standard servo position

froslie

I'm curious if there is a simple way to read a servo position? I'm using a standard servo and don't want to worry about it hitting its rotational limit. It could simply go the other direction.

thanks

allanlane5

No. A "Standard Servo" was designed to recieve a signal from a radio reciever on a model airplane. In such a circumstance, there was nobody to send a 'read' signal back to. So the servo has a very tight internal control loop -- from a variable resistor tied to the shaft, to internal electronics which drive the shaft. That control loop can't be read outside the servo.

Of course, you can always add a position sensor to the shaft of the servo, but that's not really "simple".

The good news is, if you give it a 1 mSec pulse, to a 2 mSec pulse, with 1.5 mSec mid-position, it shouldn't hit its stops.

Paul Sr.

froslie said...
I'm curious if there is a simple way to read a servo position? I'm using a standard servo and don't want to worry about it hitting its rotational limit. It could simply go the other direction.

thanks

Yes, there apparently IS a way. Beau Schwabe accomplished this with the Propeller and standard servos and stated "Note: This could also be accomplished with a BS1,BS2, SX, etc.".

http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=678797

stephenwagner

Nu-Botics has several products to control, close the loop, the position of standard·servos.

Here is one.

http://www.nubotics.com/products/ww01/index.html

SJW