Programming a Servo

[RoboAlum]

So our programmer is in his first year and does not really know how to program a servo in LabView yet he has burned out two of them already and rather than changing them out every match I would rather have him do it correctly. I as a mentor stay as far from programming as I can we also lost our programming mentor a few years ago and have yet to find a replacement. Any help will be appreciated the servo is used for pushing the ball into the shooter wheels, but if he can this we can also use servos for shifting gears.

Thanks

[Alan Anderson]

For our purposes, "programming" a servo is just telling it what position to turn to. If it's free to move, it will go there and stop.

If you're burning them out, it's almost certainly because you're mechanically preventing them from getting to where they're being told to go, and they keep trying to run the motor until something overheats.

The "solution" is to determine the minimum and maximum safe positions to send them to, and never command them to go outside that range.

[Ether]

Originally Posted by RoboAlum

he has burned out two of them... the servo is used for pushing the ball into the shooter wheels... we can also use servos for shifting gears.

Can you please post the design calculations you did to determine that what you are asking the servo to do falls within its specified capabilities?

[RoboAlum]

Well programming like is it digital or does he put it the motor slots. And I do think he was telling it to go too far. It is used to push the ball into the shooter it goes roughly 45 degrees.

[RoboAlum]

Here is a picture of the servo and the servo arm we have its a HS-645MG HiTec servo

[Ether]

Originally Posted by RoboAlum

Here is a picture of the servo and the servo arm we have its a HS-645MG HiTec servo

That little unit weighs less than 2 ounces and has a peak power of 1.2 watts.

You're asking it to push the boulder into the shooter wheels.

Could it be it's just not up to the task, and that's why you are burning them up?

[RoboAlum]

We inherited a bunch of them and used what we had. Is there any servo you would recommend?

[Ether]

Originally Posted by RoboAlum

We inherited a bunch of them and used what we had.

That's why I was asking this question earlier:

Originally Posted by Ether

Can you please post the design calculations you did to determine that what you are asking the servo to do falls within its specified capabilities?

Is there any servo you would recommend?

You haven't provided enough information about your design to make a recommendation.

Take a look at JVN's spreadsheet. It will show you what data you need to do a reasonable calculation.