Adafruit
N20 DC Motor with Magnetic Encoder - 6V with 1:298 Gear Ratio
This N20 micro DC gearmotor includes a built-in magnetic encoder with two Hall effect sensors, providing both speed and direction feedback without additional...
This N20 micro DC gearmotor includes a built-in magnetic encoder with two Hall effect sensors, providing both speed and direction feedback without additional wiring. The compact N20 form factor makes it ideal for small robotics projects where precise motor control is needed.
The magnetic encoder wheel and dual Hall effect sensors are pre-assembled, outputting quadrature signals on two wires for easy interfacing with a microcontroller. Simply count interrupts on the encoder pins — with 14 counts per revolution multiplied by the gear ratio — to calculate RPM and direction.
Key Features
- Built-in Magnetic Encoder – Pre-attached magnetic wheel with two Hall effect sensors for speed and direction sensing
- 1:298 Gear Ratio – High torque output at reduced speed
- 14 Counts Per Revolution – Quadrature output for precise position and speed measurement
- N20 Form Factor – Compact standard size for small robotics builds
- H-Bridge Compatible – PWM-capable for speed and direction control
Wiring
- White + Red: Motor power (connect to motor driver / H-bridge)
- Black: Encoder ground (connect to microcontroller GND)
- Blue: Encoder power (3–5 V DC)
- Yellow + Green: Hall effect encoder outputs (connect to microcontroller interrupt pins)
Specifications
- Motor Voltage: 4.5–6 V DC (6 V nominal)
- Gear Ratio: 1:298
- No-Load Current: ~100 mA
- Stall Current: ~200 mA
- Encoder Resolution: 14 counts per revolution
- Encoder Voltage: 3–5 V DC
Ideal For
- Small robotics projects requiring precise motor control
- Closed-loop speed and position control systems
- Educational robotics and encoder learning
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- encoder
- A device attached to a motor or shaft that reports movement, such as rotation steps or position. In a pump system, an encoder can help measure or control how much the motor has turned, which affects how repeatable the watering amount can be.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.
- motor driver
- An electronic circuit that lets a low-power controller switch and control a motor that needs more current than the controller pins can safely provide. Checking motor driver support matters because pumps and motors usually cannot be connected directly to a microcontroller output.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
- Torque
- A twisting force that causes something to rotate, usually measured in newton-metres or kilogram-centimetres. It matters when choosing motors, servos, gears, and tools because higher torque is needed to lift heavier loads, turn larger wheels, or move mechanisms without stalling.
Find this product in
Robotics & Motion
Related Tutorials
Free guides on learn.littlebird.com.au
