15:1 Micro Metal Gearmotor LP 6V with 12 CPR Encoder, Side Connector

Pololu's Micro Metal Gearmotor family consists of tiny brushed DC metal gearmotors with nitride-hardened martensitic stainless steel gears in a wide range of gear ratios, motor windings, brushes, and encoder configurations:

Micro Metal Gearmotor next to a Pololu quarter dollar for size reference.

The following comparison table shows basic specifications for all of the available versions (see the Micro Metal Gearmotor datasheet (5MB pdf) for additional information, including detailed performance graphs):

RatedVoltage	StallCurrent	No-LoadCurrent	No-LoadSpeed(RPM)	ExtrapolatedStall Torque		MaxPower(W)	ApproxGearRatio	No Encoder	w/ ExtendedMotor Shaft	w/ Encoder,Back Conn.	w/ Encoder,Side Conn.
				(kg·cm)	(oz·in)
HPCB 12V(high-power, carbon brushes)
12 V	0.75 A	100 mA	6800	0.09	1.3	–	5:1	#3036	#3047	#5204	#5205
		80 mA	3400	0.17	2.4	1.5	10:1	#3037	#3048	#5206	#5207
			2200	0.25	3.5	1.4	15:1	#4788	#4789	#5208	#5209
			1100	0.39	5.4	1.1	30:1	#3038	#3049	#5210	#5211
			650	0.67	9.3	1.1	50:1	#3039	#3050	#5212	#5213
			450	1.0	14	1.1	75:1	#3040	#3051	#5214	#5215
			330	1.3	18	1.1	100:1	#3041	#3052	#5216	#5217
			220	1.8	25	1.0	150:1	#3042	#3053	#5218	#5219
			160	2.5	35	1.0	210:1	#3043	#3054	#5220	#5221
			130	3.0	42	1.1	250:1	#3044	#3055	#5222	#5223
			110	3.3	46	1.0	298:1	#3045	#3056	#5224	#5225
			85	5.0	69	1.1	380:1	#4798	#4799	#5226	#5227
			35	10	140	–	1000:1	#3046	#3057	#5228	#5229
RatedVoltage	StallCurrent	No-LoadCurrent	No-LoadSpeed(RPM)	ExtrapolatedStall Torque		MaxPower(W)	ApproxGearRatio	No Encoder	w/ ExtendedMotor Shaft	w/ Encoder,Back Conn.	w/ Encoder,Side Conn.
				(kg·cm)	(oz·in)
HPCB 6V(high-power, carbon brushes)
6 V	1.5 A	170 mA	6500	0.09	1.3	–	5:1	#3060	#3082	#5178	#5179
		150 mA	3300	0.17	2.4	1.3	10:1	#3061	#3071	#5180	#5181
			2100	0.25	3.5	1.3	15:1	#4786	#4787	#5182	#5183
			1100	0.45	6.2	1.2	30:1	#3062	#3072	#5184	#5185
			650	0.74	10	1.2	50:1	#3063	#3073	#5186	#5187
			430	1.1	15	1.3	75:1	#3064	#3074	#5188	#5189
			330	1.6	22	1.3	100:1	#3065	#3075	#5190	#5191
			220	2.0	28	1.1	150:1	#3066	#3076	#5192	#5193
			160	2.8	39	1.1	210:1	#3067	#3077	#5194	#5195
			130	3.2	44	1.1	250:1	#3068	#3078	#5196	#5197
			110	3.4	47	1.0	298:1	#3069	#3079	#5198	#5199
			85	5.0	69	1.1	380:1	#4796	#4797	#5200	#5201
			33	11	150	–	1000:1	#3070	#3080	#5202	#5203
RatedVoltage	StallCurrent	No-LoadCurrent	No-LoadSpeed(RPM)	ExtrapolatedStall Torque		MaxPower(W)	ApproxGearRatio	No Encoder	w/ ExtendedMotor Shaft	w/ Encoder,Back Conn.	w/ Encoder,Side Conn.
				(kg·cm)	(oz·in)
HP 6V(high-power)
6 V	1.6 A	120 mA	6100	0.11	1.5	–	5:1	#1000	#2210	#5152	#5153
		100 mA	3100	0.22	3.0	1.6	10:1	#999	#2211	#5154	#5155
			2000	0.30	4.2	1.5	15:1	#4784	#4785	#5156	#5157
			1000	0.57	7.9	1.5	30:1	#1093	#2212	#5158	#5159
			590	0.86	12	1.3	50:1	#998	#2213	#5160	#5161
			410	1.3	18	1.4	75:1	#2361	#2215	#5162	#5163
			310	1.7	24	1.3	100:1	#1101	#2214	#5164	#5165
			210	2.4	33	1.2	150:1	#997	#2386	#5166	#5167
			150	3.0	42	1.1	210:1	#996	#2216	#5168	#5169
			120	3.4	47	1.1	250:1	#995	#2217	#5170	#5171
			100	4.0	56	1.1	298:1	#994	#2218	#5172	#5173
			84	5.5	76	1.1	380:1	#4794	#4795	#5174	#5175
			31	12	170	–	1000:1	#1595	#2373	#5176	#5177
RatedVoltage	StallCurrent	No-LoadCurrent	No-LoadSpeed(RPM)	ExtrapolatedStall Torque		MaxPower(W)	ApproxGearRatio	No Encoder	w/ ExtendedMotor Shaft	w/ Encoder,Back Conn.	w/ Encoder,Side Conn.
				(kg·cm)	(oz·in)
MP 6V(medium-power)
6 V	0.67 A	80 mA	4400	0.06	0.8	–	5:1	#2362	#2376	#5126	#5127
		70 mA	2200	0.11	1.5	–	10:1	#2363	#2377	#5128	#5129
			1400	0.20	2.8	0.70	15:1	#4782	#4783	#5130	#5131
			720	0.33	4.6	0.57	30:1	#2364	#2378	#5132	#5133
			420	0.54	7.5	0.55	50:1	#2365	#2379	#5134	#5135
			290	0.78	11	0.54	75:1	#2366	#2380	#5136	#5137
			220	0.94	13	0.50	100:1	#2367	#2381	#5138	#5139
			150	1.3	18	0.48	150:1	#2368	#2382	#5140	#5141
			100	1.7	24	0.46	210:1	#2369	#2383	#5142	#5143
			88	2.2	31	0.48	250:1	#2370	#2384	#5144	#5145
			73	2.4	33	0.44	298:1	#2371	#2385	#5146	#5147
			57	3.6	50	0.53	380:1	#4792	#4793	#5148	#5149
			22	6.7	93	–	1000:1	#2372	#3059	#5150	#5151
RatedVoltage	StallCurrent	No-LoadCurrent	No-LoadSpeed(RPM)	ExtrapolatedStall Torque		MaxPower(W)	ApproxGearRatio	No Encoder	w/ ExtendedMotor Shaft	w/ Encoder,Back Conn.	w/ Encoder,Side Conn.
				(kg·cm)	(oz·in)
LP 6V(low-power)
6 V	0.36 A	50 mA	2500	0.05	0.7	–	5:1	#1100	#2200	#5100	#5101
		40 mA	1300	0.10	1.4	–	10:1	#1099	#2201	#5102	#5103
			860	0.17	2.4	0.37	15:1	#4780	#4781	#5104	#5105
			450	0.29	4.0	0.31	30:1	#993	#2202	#5106	#5107
			270	0.44	6.1	0.29	50:1	#1098	#2203	#5108	#5109
			180	0.64	8.9	0.29	75:1	#2360	#2209	#5110	#5111
			130	0.74	10	0.25	100:1	#992	#2204	#5112	#5113
			90	1.1	15	0.25	150:1	#1097	#2205	#5114	#5115
			65	1.6	22	0.25	210:1	#1096	#2206	#5116	#5117
			54	1.7	24	0.23	250:1	#1095	#2207	#5118	#5119
			45	2.0	28	0.22	298:1	#1094	#2208	#5120	#5121
			36	2.9	40	0.27	380:1	#4790	#4791	#5122	#5123
			13	5.5	76	–	1000:1	#1596	#3058	#5124	#5125

