Servo Basics
A servo motor is different from regular motors because you can
control how far and how fast it turns using computer programming.
Mini servo motors are great for using with simple robots, because
they can be controlled directly by small boards like the micro:bit.
They’re not very powerful, but they’re perfect for lightweight
designs made with paper and cardboard. (Bigger servos and regular
motors need add-on hardware to work with microcontrollers.)
Just like regular motors, servos have a shaft — the part of the
motor that sticks out and spins. To help you attach things to it, the
servos you will use come with interchangeable horns — little plastic
arms that snap onto the motor shaft. You usually get a variety of
shapes with each servo. They all have tiny holes you can tie or hook
things to, and come with a screw if you want to connect something
to the servo more permanently.
There are two kinds of servo motors you may run into when
building simple robots. For the projects in this book, you will be
using positional servo motors. These motors can only turn halfway
around, then pivot back. In robotics, they’re used for heads, arms,
legs, and other parts that need to swing back and forth. For spinning
wheels or cranks, small robots use continuous servo motors,
which look just like regular servo motors but can rotate all the way
around. Make sure
you are using the
right kind of servo
motor (and the right
MakeCode blocks)
for your robot!