SG90 - Robot spring grip overheating

I'm making a robotic arm.
having now discovered that hot-glue won't do its coming along fine.
but my current issue is the spring loaded grip is having difficulty staying open-grip (counter-spring) without overheating.
I've burned one SG-90 already .. is there a way to 'lock' the SG-90's position without it having to overheat.
or is there something else that I'm doing wrong.
I don't think the code is relevant because the Servos are not being written to unless the button-controller issues a command to turn a delta-turn value per loop cycle. without pressing any of my control buttons the gripper gets very hot very quickly when it is holding itself open-clawed (against the force of the spring).
is the only solution a better more powerful servo and/or weaker spring. or is there something else I can do?

(earlier problems with sharing a power supply between my voltage-divider button controller and the servos resulting in the servos depleting the power-supply to the button-controller forcing those voltage dividers to work with a lower Vin and getting adverse results has been fixed by connecting the buttons to the Arduino and the servos to an external power supply, so I don't see how this overheating servo could be a power issue)

If the servo is connected to the gripper and holding it open against a spring then it is effectively STALLED and drawing the maximum current. So it's no wonder it's getting hot. You really need a different mechanical design.

Steve

"the gripper gets very hot very quickly when it is holding itself open-clawed (against the force of the spring). is the only solution a better more powerful servo and/or weaker spring. or is there something else I can do?"

Well, you pretty much admit you have a bad design as is. What function is the spring to perform?

LOL.
ok.
I guess I answer my own question but I just left it for an hour and came back and its not even hot at all...
so dunno?

but thank you for your input.

You should not design a system using servos where the stationary load on the servo exceeds the friction in its gear train - especially for cheap servos.

...R

"I guess I answer my own question but I just left it for an hour and came back and its not even hot at all...
so dunno?"

When you had the gripper open, you also may have had the servo stalled against its internal hard stop as well as pulling the spring. It is good to test servos to determine where the internal hard stop is in relation to the commanded positions.