Motor Shield with Servo Confusion

Other Hardware Motors, Mechanics, Power and CNC
1

Hello,

I recently purchased an Arduino Uno R3 for a school project. Basically I need to integrate a joystick to control two T-Pro SG5010 servo motors (specs: 41G T-Pro SG5010 Ballraced Servo). I have purchased a joystick and shield combination from SparkFun (SparkFun Joystick Shield Kit - DEV-09760 - SparkFun Electronics). I have been researching how to integrate multiple servos with the arduino, but have seen multiple different answers. I'm having trouble determining how to actually connect the motors.

It seems that I should use an external power source for the motors. Is this true? If so, how much voltage should I supply to ensure that the motors perform to their full potential.

Also, I have seen many different options for motor shields and servo shields. I can't seem to find a definitive answer on whether I need any of these or not. Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you!

2

Hi....

You don't actually need a motor shield for servos...

Have a look at the servo knob tutorial, as well as this page which shows how to wire one axis of a particular make of joystick using the same code as knob uses.

To use both axes, you basically double up the parts of the code in the sketch that a) read the other pot (a joystick is two pots at right angles) and b) drive the other servo.

The trick with servos is that it's best to give them power from a source other than the Arduino, as shown in my pic attached. Check your servo spec sheet for the required voltage, but most seem to be 4.8 to 6.

two servo.jpg
two servo.jpg2838×1728 428 KB

3

Normally a servo is 5V or 6V.
On the webpage : 3.5 - 8.4Volts, so I assume that 6V is the normal voltage, and they get broke at 8.4V.

For a servo, use the Servo library.

Declare a class for every servo.

There is more code and more possibilities available. But using the Servo library is the best option.

You don't need a shield for the servo motors. The output of the Arduino can be connected directly to the control wire of the servo motor.

4

Awesome, thank you both! I'll try this out when I can get a hold of the motors I'm looking for.

5

Those are quite up-market servos... ball bearings and 8-11 kg cm torque, compared to about 4 kg cm and half the $$$$ for a lower end hobby servo.

By the way, hobbypartz should know that torque is not measured in kg / cm :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes: