8
\$\begingroup\$

My friend Jules asks:

The aim is to get as many servo motor controls as possible - looks like the maximum an Arduino will output is 14?

Digital I/O Pins54 (of which 14 provide PWM output)

I guess then it becomes a software issue to synchronise multiple Mega boards? - ie 14 x 14 array using 14 boards

\$\endgroup\$
1
  • \$\begingroup\$ I think when you say "servo-motor", you mean the integrated radio-control-model type of "servo"s? Generally, "servo motor" means the motor used in a PID (or similar) closed-loop servo system. From the title, I thought this question was about implementing multiple simultaneous servo-control-loops on a atmega. \$\endgroup\$
    – Connor Wolf
    Commented Aug 16, 2013 at 3:49

5 Answers 5

Reset to default
10
\$\begingroup\$

I would also go for same route todbot suggested. However since I am a big fan of I2C I am using SD21 servo controller which can drive 21 servos. If you need even more there is SD84 servo controller which can drive (you guessed it) 84 servos.

\$\endgroup\$
7
\$\begingroup\$

If you want to drive multiple servos, the better route might be to hook a few dedicated servo controllers to a single Arduino. There are many open source examples of servo controllers out there, but you can also buy fulling built ones. For instance, here's a Polulu 8-servo controller and a Pololu 16-servo controller. Get a few of those, hook them up to any digital pins of the Arduino and use the SoftSerial library to send commands to them.

\$\endgroup\$
1
  • \$\begingroup\$ The servo controllers you are recommending are out of date. The new Maestro family of servo controllers is better in every way. pololu.com/catalog/category/12 \$\endgroup\$
    – ryantm
    Commented Sep 30, 2010 at 15:19
1
\$\begingroup\$

I agree with the other guys, use a dedicated servo controller.

I'm in the process of building my own for my hexapod robot, see here source code and schematics available.

\$\endgroup\$
1
\$\begingroup\$

Another approach is to use "digital" servos, such as OpenServo. That way you can drive a dozen or so servos using 2 Arduino pins, and a dozen or so more servos using 2 more pins.

\$\endgroup\$
1
\$\begingroup\$

I use a SSC-32 Servo Controller from Lynxmotion. It uses an ATmega8 or ATmega168 and can control up to 32 servos. You can find everything (circuit diagram, firmware) to build it on their page. I built one myself and it worked fine.

\$\endgroup\$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.