ServoEasing VS TomServo

Hi, all. titles not a 100% accurate. i was able to take the threeServos code example off the library's github(https://github.com/ArminJo/ServoEasing/blob/master/examples/ThreeServos/ThreeServos.ino) and butcher it to my purposes. but now i'm not able to change the motor speed, no matter what number i use for the setSpeedForAllServos() function the motors always move at the same speed. but frankly i dont even understand how the code i have here works.

I have a robot that looks similar to yours and I can stop an issue with your current software. The reason your entire arm is flexing when the servo stops is of course realated the weak first link between the upper part oft the arm and the socket. But an easy way to fix it (get around it) is by utilizing easing. When the servo should go from 0 to 90 degrees, make it go really slowy from 0 to 20 maybe and then reallt fast from 70 to 90 make it go slowly again. Of course you can use cubic easing to get a velocity near zero before the servo stops. A great library that you can use us ServoEasing. https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/libraries/servoeasing/ GitHub: https://github.com/ArminJo/ServoEasing

Since you mention servos, another thing to think about is the whole issue of wasted power when the servos are not moving. Check out my TomServo library and related articles to learn how you can eliminate much of the power wasted on your servos when they are not actually moving.

I used this exact technique on my animatronic eyes project as well. If you would like to avoid reinventing the wheel I have wrapped the technique into an Arduino Library called TomServo if you'd like to check it out.

If you don't want to implement the code for this yourself I wrote the TomServo Arduino Library that actually takes care of all of the details for you. You can install it from within the IDE using the library manager.

*On a related note I wrote an Arduino Library called TomServo that disengages the servos when they aren't actively moving and it re-engages them when a new position has been written to them. The technique I use reduces the power requirements for servo related projects by around ~60% or so. I'm not sure if it would be useful when using a servo controller but if you do use a separate servo controller (as opposed to directly connecting the servo conrtol signals to Arduino pins) I'd love to hear whether it works with them as well if you try it. I could see how it might work great but I could also see how it might not since a lot depends on the design of the controllers themselves.

Servo motors consume a decent amount of power even when they are standing still. Take a look at the Arduino TomServo Library. It places the servos into a high-z state when they aren't moving which cuts the amount of power they consume down to almost nothing! Multiply that by all of the motors you have and that's quite a lot. It will probably eliminate all of the buzzing sounds unless you engage too many of them at once for your power supply.

The TomServo library will detach() the servos when they aren't moving which stops the drive circuitry in the servo from engaging and it greatly reduces the total amount of power being sucked down by your servo motors.

In addition to all of the other great responses here you might want to take a look at using something like the TomServo Arduino Library (shameless plug). I wrote it for a robotic arm project I did many years ago that was battery powered and had 4 servos in it.

It depends. How much torque/resistance will they have? Do they all need to be on at the same time? Can you measure the current used by one of them under the nominal load? Depending on your project you can save a ton of energy if you detach them once they are in position. This might help you out.

TomServo allows you to use less energy in projects that involve servo motors. By stopping the servo from pulling current after it has finished moving you can greatly reduce the amount of power needed for a servo project. Even to the point that you can have a battery powered servo project that won't run out of juice on the first day! 😉

Button Gestures and TomServo! They both need example schematics and directions for use and that is ongoing. I'd love any feedback if you find them useful or think of something that could be improved. And of course contributions from anyone who sees a sharp edge that needs sanding down are more than welcome! 😏