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diff --git a/docs/tutorial/servo.rst b/docs/tutorial/servo.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..31ab47d109 --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/tutorial/servo.rst @@ -0,0 +1,146 @@ +Controlling hobby servo motors +============================== + +There are 4 dedicated connection points on the pyboard for connecting up +hobby servo motors (see eg +[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servo_%28radio_control%29)). +These motors have 3 wires: ground, power and signal. On the pyboard you +can connect them in the bottom right corner, with the signal pin on the +far right. Pins X1, X2, X3 and X4 are the 4 dedicated servo signal pins. + +<img src="/static/doc/pyboard-servo.jpg" alt="pyboard with servo motors" style="width:250px; border:1px solid black; display:inline-block;"/> + +In this picture there are male-male double adaptors to connect the servos +to the header pins on the pyboard. + +The ground wire on a servo is usually the darkest coloured one, either +black or dark brown. The power wire will most likely be red. + +The power pin for the servos (labelled VIN) is connected directly to the +input power source of the pyboard. When powered via USB, VIN is powered +through a diode by the 5V USB power line. Connect to USB, the pyboard can +power at least 4 small to medium sized servo motors. + +If using a battery to power the pyboard and run servo motors, make sure it +is not greater than 6V, since this is the maximum voltage most servo motors +can take. (Some motors take only up to 4.8V, so check what type you are +using.) + +Creating a Servo object +----------------------- + +Plug in a servo to position 1 (the one with pin X1) and create a servo object +using:: + + >>> servo1 = pyb.Servo(1) + +To change the angle of the servo use the ``angle`` method:: + + >>> servo1.angle(45) + >>> servo1.angle(-60) + +The angle here is measured in degrees, and ranges from about -90 to +90, +depending on the motor. Calling ``angle`` without parameters will return +the current angle:: + + >>> servo1.angle() + -60 + +Note that for some angles, the returned angle is not exactly the same as +the angle you set, due to rounding errors in setting the pulse width. + +You can pass a second parameter to the ``angle`` method, which specifies how +long to take (in milliseconds) to reach the desired angle. For example, to +take 1 second (1000 milliseconds) to go from the current position to 50 degrees, +use :: + + >>> servo1.angle(50, 1000) + +This command will return straight away and the servo will continue to move +to the desired angle, and stop when it gets there. You can use this feature +as a speed control, or to synchronise 2 or more servo motors. If we have +another servo motor (``servo2 = pyb.Servo(2)``) then we can do :: + + >>> servo1.angle(-45, 2000); servo2.angle(60, 2000) + +This will move the servos together, making them both take 2 seconds to +reach their final angles. + +Note: the semicolon between the 2 expressions above is used so that they +are executed one after the other when you press enter at the REPL prompt. +In a script you don't need to do this, you can just write them one line +after the other. + +Continuous rotation servos +-------------------------- + +So far we have been using standard servos that move to a specific angle +and stay at that angle. These servo motors are useful to create joints +of a robot, or things like pan-tilt mechanisms. Internally, the motor +has a variable resistor (potentiometer) which measures the current angle +and applies power to the motor proportional to how far it is from the +desired angle. The desired angle is set by the width of a high-pulse on +the servo signal wire. A pulse width of 1500 microsecond corresponds +to the centre position (0 degrees). The pulses are sent at 50 Hz, ie +50 pulses per second. + +You can also get **continuous rotation** servo motors which turn +continuously clockwise or counterclockwise. The direction and speed of +rotation is set by the pulse width on the signal wire. A pulse width +of 1500 microseconds corresponds to a stopped motor. A pulse width +smaller or larger than this means rotate one way or the other, at a +given speed. + +On the pyboard, the servo object for a continuous rotation motor is +the same as before. In fact, using ``angle`` you can set the speed. But +to make it easier to understand what is intended, there is another method +called ``speed`` which sets the speed:: + + >>> servo1.speed(30) + +``speed`` has the same functionality as ``angle``: you can get the speed, +set it, and set it with a time to reach the final speed. :: + + >>> servo1.speed() + 30 + >>> servo1.speed(-20) + >>> servo1.speed(0, 2000) + +The final command above will set the motor to stop, but take 2 seconds +to do it. This is essentially a control over the acceleration of the +continuous servo. + +A servo speed of 100 (or -100) is considered maximum speed, but actually +you can go a bit faster than that, depending on the particular motor. + +The only difference between the ``angle`` and ``speed`` methods (apart from +the name) is the way the input numbers (angle or speed) are converted to +a pulse width. + +Calibration +----------- + +The conversion from angle or speed to pulse width is done by the servo +object using its calibration values. To get the current calibration, +use :: + + >>> servo1.calibration() + (640, 2420, 1500, 2470, 2200) + +There are 5 numbers here, which have meaning: + +1. Minimum pulse width; the smallest pulse width that the servo accepts. +2. Maximum pulse width; the largest pulse width that the servo accepts. +3. Centre pulse width; the pulse width that puts the servo at 0 degrees + or 0 speed. +4. The pulse width corresponding to 90 degrees. This sets the conversion + in the method ``angle`` of angle to pulse width. +5. The pulse width corresponding to a speed of 100. This sets the conversion + in the method ``speed`` of speed to pulse width. + +You can recalibrate the servo (change its default values) by using:: + + >>> servo1.calibration(700, 2400, 1510, 2500, 2000) + +Of course, you would change the above values to suit your particular +servo motor. |