Adafruit
N20 DC Motor with Magnetic Encoder - 6V with 1:50 Gear Ratio
This N20 micro geared DC motor includes a built-in magnetic encoder wheel and two Hall effect sensors, providing speed and direction feedback without additio...
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This N20 micro geared DC motor includes a built-in magnetic encoder wheel and two Hall effect sensors, providing speed and direction feedback without additional wiring. The compact N20 form factor makes it well suited for small robotics projects requiring precise motor control.
The motor runs on 4.5–6 V DC (6 V nominal) via the white and red wires, which connect to an H-bridge motor driver for PWM speed and direction control. The encoder outputs on the yellow and green wires provide 14 counts per revolution (before gear ratio), allowing your microcontroller to calculate speed and direction via interrupts.
Key Features
- Built-In Magnetic Encoder – Magnetic wheel and two Hall effect sensors pre-attached
- Speed and Direction Sensing – Dual encoder outputs for quadrature decoding
- 1:50 Gear Ratio – High torque at reduced speed
- N20 Form Factor – Compact standard size for small robots
- 14 Counts Per Revolution – Before gear ratio multiplication
Specifications
- Motor Voltage – 4.5–6 V DC (6 V nominal)
- Gear Ratio – 1:50
- No-Load Current – ~100 mA
- Stall Current – ~200 mA
- Encoder Resolution – 14 counts per revolution
- Encoder Power – 3–5 V DC (match your microcontroller logic level)
Wiring
- White + Red – Motor power (connect to H-bridge driver)
- Blue – Encoder ground
- Black – Encoder power (3–5 V DC)
- Yellow + Green – Hall effect encoder outputs
Package Contents
- 1× N20 DC motor with magnetic encoder (1:50 gear ratio)
Resources
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- DC
- DC means direct current, where electricity flows in one constant direction, as supplied by batteries, USB ports and many plug-pack power supplies. When a product specifies DC, it runs from a DC supply rather than mains AC, so you need to provide the correct voltage and polarity.
- encoder
- An encoder is a sensor that converts the rotation or position of a shaft, knob or dial into electrical signals, reporting movement as incremental steps and direction, or as an absolute position. It is used to track how far something has turned, which matters for precise positioning, speed control, repeatable movement, or using a rotary knob as an input.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a single chip that runs a stored program and controls connected inputs and outputs such as buttons, sensors, displays and communication interfaces. In a device built around one, it is the part that executes the code and coordinates the device's behaviour.
- 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
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