In a sensored motor there are 3 hall sensors in a motor positioned 60 degrees apart. A small voltage is created on the output of each hall sensor that is sent to the controller when the magnetic field changes by the motor rotating.
There are 3 sets of windings in the motor (green, blue, yellow) and when a hall sensor triggers the controller it supplies current through two of the windings, eg. green and yellow, in through green and out through yellow.
This makes the motor rotate a little because the current through the windings creates a magnetic field that is repelled by the magnets.
When the motor rotates the first hall sensor switches off and the second hall sensor switches on. This tells the controller to supply current through two of the windings eg, green and blue, in through green and out through blue, so the motor rotates a little bit more.
Then the second hall sensor switches off and the third hall sensor switches on. This tells the controller to supply current through two of the windings eg, blue and yellow, in through blue and out through yellow.
The process repeats 6 times during one rotation of the motor and the hall sensors keep switching on and off telling the controller to pass current through all of the combinations of two phases.
I can’t easily explain how a sensorless motor works, but the controller monitors the current and voltage in and out of each phase and works out where the rotor is and then does its switching accordingly.
You can run a sensored motor in sensorless mode, but you must use a controller that is designed to either run sensorless or both sensored and sensorless.
I’m sure I will be flamed by some egotistical git on here who will tell me that I’m talking absolute rubbish. I‘m usually beasted by one or more of the mafia on here, which is why I don’t post very often.