What is a servo motor?

What is a servo motor?

What is a servo motor? A servomotor is an electromechanical device that receives instructions regarding its position and uses motors to move itself to the desired position. In essence, it combines the concept of electronics and robotics into one. A servomotor is essentially two main components: the motor itself and control circuitry designed to receive instructions and transmit them to the motor.

The Servo Motor

The name servo comes from a combination of two words: servant and automation. A good visual of what a servo motor does is to think about old-fashioned garage door openers that move in response to remote controls. When you press your car’s remote control button, it signals your car to respond by activating the servo motors that then actuate your garage door opener so that it moves accordingly. Likewise, in robotics applications, when you program an Arduino or other microcontroller with code (that can be easily learned online), you are actually sending signals through wires which activate these robotic motors.

How Does it Work?

Servo motors have been around for quite some time, but until recently they were only used in robotics and other more industrial-type applications. They are actually very simple in theory, just like a regular motor, but with one major difference: their ability to turn different amounts at different times. Essentially, it can be adjusted to provide smaller or larger rotations of either direction. An electrical connection (servo control loop) and software are used to tell it how much to turn and by how much—for example, turning ten degrees clockwise or counterclockwise at five rotations per second.

Connecting the Servomotor to an Arduino

Before connecting your motor to an Arduino, it’s best to know what type of motors you have. Usually, they will come with instructions on how to connect them, or there will be a diagram explaining how and where you should connect them. Typically, there are four wires that need to be connected in order for your motor to work: two for power and two for ground. One wire from each set goes into one of your Arduino’s 5V pins, and one from each set goes into one of your Arduino’s GND pins.

Different Types of Servos

You can find servos on lots of different devices these days. These electrical and electronic devices are responsible for many things that used to be powered by standard DC motors and operated via mechanical linkages. There are three basic types of these small motors: unipolar, bipolar, and hybrid. Of course, you’ll still find lots of standard motors in use today—but if you’re looking for precision control, there are very few reasons not to use a servo motor instead. Check out our infographic below for more info on all three types of actuators. Enjoy!

Application Examples

Servo motors are used in robots to give them mobility. They are also used in computer printers and scanners to enable paper feed. For example, they rotate a scanning arm back and forth while it passes light through each page of an open book. Servo motors, like other electrical components, can be connected together to form electrical circuits.