WENC2 - Wireless Encoder Transmission System

User Guide · Version 1.0 · February 2026

Download as PDF

Download the manual for offline reading · 58 KB

1. Overview

WENC2 (Wireless ENCoder 2) is a high-performance transmission system that wirelessly transmits industrial encoder signals over the 5 GHz band. It reads the physical encoder signal on the motor side, transmits it wirelessly, and produces an identical encoder output on the drive side.

What Does It Do?

In cable and wire production machinery, it eliminates the physical cable connection between the encoder on the rotating shaft (motor/bobbin) and the drive. This provides:

Eliminates cable wear and breakage on rotating parts
Removes the need for slip-rings
Reduces maintenance costs
Simplifies installation

Key Features

5 GHz multi-channel wireless communication
3 independent encoder channel support (multi-shaft monitoring)
Isolated encoder supply output on TX side
Built-in web interface with real-time monitoring (8 live charts)
10..30V wide operating voltage, short-circuit and over-temperature protection

2. Safety Information

WARNING: The following safety instructions must be observed.

Do not make terminal connections while the device is powered. Disconnect power first.
Supply voltage must be in the range of 10..30V DC. Voltages above 30V may cause permanent damage to the device.
Encoder input levels are 24V standard. All inputs are equipped with protective circuitry.
Protect the device from moisture, water and extreme temperatures. Operating temperature: -20°C ~ +60°C.
Encoder cables must be shielded.
TX and RX modules operate with MAC address locking. Paired units communicate only with each other.

3. System Architecture

The WENC2 system consists of two independent units:

4. Hardware Specifications

TX (Transmitter) Module

Supply: 10..30V DC operating voltage range, short-circuit and over-temperature protection. Equipped with over-voltage protection and resettable fuse.

Encoder inputs: 24V standard differential A, /A, B, /B inputs. 3 independent encoder channels (enc0, enc1, enc2). For 2-wire encoders, /A and /B pins are bridged to 0V. All inputs are equipped with protective circuitry.

TX (Transmitter) — J1 Connector Pin Table (Pin 1-8)

Pin	Function	Description	Min	Typical	Max	Unit
1	+24V	System supply, 10-30V DC	10	24	30	V DC
2	0V	System 0V	0	0	0	V
3	+Venc	Filtered encoder supply output (~23.5V)	—	~23.5	—	V
4	0V	Encoder supply 0V	0	0	0	V
5	ENC0.A	Encoder 0 - A phase input	0	24	24	V
6	ENC0./A	Encoder 0 - /A phase input (differential)	0	24	24	V
7	ENC0.B	Encoder 0 - B phase input	0	24	24	V
8	ENC0./B	Encoder 0 - /B phase input (differential)	0	24	24	V

* For 2-wire encoders, bridge /A and /B pins to 0V.

TX (Transmitter) — J2 Connector Pin Table (Pin 9-16)

Pin	Function	Description	Typical	Max	Unit
9	ENC1.A	Encoder 1 - A phase input	24	24	V
10	ENC1./A	Encoder 1 - /A phase input (differential)	24	24	V
11	ENC1.B	Encoder 1 - B phase input	24	24	V
12	ENC1./B	Encoder 1 - /B phase input (differential)	24	24	V
13	ENC2.A	Encoder 2 - A phase input	24	24	V
14	ENC2./A	Encoder 2 - /A phase input (differential)	24	24	V
15	ENC2.B	Encoder 2 - B phase input	24	24	V
16	ENC2./B	Encoder 2 - /B phase input (differential)	24	24	V

* J2 is only used on WENC2-D (2 encoder) and WENC2-T (3 encoder) models.

RX (Receiver) Module

Supply: 10..30V DC operating voltage range, short-circuit and over-temperature protection.

Encoder outputs: 3 independent protected encoder output channels. Each channel produces differential A, /A, B, /B signals.

RX (Receiver) — J1 Connector Pin Table (Pin 1-8)

Pin	Function	Description	Min	Typical	Max	Unit
1	+24V	System supply, 10-30V DC	10	24	30	V DC
2	0V	System 0V	0	0	0	V
3	0V	0V	0	0	0	V
4	ENC0.A	Encoder 0 - A phase output	0	24	24	V
5	ENC0./A	Encoder 0 - /A phase output (differential)	0	24	24	V
6	ENC0.B	Encoder 0 - B phase output	0	24	24	V
7	ENC0./B	Encoder 0 - /B phase output (differential)	0	24	24	V
8	0V	0V	0	0	0	V

* RX outputs connect to the drive encoder input. Provides differential output.

RX (Receiver) — J2 Connector Pin Table (Pin 9-16)

Pin	Function	Description	Typical	Max	Unit
9	ENC1.A	Encoder 1 - A phase output	24	24	V
10	ENC1./A	Encoder 1 - /A phase output (differential)	24	24	V
11	ENC1.B	Encoder 1 - B phase output	24	24	V
12	ENC1./B	Encoder 1 - /B phase output (differential)	24	24	V
13	ENC2.A	Encoder 2 - A phase output	24	24	V
14	ENC2./A	Encoder 2 - /A phase output (differential)	24	24	V
15	ENC2.B	Encoder 2 - B phase output	24	24	V
16	ENC2./B	Encoder 2 - /B phase output (differential)	24	24	V

* J2 is only used on WENC2-D (2 encoder) and WENC2-T (3 encoder) models.

5. Installation

Step 1: TX Mounting (Motor Side)

Mount the WENC2-TX module near the motor/shaft.
Connect encoder cables to the TX inputs:
- Encoder 0: A, /A, B, /B differential signal pins (ENC0.A, ENC0./A, ENC0.B, ENC0./B)
- Encoder 1, 2: Additional encoder channels via J2 connector (if applicable)
Connect 24V DC power supply to J1 Pin-1 (+24V) and Pin-2 (0V).

Step 2: RX Mounting (Drive Side)

Mount the WENC2-RX module on the drive panel.
Connect RX encoder output pins (ENC0.A, ENC0./A, ENC0.B, ENC0./B) to the drive's encoder input.
Connect 24V DC power supply to J1 Pin-1 (+24V) and Pin-2 (0V).

WENC2-S — Single (1 Encoder Channel)

TX (Transmitter) Connection Diagram

RX (Receiver) Connection Diagram

WENC2-D — Dual (2 Encoder Channels)

TX (Transmitter) Connection Diagram

RX (Receiver) Connection Diagram

WENC2-T — Triple (3 Encoder Channels)

TX (Transmitter) Connection Diagram

RX (Receiver) Connection Diagram

NOTE: Encoder outputs are at HTL 24V level. All signal lines operate in push-pull HTL (High Threshold Logic) standard.

Step 3: Pairing and Startup

Power on both units. The green POWER LED should light up.
Hold the button on the device for 5 seconds to enter Service Mode.
Connect to the RX module's 5 GHz access point (SSID: WENC2-RX).
Perform pairing via the web interface (192.168.4.1).
Once paired, signal LEDs will indicate connection quality (red/yellow/orange/green).
Verify the encoder signal on the drive side.

6. Operating Principles

Transmission Cycle

[High-speed]
TX: Read encoder -> Build packet -> Send wirelessly
                                         |
                                    5 GHz channel
                                         |
RX: Receive packet -> Send ACK -> Update encoder output

Communication Parameters

Parameter	Value
ACK rate	89-100%
Channel	Automatic channel selection (5 GHz)

Statistics Monitoring

TX and RX units collect detailed statistics:

Packet rate (pkt/s)
RSSI (signal strength, dBm)
ACK success rate
Encoder position
CPU temperature and load
Heap usage

7. Frequency Management

WENC2 uses automatic frequency management in the 5 GHz band. When interference is detected, it automatically moves to a clean channel.

Channel Selection

Only channels that do not require DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) are used. Channels are automatically selected and managed.

Target Performance

Parameter	Target
Maximum interruption	< 5 ms
Channel change time	Fast
Interference detection	RSSI-based

These targets are critically important for the safe operation of closed-loop servo systems.

8. Filter Modes

The RX unit provides filter modes for different operating conditions.

Filter Modes

Mode	Description	Use Case
DIRECT	No filtering	Standard operation
LIGHT	Light filtering	Normal operation
MEDIUM	Medium filtering	Oscillating systems
HEAVY	Heavy filtering	Highly oscillating systems

Measured Performance

Metric	Value
Typical error	0 counts (in 67% of samples)
Max. error	~162 counts
In degrees	~14 degrees (for 1024 PPR encoder)

9. Encoder Simulator Output

The RX unit generates physical encoder signals from the received position data.

Output Specifications

Parameter	Value
Output type	Hardware signal generation
Encoder count	3 channels
Frequency	250 / 400 / 1000 Hz (independent)
Duty cycle	50% (square wave)

Verification

The accuracy of the RX output can be verified with the optional loopback system.

10. Monitoring and Diagnostics

Binary Serial Protocol

Binary command protocol over serial connection:

devquery.py --status     # Status query
devquery.py --watch      # Live monitoring
devquery.py --verify     # Encoder verification
devquery.py --gpio-test  # GPIO test
devquery.py --reboot     # Restart
devquery.py --channel N  # Channel change

Dashboard (8 Live Charts)

Python-based dashboard tool:

Packet rate (pkt/s)
RSSI signal strength (dBm)
ACK success rate (%)
Encoder position
Verification result
CPU temperature and load
Heap usage

11. Web Interface

Optional 5 GHz access point web server on the RX unit:

Parameter	Value
SSID	`WENC2-RX`
Password	`wenc2pass`
Channel	149 (5 GHz)
Max. connections	4
Port	80

Features

Real-time telemetry streaming via WebSocket
Binary streaming (low CPU load, 5-10%)
Encoder position and speed charts
System health information

12. Technical Specifications

Parameter	TX (Transmitter)	RX (Receiver)
Wireless	5 GHz multi-channel	5 GHz multi-channel
Protocol	Wireless (point-to-point)	Wireless (point-to-point)
Encoder Input	3-channel encoder	-
Encoder Output	-	3-channel hardware signal
ACK Rate	-	89-100%
Frequency Channels	Automatic (DFS-free)	Automatic (DFS-free)
Power	10..30V DC	10..30V DC
Power Consumption	~0.3W	~0.3W
Operating Temperature	-20 C ~ +60 C	-20 C ~ +60 C
Dimensions	Compact PCB	Compact PCB

Temperature and Resource Usage (Typical, ~900 RPM)

Metric	TX	RX
Temperature	40 C	43 C
Free Heap	192 KB	186 KB
CPU Load	42-74%	15-62%

13. Troubleshooting

Symptom	Probable Cause	Solution
Handshake not completing	TX/RX not on the same channel	Restart both units
Weak communication	Channel interference	Check frequency management status
Low ACK rate	Excessive distance	Move units closer, check antenna orientation
Encoder not counting (TX)	Cable connection	Check A/B phase cables
No encoder output (RX)	Pin conflict	Check loopback wiring
Web interface not opening	5 GHz access point disabled	Check WEBSERVER_ENABLE=1
Oscillating output	Filter mode not suitable	Increase PRED_FILTER_MODE to 2 or 3

This document has been prepared by ionia automation technologies. The right to make technical changes is reserved.