W03. Movement 04
To close off the Movement module, we are going to build up to the design of a servo motor. We have all of the necessary components: DC motors, drivers, potentiometers, and PWM control. We will see a real-life servo, look at the "guts," and then create a large-scale model servo to figure out how it works.
Pre-readings and Videos
The readings for today are all about servos. The first tells you everything you need to know for this course, but the next two are common hobbyist use cases for servos. They're there for inspiration!
Understanding Arduino and Servo Motors
Again, Paul Mcwhorter's Arduino series is excellent at explaining the details behind servo motors.
RC Airplanes with Servos
Remote-controlled airplane hobby shops used to be the only place you could get good, reliable, cheap (enough) servos. With robotics becoming more popular, they're no longer a niche item, but it's useful to see non-robotics applications and explanations.
Overwatch Cosplay with Servos
This is a beautiful piece of artistic electro-mechanical design. There are many, many examples on the internet of excellent cosplay uses of servos. You don't need an electrical engineering degree to make beautiful costumes!
Using various Encoders
This is a nice video about the different kinds of encoders, including the one you will use in lab.
Summary of the Day
Lesson. Robot system hierarchies. Activity. Wire a servo.
- Activity. How does a Servo work?
- Class notes. TK after lecture.
- Class notes. Available here
Learning Goals
- Be able to use a potentiometer as a rotational encoder (e.g., through mechanical coupling like in a servo).
- Wire and use a servo for precision movement in robot designs.
- Design a robotic architecture with decomposable modules that can run independently in parallel.