Driving a Servo Motor — SIK Circuit 8
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Parts & Introduction
Parts & Introduction
A servo motor can be precisely positioned between 0 and 180 degrees. Unlike a regular motor that just spins, servos hold their position — making them perfect for robotics, pan/tilt mechanisms, and control surfaces. This experiment introduces the Servo library.
Parts Needed
- 1x Arduino Uno + USB cable
- 1x Breadboard
- 1x Servo Motor (with 3-pin header)
- 8x Jumper Wires
The servo has three wires: Red (power), Black (ground), White (signal).
Materials for this step:
SparkFun Inventors Kit - V3.21 kit
Arduino Uno R31 piece
Breadboard1 piece
Servo Motor1 piece
Jumper Wires3 piecesTools needed:
Hardware Hookup
Hardware Hookup
Wiring Instructions
- Connect 3 jumper wires to the servo's female 3-pin header for breadboarding.
- Connect the Red wire to 5V.
- Connect the Black wire to GND.
- Connect the White wire (signal) to Digital Pin 9.
Power Note: Servos draw significant current. If the servo twitches and the Arduino resets, use a wall adapter instead of USB power, or power the servo from a separate 5V supply.
Materials for this step:
Servo Motor1 pieceJumper Wires3 piecesArduino Code
Arduino Code
Open the Arduino IDE and upload the following sketch to your Arduino board.
/*
SparkFun Inventor's Kit
Example sketch 08 — SINGLE SERVO
Sweep a servo back and forth through its full range of motion.
Hardware connections:
Servo RED wire (power) to 5V
Servo WHITE wire (signal) to digital pin 9
Servo BLACK wire (ground) to GND
This code is completely free for any use.
*/
#include <Servo.h>
Servo servo1;
void setup()
{
servo1.attach(9);
}
void loop()
{
int position;
// Quick moves to specific positions
servo1.write(90); // Go to 90 degrees
delay(1000);
servo1.write(180); // Go to 180 degrees
delay(1000);
servo1.write(0); // Go to 0 degrees
delay(1000);
// Slow sweep to 180 degrees (2-degree steps)
for(position = 0; position < 180; position += 2)
{
servo1.write(position);
delay(20);
}
// Slow sweep back to 0 degrees (1-degree steps)
for(position = 180; position >= 0; position -= 1)
{
servo1.write(position);
delay(20);
}
}Materials for this step:
Arduino Uno R31 pieceTools needed:
Test & Experiment
Test & Experiment
What You Should See
The servo quickly moves to 90°, 180°, and 0° (1 second each), then slowly sweeps from 0° to 180° and back.
Troubleshooting
- Servo not moving: Even with colored wires, it's easy to plug a servo in backwards. Check connections.
- Twitching/resetting: The servo draws too much power from USB. Use a wall adapter or separate power supply.
Experiments to Try
- Add a potentiometer (from Circuit 2) to control servo position with a knob.
- Change the step size and delay to experiment with speed and smoothness.
- Build a simple pan/tilt mechanism with two servos.
Mga Materyales
5- $105.00
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
- 1 piecePlaceholder
CC0 Pampublikong Domain
Ang blueprint na ito ay inilabas sa ilalim ng CC0. Malaya kang kumopya, magbago, mamahagi, at gumamit nang walang pahintulot.
Suportahan ang Maker sa pamamagitan ng pagbili ng mga produkto sa kanilang Blueprint Komisyon ng Maker itinakda ng mga Vendor, o lumikha ng bagong bersyon ng Blueprint na ito at isama bilang koneksyon sa iyong Blueprint upang ibahagi ang kita.