@dc42 Thanks for the info!
The quadrature linear axis encoder configuration sounds like what I need! The only issue it that I'm limited on the number of wires I can string back to the control board and the 10 pin SPI header is quite a bit of cable, also the path back to the control board is further than the recommended 200mm 😞
Also, I just realized that this setup is basically a servo, just replacing a potentiometer with an encoder. Is there a mode in RRF that allows you to drive a stepper motor in open loop mode targeting a potentiometer / encoder value? Essentially turning a stepper motor into a servo?
Thanks again for the help!