Interfacing Servo Motor with Arduino Uno
Hello friends in today blog we are going to project lights to Servo motors one of the crucial parts for all robotics and DIY project due to their precision control capabilities. We will discover the working principle of servo motors, their application areas how to interface them with Arduino, and a small project showcasing Arduino control of a servo motor.
Working Principal of Servo motor:
A servo motor is a rotary actuator
or linear actuator that allows for precise control of angular or linear
position, velocity, and acceleration. It consists of a suitable motor coupled
to a sensor for position feedback. A servo motor is controlled by sending a
pulse width modulation (PWM) signal to its control wire.
Key components of a servo motor include:
- DC Motor: Provides the driving force.
- Gearbox: Reduces the motor speed and increases torque.
- Control Circuit: Receives the PWM signal and adjusts the motor position.
- Feedback: Provides feedback to the control circuit on the current position.
The control mechanism of a servo
motor works on the principle of error correction. The desired position is
compared with the actual position, and the control circuit adjusts the motor's
rotation to reach the set point and eliminate the error.
Application of Servo Motor:
Servo motors are widely used in various applications, including
- Robotics: Used for precise control of robotic arms, joints, and movement mechanisms.
- RC Vehicles: Employed in radio-controlled cars, boats, and airplanes for steering and control surfaces.
- Automation: Utilized in industrial automation systems for precise positioning of parts and machinery.
- DIY Projects: Commonly found in hobbyist projects such as automated systems, robotic projects, and smart devices.
Controlling a Servo Motor with a Potentiometer:
Now let's control the position of a servo motor using a potentiometer.
Hardware Setup :
- Arduino
Uno
- Servo motor
- Potentiometer
- Jumper wires
Wiring
Instruction :
- Connect the Servo Motor:
- Power wire to 5V on Arduino.
- Ground wire to GND on Arduino.
- Signal wire to digital pin 9 on Arduino.
- Connect the Potentiometer:
- Middle
pin(output) to analog pin A0 on Arduino.
Software Setup:
The Arduino code developed on
Arduino IDE is given below:
Now we will explain the code step by step :
first of all we should include the Servo motor library in order to import all features of this header files and to simplify the coding (replace couple of lines instruction by just a function defined in the header file)
then we create an element from servo library with the name myServo which will be our servo motor , and intilaze variable adc_value (the value of the potentiometer readed by the arduino) and position the value that we would the servo motor to move it .
after that in the void setup we set the configuration of our project (attach the servo motor to the digital Pin number 9 (D9) and attach the potentiometer to the analog pin A0 and launch the Serial monitor )
in the void loop we write our main code that read the potentiometer value with analogRead command the possible value are in the range of [0 1023] then it will match this value to a position degrees with the map command that convert the Adc value to a degrees from [0 180] then at last move the motor to this position with myServo.Write function and finally print the actual postion of the servo motor on the serial monitor .
the Simulation file is available on TinkerCad platform in the link below:
https://www.tinkercad.com/things/fcn5x36q0DE-servo-motor-control-
Conclusion:
Servo motors have high potential in
robotics and DIY projects because of their precision control. By knowing the
working principle and how to interface them with Arduino, you are able to build
a wide span of projects that range from the simplest, like motion control, to
complex robotic systems. The examples and project further provided are
testaments to how easy it is to get started with servo motors and Arduino.
Stay connects with us for more
exciting tutorial enjoy Coding Arduino!