Servo Motor - Engineersgarage
Servo Motor - Engineersgarage
Servo Motor - Engineersgarage
Table of Contents:
1. Servo Motor
2. Servo Motor Control
3. Inside a Servo Motor
4. Power Supply & Selection of Servo
5. Noise and Modification
Written By:
Nikhil Agnihotri
Unlike DC motors, reversing the ground and positive supply connections does not
change the direction (of rotation) of a servo. This may, in fact, damage the servo motor.
That is why it is important to properly account for the order of wires in a servo motor.
The difference signal is amplified and provided to the DC motor. So the signal applied to
the DC servo motor is a damping wave which diminishes as the desired position is
attained by the motor.
When the difference between the desired position as indicated by the pulse train and
current position is large, motor moves fast. When the same difference is less, the motor
moves slow.
The required pulse train for controlling the servo motor can be generated by a timer IC
such as 555 or a microcontroller can be programmed to generate the required
waveform. Refer Servo Motor interfacing with 8051 microcontroller and Servo control
using AVR ATmega16.
The servo requires a DC supply of 4.8 V to 6 V. For a specific servo, its voltage rating is
given as one of its specification by the manufacturer. The DC supply can be given
through a battery or a regulator. The battery voltage must be closer to the operating
voltage of the servo. This will reduce the wastage of power as thermal radiation. A
switched regulator can be used as the supply for better power efficiency. Learn more
about working of a servo motor through exclusive images at the Insight about servo
motor.
Selection of a Servo
The typical specifications of servo motors are torque, speed, weight, dimensions, motor
type and bearing type. The motor type can be of 3 poles or 5 poles. The pole refers to
the permanent magnets that are attached with the electromagnets. 5 pole servos are
better than 3 pole motor because they provide better torque.
The servos are manufactured with different torque and speed ratings. The torque is the
force applied by the motor to drive the servo arm. Speed is the measure that gives the
estimate that how fast the servo attains a position. A manufacturer may compromise
torque over speed or speed over torque in different models. The servos with better
torque must be preferred.
The weight and dimensions are directly proportional to the torque. Obviously, the servo
having more torque will also have larger dimensions and weight. The selection of a
servo can be made according to the torque and speed requirements of the application.
The weight and dimension may also play a vital role in optimizing the selection such as
when a servo is needed for making an RC airplane or helicopter.
The website of the manufacturers can be seen to obtain details about different models
of the servos. Also their product catalogue can be referred to. Some manufacturers like
Futaba also provide online calculator for the selection of a servo.
Noise and Modification
Se
rvo Modification for full rotation
But this is not the only sufficient thing. The servo works on a feedback mechanism. So
the pot of the servo must be first moved to the centre position. This can be done by
sending medium pulses to the servo by a microcontroller. Then fix the gears attached to
the pot shaft with glue. This will keep an impression to the control electronics of the
servo that the current position is the middle point. So the servo would then move with
respect to the middle position and not to the current position.