Tutorial 15 – Controlling a Servo Motor with Arduino

Welcome back to the CraftedTech Engineering Arduino tutorial series! In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to control a servo motor with Arduino. Servo motors are perfect for precise angular movements, making them ideal for robotics, automated doors, or even a pan-and-tilt camera system.

🔌 What You’ll Need

  • 1 Arduino Board (e.g., Arduino UNO)
  • 1 Servo Motor
  • Jumper wires
  • Breadboard
  • USB cable for Arduino

You can order the required components here:

🧠 What Is a Servo Motor?

A servo motor is a small motor that can rotate to a specific position based on an input signal. It can rotate to precise angles (typically from 0° to 180°) and is commonly used in robotics for tasks like steering, opening/closing, or tilting.

🧾 Step-by-Step Instructions

🔧 Step 1: Wiring the Servo Motor

  • Connect the VCC pin of the servo to the 5V pin on the Arduino.
  • Connect the GND pin of the servo to the GND pin on the Arduino.
  • Connect the Signal pin of the servo to digital pin 9 on the Arduino.

💻 Step 2: Arduino Code to Control the Servo

#include <Servo.h> // Include the Servo library Servo myServo; // Create a servo object void setup() { myServo.attach(9); // Attach the servo to digital pin 9 } void loop() { myServo.write(0); // Move the servo to 0 degrees delay(1000); // Wait for 1 second myServo.write(90); // Move the servo to 90 degrees delay(1000); // Wait for 1 second myServo.write(180); // Move the servo to 180 degrees delay(1000); // Wait for 1 second }

🔍 Code Breakdown

  • #include <Servo.h>: Includes the Servo library, making it easy to control servos.
  • Servo myServo; Creates a servo object to control the servo motor.
  • myServo.attach(9); Attaches the servo to digital pin 9 on the Arduino.
  • myServo.write(): Moves the servo to the specified angle (0, 90, or 180 degrees in this case).
  • delay(): Pauses the program for a specified time (1000 milliseconds = 1 second).

🧪 Try This!

  • Experiment with different angles in myServo.write() (e.g., 45, 135, etc.).
  • Try adding a PWM input (using a potentiometer) to control the servo’s position.

🛠️ Troubleshooting Tips

  • Ensure the servo is properly powered; some servos require external power sources.
  • Check the Signal pin connection to ensure it's firmly attached to digital pin 9.
  • If the servo doesn’t respond, test with a different digital pin and update your code accordingly.

🧭 What You Learned in This Tutorial

✔️ How to wire and control a servo motor with Arduino
✔️ How to use the Servo library for precise angle control
✔️ How to programmatically move a servo to specific positions
✔️ How to control the servo’s movement with myServo.write()

📌 Next Up: Tutorial 16 – Reading Temperature with a Thermistor

In the next tutorial, we’ll teach you how to measure temperature using a thermistor and Arduino. You’ll be able to build a simple temperature sensing system!

📣 Don’t forget to follow CraftedTech Engineering for more hands-on tutorials and project ideas!

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