Encoder systems

Whether built in or added on – our encoder systems ensure your motors respond accurately to commands from your drive electronics with precision. Positioning, speed control and torque control, including in functionally safe technology, are just a few of the reasons why you should use our encoders.

Encoders: Easily implement drive control tasks

Encoder systems
Various encoder types for your system
Various encoder types for your system

The optimum interaction of the individual system components is particularly important in applications with control tasks. Motors in particular must respond to commands from the drive electronics with precision. We can supply you with the necessary encoder systems.

They ensure the system can identify a position or a change in position and feed this back to the drive electronics. With absolute encoders, you save valuable time during plant initialization.

Our large selection of encoders enables you to control your drive and therefore your plant according to your requirements:

  • Built-in encoders (perfectly integrated into the motor without adding to its length) or add-on encoders (with numerous electrical interfaces available)
  • Incremental encoders for feeding back a change in position with the standard electrical interfaces TTL (transistor-transistor-logic), HTL (high-voltage-transistor-logic) and SinCos (SineCosine)
  • Single and multi-turn absolute encoders for feeding back an absolute angular position with the standard electrical interfaces Hiperface® or SinCos combined with SSI (synchronous-serial interface) or RS485
  • Encoders with an additional or fully digital interface (e.g. SinCos incremental encoders or absolute encoders) are delivered with an electronic nameplate completed by SEW-EURODRIVE for simple, safe, convenient and rapid startup.

Ability classes

Ability classes

Ability classes are used to identify the functionality of the encoder system, irrespective of the drive system involved. These classes are the Basic Class, Medium Class, and High Class. This makes it possible to find the perfect solution to fit your drive task.

Find the correct encoder for your motor here.

Close table
Encoder system ability classes
  Basic Class Medium Class High Class
Basic abilities Speed monitoring
simple positioning
Basic Class abilities
Medium Class abilities
Speed control Medium dynamics,
medium speed and torque noise
Highest dynamics,
minimum speed and torque noise
Position control High resolution
good precision
Highest resolution, maximum precision
Control mode CFC, VFC CFC
We have stored a table for you here.

Consult our sales team.

  • Our experts know your industry and its requirements.
  • Our global network ensures we are there wherever and whenever you need us.
  • We have the expertise and tools to provide optimum advice and support.

Your benefits

  • Whatever applications you intend to use our drives for, whatever electronics the speed feedback from the drives is to be linked up to, xxx from our diverse range of encoders.
  • Do you need speed, torque or positioning control? We can implement your requirements with our incremental and absolute encoders.
  • Would you like to reduce the outlay associated with connections? Single-cable technologies such as MOVILINK® DDI are the solution you need.
  • The electronic nameplates integrated into the sine and absolute encoders enable simple startup.
  • Encoders with MOVILINK® DDI interfaces automatically take care of the data exchange in seconds and reduce the startup procedure to system-specific adjustments and optimizations.

Built-in encoder

For asynchronous motors

Open view of an asynchronous motor with the EI7 built-in encoder

The built-in encoders for DR.. series asynchronous motors are unique. They are available in Basic Class and Medium Class and are perfectly integrated into the motor. This means that encoder mounting does not add additional length to the motor.

Open view of an asynchronous motor with the EI8 built-in encoder

For example, if you use a MOVITRAC® standard inverter with the "Simple positioning" application module, you can successfully implement applications that would have previously required rapid/creep speed switching with initiator evaluation.

For synchronous motors

Built-in encoders are very beneficial when used in our synchronous motors from the CMP.. and CM3C.. series, too. When combined with our single-cable-capable MOVILINK® DDI interface and the MOVI-C® modular automation system, it is possible to both integrate the encoder perfectly into the motors and digitalize the drive. For example, it only takes seconds for the drive on the inverter to start up automatically. Alongside the encoder, the condition monitoring functions of the drive are also digitalized.

Add-on encoder

Red AC motor with an open fan guard, through which an add-on encoder can be seen

Add-on encoders are encoder systems that SEW-EURODRIVE purchases from renowned manufacturers. They meet our requirements in terms of performance, precision and standardization in full.

They are available for all series of asynchronous motors, synchronous motors and linear motors.

Add-on encoders are always used when various electrical interfaces in our modular system are to be available on an overarching basis and when special features such as explosion protection and functional safety must be ensured.

Just like our built-in encoders, add-on encoders can be flexibly combined with our frequency inverters and controllers. As a result, the SEW-EURODRIVE modular system provides a quick solution for your requirements.

