Motors with encoders

[Deathly Hallows]

Hello all,

I have been waiting a long time for some motors on backorder from Robotshop and was wondering if I could use an alternative. I have seen some with encoders from another source that are otherwise identical. Now I had no idea what an encoder was, but after a quick Google I see that it's a 'speed feedback loop' - does this mean I can use it without the encoder, if I don't need the speed data? Or alternatively is it easy to connect it to a RX on a telemetry channel?

Oh and Happy New Year!

[Ocracoke]

I assume you can use the motor without connecting the encoder, the motor is still fundamentally *a* motor so will spin if the appropriate wires are connected up to a power source, just you wouldn't get any data from the encoder.

[Triceratop]

The encoder is an add on, as Michael suggested it is for feed back to a control system. The encoder is useful if you wish to keep both motors running at the same speed etc or control the speeds of the motor individually. But you will need some fancy control system. If not required, why not ask if they can be removed, this may reduce the cost for you.

[ACE Robotics]

Hi, Is the Encoder Analogue or Digital ?, either way you would need to convert the signal to a DC voltage. If it was Digital you can use a PWM to Analogue converter to connect the output to a Telemetry Analogue Channel.