I'm building my uArm just using the cheap analog hobby servos I have around. But I'm likely going to splash out on some decent ones for the long run- more torque and better construction.
If I get digital servos, are there any programming differences compared to analog or can I just plug and play?
Local supplier has HX12K which look pretty good. But I don't want to go digital and then find the coding's different from what I'm used to.
You need to read the specs for the particular digital servo. The most common surprise (from what I've seen) is that some digital servos are programmed only for +-45 deg. of rotation instead of the typical analog servo +-90 deg. of rotation. Reprogramming digital servos often requires a $$$ programmer.
I assumed that digital servos are the same as analog servos. The same outside, the same control signal. Only inside is a microcontroller that reads the signal. But everything else should be the same.
zoomkat:
You need to read the specs for the particular digital servo. The most common surprise (from what I've seen) is that some digital servos are programmed only for +-45 deg. of rotation instead of the typical analog servo +-90 deg. of rotation. Reprogramming digital servos often requires a $$$ programmer.
This is very true, from what I have seen. That said, I have found some people who - for certain servos (because each manufacturer is different) - have come up with ways to program the servos without needing to purchase a proprietary (and sometimes expensive) programmer and/or software (some of the "programmers" need to be used with a PC - others are standalone, and typically more expensive).