Test Your Sensor

⏱️ ~10 minutes

The first sign that everything is well connected is if the sensor readings are good. This quick test validates that your position sensor is working correctly.

Select Your Sensor Type

Encoder Magnetic Sensor SPI Magnetic Sensor I2C Magnetic Sensor Analog Hall Sensors

#include <SimpleFOC.h>

// MagneticSensorAnalog(uint8_t _pinAnalog, int _min, int _max)
// - pinAnalog      - the pin that is reading the pwm from magnetic sensor
// - min_raw_count  - the smallest expected reading. 
// - max_raw_count  - the largest value read. 
MagneticSensorAnalog sensor = MagneticSensorAnalog(A1, 14, 1020);

void setup() {
  // monitoring port
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // initialise magnetic sensor hardware
  sensor.init();

  Serial.println("Sensor ready");
  _delay(1000);
}

void loop() {
  // iterative function updating the sensor internal variables
  // it is usually called in motor.loopFOC()
  // this function reads the sensor hardware and 
  // has to be called before getAngle nad getVelocity
  sensor.update();
  // display the angle and the angular velocity to the terminal
  Serial.print(sensor.getAngle());
  Serial.print("\t");
  Serial.println(sensor.getVelocity());
}

#include <SimpleFOC.h>

// Example of AS5600 configuration 
MagneticSensorI2C sensor = MagneticSensorI2C(AS5600_I2C);

void setup() {
  // monitoring port
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // configure i2C
  Wire.setClock(400000);
  // initialise magnetic sensor hardware
  sensor.init();

  Serial.println("Sensor ready");
  _delay(1000);
}

void loop() {
  // iterative function updating the sensor internal variables
  // it is usually called in motor.loopFOC()
  // this function reads the sensor hardware and 
  // has to be called before getAngle nad getVelocity
  sensor.update();
  
  // display the angle and the angular velocity to the terminal
  Serial.print(sensor.getAngle());
  Serial.print("\t");
  Serial.println(sensor.getVelocity());
}

#include <SimpleFOC.h>

// MagneticSensorSPI(MagneticSensorSPIConfig_s config, int cs)
//  config  - SPI config
//  cs      - SPI chip select pin 
MagneticSensorSPI sensor = MagneticSensorSPI(AS5147_SPI, 10);

void setup() {
  // monitoring port
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // initialise magnetic sensor hardware
  sensor.init();

  Serial.println("Sensor ready");
  _delay(1000);
}

void loop() {
  // iterative function updating the sensor internal variables
  // it is usually called in motor.loopFOC()
  // this function reads the sensor hardware and 
  // has to be called before getAngle nad getVelocity
  sensor.update();
  // display the angle and the angular velocity to the terminal
  Serial.print(sensor.getAngle());
  Serial.print("\t");
  Serial.println(sensor.getVelocity());
}

#include <SimpleFOC.h>

// Hall sensor instance
// HallSensor(int hallA, int hallB , int cpr, int index)
//  - hallA, hallB, hallC    - HallSensor A, B and C pins
//  - pp                     - pole pairs
HallSensor sensor = HallSensor(2, 3, 4, 14);

void setup() {
  // monitoring port
  Serial.begin(115200);
  
  // initialise sensor hardware
  sensor.init();

  Serial.println("Sensor ready");
  _delay(1000);
}

void loop() {
  // iterative function updating the sensor internal variables
  // it is usually called in motor.loopFOC()
  sensor.update();
  // display the angle and the angular velocity to the terminal
  Serial.print(sensor.getAngle());
  Serial.print("\t");
  Serial.println(sensor.getVelocity());
  delay(100);
}

#include <SimpleFOC.h>

Encoder encoder = Encoder(2, 3, 500);
// interrupt routine initialisation
void doA(){encoder.handleA();}
void doB(){encoder.handleB();}

void setup() {
  // monitoring port
  Serial.begin(115200);
  
  // initialise encoder hardware
  encoder.init();
  // hardware interrupt enable
  encoder.enableInterrupts(doA, doB);

  Serial.println("Encoder ready");
  _delay(1000);
}

void loop() {
  // IMPORTANT
  // read sensor and update the internal variables
  encoder.update();
  // display the angle and the angular velocity to the terminal
  Serial.print(encoder.getAngle());
  Serial.print("\t");
  Serial.println(sensor.getVelocity());
}

Setup Steps

1. Copy the code for your sensor type above
2. Update parameters to match your setup:
   • Pin numbers (e.g., A1, 2, 3, 10)
   • Sensor-specific parameters (impulses per revolution, I2C address, etc.)
   • See Position Sensors docs for details
3. Upload to your microcontroller
4. Open Serial Monitor (115200 baud)

Verify It Works

✓ What to expect

You should see continuous output of angle and velocity values in the serial terminal.

• One rotation of the motor should give angle output of 6.28 (\(2\pi\) radians)
• Velocity should increase when you rotate faster

Troubleshooting

Velocity output is noisy/jumpy?

• This usually means velocity is calculated too often
• Try increasing sensor.min_elapsed_time to 500-1000 microseconds
• Example: sensor.min_elapsed_time = 0.0005;

No output or wrong values?

• Check your pin numbers match the hardware wiring
• Verify sensor power and ground connections
• Check I2C/SPI bus configuration (clock speeds, pull-ups)
• See Position Sensors documentation for detailed configuration

Units confusion?

• SimpleFOC uses radians where 6.28 rad = 1 full rotation
• Learn more: Library Units

Next Step

Once your sensor is reading correctly, proceed to

Test Your Driver