Note: Stalling or overloading gearmotors can greatly decrease their lifetimes and even result in immediate damage. The recommended upper limit for instantaneous torque is 2.5 kg·cm (35 oz·in) for the 380:1 and 1000:1 gearboxes, and 2 kg·cm (25 oz·in) for all the other gear ratios; Pololu strongly advise keeping applied loads well under this limit. Stalls can also result in rapid (potentially on the order of seconds) thermal damage to the motor windings and brushes, especially for the versions that use high-power (HP and HPCB) motors; a general recommendation for brushed DC motor operation is 25% or less of the stall current.

In general, these kinds of motors can run at voltages above and below their nominal voltages; lower voltages might not be practical, and higher voltages could start negatively affecting the life of the motor.

Motor windings/brush options

The 6V and 12V HPCB motors have long-life carbon brushes, and they offer the same performance at their respective nominal voltages, just with the 12 V motor drawing half the current of the 6 V motor. The 6V HP, MP, and LP motors have shorter-life precious metal brushes, which are generally lower-friction than carbon brushes and preferred for lower-current applications. The HPCB versions (shown on the left in the picture below) can be differentiated from versions with precious metal brushes (shown on the right) by their copper-colored terminals. Note that the HPCB terminals are 0.5 mm wider than those on the other Micro Metal Gearmotor versions (2 mm vs. 1.5 mm), and they are about 1 mm closer together (6 mm vs. 7 mm).

