I’m currently trying to connect a servo motor to an Arduino UNO but I know that it won’t have enough power to power both itself and the motor properly.
I’m aware that I can use the individual wires to connect an external power supply to the servo but I’m unsure as to how I would go about doing it. I have attached two images as to how I presume it would be wired but I’m unsure which way to do it, or maybe I’m completely wrong.
Also, would it be possible to do this with multiple servos, or am I making this too much of a problem (including breadboards for more ground pins and whatnot)?
justcunn:
Sorry, I think I get the idea of what you said, but wouldn’t I run out of GND pins on my UNO if I wanted to connect 6 servos to it?
So use a breadboard for the power connections when testing, but be careful that the breadboard can handle the current. If the project is to be used permanently then a PCB or at least soldering to a suitable length of stripboard should be considered
Unfortunately we are under a bit of pressure with time as we are to enter our project in a national science competition in about a month’s time, so soldering with PCBs may be out of the question. We are to showcase our project for 3 days and what we would be doing wouldn’t be very intensive so we may be able to get away with the breadboard if it’s suitable. Unfortunately that problem is on me but I do appreciate your help very much.
Oh, that would be manageable I’d say. It would probably be our best option because we’d be activating and deactivating the servos multiple times over a short period of time so that could be a strain on the breadboard.
You really don't need much more than some hookup wires and solder for wiring up the servos. I use a wire interference fit on the servo connector just pushing the wires into the connector holes and securing in place with a little hot glue (easily removable). The below is a good wiring schematic. Note the servo wire colors, red is + power, black is ground, and white/yellow is control.
Hi,
Another possibility that makes the wiring easy (Just plug servos in) is to use a "Sensor Shield" that plugs on top of your Arduino and gives you 3-pin servo type connectors on every I/O pin.
BUT there are several versions. YOU want one that allows a separate 5V or 6V power supply to power ALL the power pins for ALL the servos. The type you want has an external power terminal block and a jumper you can remove to isolate 5V from the arduino and the sensor shield.
