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Panasonic A4/A5/A6 Serial Incremental/Absolute Encoders

This section provides wiring instructions for a Panasonic or Bosch motor equipped with a Panasonic high resolution serial encoder. These encoders transmit their position data as a serial bit stream via RS-485 lines rather than A-B incremental pulses. The supported absolute encoder models include the A4 17/33-bit, 17/32-bit bus line and the A6 23/39-bit encoders. These models require a battery backup in order to supply continuous power to the encoder to maintain their 16 or 15 bit "turns count" registers. These encoders can also be used as serial incremental encoders that require no external battery backup. Additionally, the A4 10000 count and the A5 20-bit serial incremental encoders are supported, which require no battery backup.

Due to the additional capabilities needed to process the absolute encoder signal, these encoders may require the "Enhanced Encoders" license.  Contact Brooks for the current hardware requirements for interfacing to these types of encoders.

For information on configuring this type of encoder, see the Software Setup section of the Controller Software section of the PreciseFlex Library.

In addition to Table 12-33, review the Installation Information for important recommendations on the use of twisted pair wires and shield grounding.

When six absolute encoders are utilized with a 6-Axis PreciseFlex G6600 controller, the 1^st and 2^nd Encoder Connectors support additional signals to interface to absolute encoders for motors 5 and 6, respectively. In this situation, additional 5VDC encoder power and encoder battery power pins can be obtained by using the "Extra Encoder / Battery Power Headers."

If the encoder requires battery backup, a battery must be connected to the Absolute Encoder Battery Connector on the HVCPU board. See the information on that connector for detailed pin outs and plug types. Table 12-36 contains information on the required battery power.