Micro Metal Gearmotor HPCB long-life carbon brushes (left) next to Micro Metal Gearmotor HP precious metal brushes (right).

Encoder options

Micro Metal Gearmotor (standard version without encoder or extended motor shaft).

Micro Metal Gearmotor with 12 CPR encoder, back connector (cable not included).

Micro Metal Gearmotor with 12 CPR encoder, side connector (cable not included).

Micro Metal Gearmotor with extended motor shaft.

In addition to standard versions that are not intended for use with encoders, Pololu have versions of Pololu's Micro Metal Gearmotors available with integrated 12 CPR quadrature encoders on the motor shafts (i.e. on the inputs to the gearbox). These are available in two styles—back connector and side connector—and work with Pololu's assortment of 6-pin JST SH-style cables and 6-pin JST SH-style connector boards (cables are not included). A plastic snap-on housing covers the encoder disc and electronics.

Pololu also have motor versions available with an extended motor shaft for adding your own encoder. This 1 mm diameter shaft extends 4.5 mm from the rear of the motor and rotates at the same speed as the input to the gearbox. These versions work with Pololu's separately available encoders for Micro Metal Gearmotors.

Gearbox options

The table below shows the exact gear ratios for Pololu's Micro Metal Gearmotors. All gearboxes have the same overall dimensions except for 1000:1, which is 3.5 mm longer than the others. The gearboxes use brass plates on all versions except 380:1, which has steel plates for increased durability and resistance to wear from radial loads.

Micro Metal Gearmotor size comparison of 1000:1 (bottom) vs other gear ratios (top).

Please note that the higher gear ratios can generate enough torque to damage themselves if exposed to loads beyond what they are rated for (25 kg·mm for 1000:1 and 380:1, 20 kg·mm for everything else). The point of these higher gear ratios is not to deliver more overall torque but rather to allow for slower speeds at a given voltage and to draw less current for a given torque within its rated operating range.

Dimensions

Pololu's Micro Metal Gearmotors all have gearboxes with a 10 × 12 mm cross section and a 9 mm-long, 3 mm-diameter D-shaped gearbox output shaft. The gearbox length is the same for all gear ratios except 1000:1, which is 3.5 mm longer than the others. On versions without an encoder, the motor fits entirely within the 10 × 12 mm gearbox cross section. The two encoder options fit within the gearbox cross section on the side opposite the connector and extend past it by 3 mm or 4 mm on the connector side, depending on the connector orientation; for the other two sides, the encoder extends past the gearbox cross section by 0.25 mm.

In terms of size, these gearmotors are very similar to Sanyo’s popular 12 mm NA4S DC gearmotors, and gearmotors with this form factor are sometimes also referred to as N20 motors. The versions with carbon brushes (HPCB) have slightly different terminal and end-cap dimensions than the versions with precious metal brushes, but all of the other dimensions are identical.

See Pololu's detailed dimension diagrams (635k pdf) for more information.

Details for item #5105

Micro Metal Gearmotor with 12 CPR encoder, side connector.

Gearmotor details:

Key specifications:

Exact gear ratio: 25×34×3112×9×16≈15.25:1" role="presentation" style="position: relative;">25×34×3112×9×16˜15.25:1$\frac{25\times 34\times 31}{12\times 9\times 16}˜15.25:1$

Using the encoder

This gearmotor includes an integrated two-channel incremental Hall effect encoder that senses the rotation of a magnetic disk on a rear protrusion of the motor shaft. The quadrature encoder provides a resolution of 12 counts per revolution (CPR) of the motor shaft when counting both edges of both channels. To compute the counts per revolution of the gearbox output, multiply 12 by the gearbox reduction factor. For example, for a 50:1 gearbox, the encoder would provide approximately 617 CPR of the gearbox output shaft (see exact gear ratios above).

Micro Metal Gearmotor with 12 CPR encoder, side connector.

Micro Metal Gearmotor with 12 CPR encoder, back connector.

The encoder features a 6-pin JST SH-style male connector that works with Pololu's 6-pin JST SH-style cables and 6-pin JST SH-style connector boards. Two connector orientations are available: Back Connector, which is oriented parallel to the motor, and Side Connector, which is perpendicular to the motor. Note: A cable is not included with this gearmotor.

Micro Metal Gearmotor with 12 CPR encoder, side connector (cable not included).

