2102

[FritzG]

The alternate encoder adapters are probably good for most situations, but if you’re doing a long cable run and can’t crimp a JST extension (or don’t want to use the rev joiner boards) you might benefit from using the soldered board alongside one of these JST PH 6-pin to 4 Channel PWM Cable - 1m - REV Robotics

[Jon_Stratis]

That depends on how you want to use the Throughbore Encoder. Rev’s documentation has a handy picture to help guide you:

Using Encoders

So, do you want to use it as an absolute encoder, or incremental encoder? Your best bet is one of those specific adapters over the generic data port breakout board.

[FritzG]

Am I mistaken in thinking that this little switch on them allows you to switch an alternate encoder board to absolute mode?

The REV docs don’t mention this as an option, but It seems to be described on the product page as something that would fit the through bore encoder:

Index Signal/Absolute PWM Pulse selection switch: Selects which signal is connected to pin 4 of the Data Port

edit:
I was mistaken, See How to solder absolute rev throughbore encoder to rev spark max data port - #6 by nuttle (TLDR the switch is a vestigial feature, previously used to swap between connecting pins 2 (default) and 5 on the encoder to pin 4 on data port)

[Jon_Stratis]

Not sure, we’ve never used that board, just the Absolute board. That would be a good question for @Greg_Needel or one of the others at Rev.

[FritzG]

Well regardless of that and having thought it through a bit, I don’t think there’s any downside to running in absolute mode. The relative mode is capped to 1200 RPM, and blocks use of the limit switch pins, and neither of those are limitations of the absolute encoder board.

[Joe_Ross]

See this post: How to solder absolute rev throughbore encoder to rev spark max data port - #6 by nuttle

[Bobev]

An example of absolute encoder wiring on the regular breakout board to supplement that thread for anyone interested.

The green and yellow wires can be ignored here - they’re just for limit switches.