Replacement encoder arrived today. Checked it out to make sure everything works. A and B signals are fine. Found out there is no Z signal, but I really don’t need it anyway. It is interesting to look at the guts of the encoder – obviously older technology than the other encoders. Replaced the short cable with the last piece of my ethernet cable. This time I was a little smarter and left about two inches of the old wires and just soldered new wires to old wires, then put a heat shrink tubes over the joints. I coiled up the extra wire inside the encoder case – it was a tight fit. One amazing thing – the mounting holes in the new encoder are the exact same size and location as the old encoder. I don’t have to drill any new holes in the brackets to mount it.
Here’s a couple of pictures of what the cart looks like so far. Haven’t drilled all the holes for the bracket yet, but you can get a pretty good idea of what the final version will look like.
Cart - Top View
Cart - Bottom View