Micro Metal Gearmotor with 12 CPR encoder, back connector (cable not included).

The motor terminals are connected to the M1 (pin 1) and M2 (pin 2) connector pins, and they can be accessed via the red and black wires when used with Pololu's corresponding JST cables. For consistency, M1 always connects to the motor terminal marked with a “+” on the back of the motor case. This mark is not visible on the encoder versions because the board covers it, but it can be seen on the versions without encoders. Please note that this is just an identifying mark, and the motor is intended to be operated in both directions by alternating the polarity of the power to the motor leads. Because the two connector types have pin 1 on opposite sides, they have to be mounted with different motor orientations to ensure pin 1 always connects to the same motor terminal, regardless of encoder style.

The sensors are powered through the Vcc (pin 3, blue wire) and GND (pin 6, green wire) pins; Vcc can be 2.7 V to 18 V. The quadrature outputs A and B (yellow and white wires) are digital signals that are either driven low (0 V) or pulled to Vcc through 10 kO pull-up resistors, depending on the orientation of the motor. The sensors’ comparators have built-in hysteresis, which prevents spurious signals in cases where the motor is near a transition point. The A and B signals are square waves with roughly 50% duty cycles that are approximately 90° out of phase. The order of the A-B transitions indicates motor direction, and the frequency indicates motor speed. The following scope capture shows an example of these signals:

Encoder A and B outputs of a magnetic encoder on a high-power (HP) 6V Micro Metal Gearmotor running at 6 V.

Encoder schematic

Motor Accessories

• Wheels and hubs: The Micro Metal Gearmotor’s output shaft matches Pololu's assortment of Pololu wheels for 3mm shafts and the Solarbotics RW2i rubber wheel. You can also use Pololu's Pololu universal mounting hubs to mount custom wheels and mechanism to the Micro Metal Gearmotor’s output shaft, and you can use Pololu's 12mm hex wheel adapter to use this motor with many common hobby RC wheels.

Pololu Wheel 32×7mm on a Micro Metal Gearmotor.

Black Pololu Wheel 70×8mm on a Pololu Micro Metal Gearmotor.

A pair of Pololu universal aluminum mounting hubs for 3 mm diameter shafts.

12mm Hex Wheel Adapter for 3mm Shaft on a Micro Metal Gearmotor.

• Mounting brackets: Pololu's mounting bracket (also available in white) and extended mounting bracket are specifically designed to securely mount the gearmotor while enclosing the exposed gears. Pololu recommend the extended mounting bracket for wheels with recessed hubs, such as the Pololu wheel 42×19mm. Pololu's Micro Metal Gearmotors will also work with Pololu's 15.5D mm metal gearmotor bracket pair.

Black micro metal gearmotor mounting bracket pair with included screws and nuts.

White micro metal gearmotor mounting bracket pair with included screws and nuts.

Pololu micro metal gearmotor bracket extended with Micro Metal Gearmotor.

• Motor controllers and drivers: Pololu have a number of motor controllers and motor drivers that can be used to control these Micro Metal Gearmotors. In particular, the MP6550 motor driver is well suited for these motors, as are Pololu's Motoron M1x550, M2x550, M3S550, and M3H550 chainable serial motor controllers.

MP6550 Single Brushed DC Motor Driver Carrier.

Motoron M1T550/M1U550 Single Motor Controller (Header Pins Soldered).

Motoron M2T550/M2U550 Dual Motor Controller (Header Pins Soldered).

Three Motoron M3S550 shields being controlled by an Arduino Uno.

• Current sensors: The recommended motor control options above have built-in current sensing, but Pololu also have an assortment of stand-alone Hall effect-based current sensors to choose from:

ACS724LLCTR-2P5AB Current Sensor Carrier -2.5A to +2.5A.

Pololu also incorporate these motors into some of Pololu's products, including Pololu's Zumo robot and 3pi robot :

Assembled Zumo 2040 robot.

3pi+ 2040 Robot.

Dimensions

General specifications

Performance at maximum efficiency

Notes:

1

Output shaft adds 10 mm to the 32 mm length, and the encoder extends past the 10 × 12 gearbox cross section on three of the four sides. See dimension diagram for details.

2

D shaft.

3

Typical; ±20%.

4

Typical, ±50%; no-load current depends on internal friction, which is affected by many factors, including ambient temperature and duration of motor operation.

File downloads

• Datasheet for Pololu Micro Metal Gearmotors (5MB pdf)

• Dimension diagrams of Pololu Micro Metal Gearmotors (635k pdf)

• 3D models of Micro Metal Gearmotors (49MB zip)

  This file contains 3D models (in the step file format) of the for the various versions of the Micro Metal Gearmotors.