How to Control a Servo With an Arduino

Tutorial: How to Control a Servo with an Arduino

Materials Needed:

• Arduino board
• Servo motor
• Potentiometer
• Breadboard
• Wires
• Power supply

Step 1: Setting up the Circuit

1. Connect a wire from the 5V port on the Arduino to the positive rail of the breadboard.
2. Connect another wire from the ground port on the Arduino to the ground rail of the breadboard.
3. Connect a wire from the 5V rail on the breadboard to the left side of the potentiometer.
4. Connect the right side of the potentiometer to the ground rail on the breadboard.
5. Connect the center pin of the potentiometer to port A0 on the Arduino.
6. Connect a wire from the 5V rail on the breadboard to the servo motor.
7. Connect the ground wire of the servo motor to the ground rail on the breadboard.
8. Connect the signal wire of the servo motor to port 9 on the Arduino.

Step 2: Connecting Arduino to PC

1. Connect the Arduino board to your PC using a USB cable.
2. Download the Arduino code from the provided links in the video description.

Step 3: Writing the Code

1. Open the Arduino IDE on your PC.
2. Copy and paste the basic code provided in the video at the top of your sketch.
3. Declare the servo library by typing #include <Servo.h>.
4. Create an object for the servo by declaring Servo servo1;.
5. Specify the pin connected to the servo motor (in this case, pin 9) by typing int servoPin = 9;.
6. Declare the potentiometer input by typing int potentiometerPin = A0;.
7. Link the servo to the specified pin by typing servo1.attach(servoPin);.
8. Read the value from the potentiometer by typing int potValue = analogRead(potentiometerPin);.
9. Map the potentiometer value to servo position by typing int angle = map(potValue, 0, 1023, 0, 180);.
10. Set the servo position by typing servo1.write(angle);.

Step 4: Uploading and Testing

1. Upload the code to the Arduino board.
2. Once uploaded, you should be able to control the servo motor position using the potentiometer.

Step 5: Further Exploration

1. Experiment with more advanced circuits and functionalities using the Arduino and servo motor.
2. Check out additional tutorials and resources provided by The Engineering Mindset for further learning.

By following these steps, you can successfully control a servo motor using an Arduino and a potentiometer. Enjoy experimenting with different projects and expanding your knowledge in electronics and programming!