Encoder systems

Built-in encoder

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  EI71 EI72 EI76 EI7C EI8R EI8C EI8Z
Motor DRN../DR2.
63 (EI7C only), 71 - 132S
DRN../DR2.
71 - 132S
Frequency inverter
  • MOVITRAC®, MOVITRAC® B, MOVIDRIVE® B, MOVIAXIS®, MOVIFIT®,
    MOVIPRO®, MOVIMOT®
  • MOVI-C®: MOVIDRIVE® and MOVITRAC® control cabinet devices and MOVIMOT® decentralized technology
  • Third-party inverter
  • MOVI-C®: MOVIDRIVE® and MOVITRAC® control cabinet devices and MOVIMOT® decentralized technology
Ability class Basic Class Medium Class
Encoder type Incremental
Analog resolution,
incremental
periods/revolution
increments/revolution


1
4


2
8


6
24


24
96


1024
4096


12 bit
Electrical interface HTL TTL HTL MOVILINK® DDI, external to motor
Connection technology M12
connection unit (terminal strip)







M23
connection unit




Single-cable technology:

M23/M40
direct hybrid plug (power and data)
Terminal box with hybrid plug or cable gland
Electronic nameplate and automatic startup - Yes
Functional safety - - - SIL, PLd - - -
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Add-on encoder

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  EK8C, EV8C EK8R, EV8R EK8S, EV8S AK8H, AV8H AK8Y, AV8Y AK8W, AV8W
Motor DRN../DR2. 71 - 315*
Frequency inverter
  • MOVIDRIVE® B, MOVIAXIS®, MOVIPRO®
  • MOVI-C®: MOVIDRIVE® and MOVITRAC® control cabinet devices and MOVIMOT® decentralized technology
  • Third-party inverter (EK8S, AK8W limited)
Ability class Medium Class High Class
Encoder type Incremental Multi-turn
Analog resolution,
incremental
periods/revolution
increments/revolution


1024
4096


2048
8192
Digital resolution,
absolute single-turn
- - - 15 bit 12 bit 16 bit
Digital resolution,
absolute multi-turn
- - - 12 bit 12 bit 16 bit
Electrical interface HTL TTL SinCos + RS485 HIPFERFACE®
(SinCos + RS485)
SinCos + SSI SEW-EURODRIVE
SinCos + RS485
Connection technology
  • Integrated encoder plug connector on the encoder cover (can be preassembled in the field) with and without mating connector
  • Integrated encoder plug connector with M23 mating connector
Electronic nameplate and automatic startup - - Yes Yes - Yes
Functional safety - - SIL2, PLd - SIL2, PLd SIL2, PLd
Explosion protection
2014/34/EU (ATEX) / IECEx
II3GD (3GD, 3G, 3D) / EPL –c (GDc, Gc, Dc) - II3GD (3GD, 3G, 3D) /
EPL –c (GDc, Gc, Dc)
  1. In the pipeline: 63 and 355
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The newly developed encoder with cone shaft for our asynchronous motors of the DRN../DR2. series replace the previous types:

Close table
Type Substitute for
EI8R/EK8R ES7R, EG7R, EH7R
EI8C/EK8C ES7C, EG7C, EH7C
EK8S ES7S, EG7S, EH7S
AK8W AS7W, AG7W
AK8Y AS7Y, AG7Y, AH7Y
AK8H AS3H, AS4H, AS7H
We have stored a table for you here.

Special solution

Have you been unable to find an encoder to meet your requirements? There are numerous options for your application when it comes to mounting, signals and precision. Feel free to contact us!

Type code

Close table
E I 7 C
Encoder type Mounting/shaft Generation Signal type
A Multi-turn absolute encoder
E Incremental encoder / single-turn encoder
N Proximity encoder
R Resolver
X Special solution
F Positive
G Plug-in shaft
H Hollow shaft
I Integrated
K Cone shaft
L Linear encoder
S Spread shaft
V Solid shaft
Z Shaft-centered
0 – 8 A Mounting adapter design
C U=DC 4.75 (9)-30 V, HTL or TTL
E EnDat
H Hiperface®
J Hiperface® DSL®
R U=DC 7 (9)-30 V, TTL
S U=DC 7 (9)-30 V, Sin/Cos 1 Vss
T U=DC 5V, TTL
W U=DC 7-30 V, RS485, Sin/Cos 1Vss
Y SSI (synchronous serial interface)
Z MOVILINK® DDI
We have stored a table for you here.