How to ground the shielding of the motion controller MC encoder cable?

Properly grounding the encoder cable shield of the motion controller (MC) is crucial for ensuring signal quality. The shield should achieve a 360-degree low-impedance connection at the controller end, connecting to either the controller housing ground or the signal ground. Connectors with metal housings and shielding clips are typically used. If the encoder housing is metal and grounded, the cable shield should also be connected to the housing at the encoder end, which may create a ground loop; the impact needs to be assessed. If the encoder is floating, the shield is grounded only at the controller end.

For long distances or high-noise environments, grounding both ends of the shield is sometimes recommended to maintain high-frequency shielding effectiveness, but high-quality cables must be used, and ferrite cores may need to be added to the cable to suppress ground loop currents. For multi-core shielded cables, each twisted pair can have an independent sub-shield, insulated from the overall shield, and selectively connected together at the connector end before grounding. Shielding continuity must be tested after grounding.