How Servo Motors Work?

Servo motors are small in size but pack a big punch and are very energy efficient. They can be used used in industrial applications, robotics, in-line manufacturing, pharmaceutics and even food services. But how do servo motors work? In order to totally understand how the servo motors work, you need to know what is inside the servo motors. Under the hood, there is a pretty simple set-up: a small DC motor, potentiometer and a control circuit. The motor is attached to the control wheel through gears. As the motor rotates, the potentiometer's resistance changes. Consequently, the control circuit can accurately regulate how much movement there is and in which direction.

If the shaft of the motor is at the desired position, power supplied to the motor wil be cut automatically. If not, the motor is turned in the appropriate direction. The desired position is sent via electrical pulses through the signal wire. The motor's speed is proportional to the difference between its actual position and desired position. So if the motor is close to the desired position, it will turn slowly, otherwise it will turn fast. This is called proportional control. It means the motor will only run as hard as necessary to accomplish the task at hand, a very efficient tool.