Off The Wall Question On Rc Servo Controllers


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I don't frequent any robotics groups, so I am hoping that someone can refer me to a better source if they don't have an answer. Google has been no help

I am looking into building a robotics project using a parallax servo RC controller to control standard RC servos. I only need 4 servos for the project, but I have 16 availible for use. I want to use a few of the spare controller feedback lines as sensors for limit switches. The question is, can I do this?

The way I understand servos is they are essentally trying to match 2 signals. The position signal from the controller (the desired position) with the actual position which comes from a variable resistor. The servo controller sends a signal to the motor to turn, until the values match, then it stops. The controller I will be using has the ability to sense the position of the variable resistor and report it back at any time. So if I just remove the servo and replace it with a switch, possibly paired with a resistor to simulate a real positions value, the controller would attempt to drive the non-existent motor until the switch is depressed. If tuned correctly, the switch would simulate and feed back a single position to the controller, effectively setting up a yes/no situation.

If this seems like a $100 fix to a $5 problem, realize that I have unused servo controler slots on the board and I would have to buy or build another circuit to interface switches via a USB device.

TIA,

BH

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