Servo Troubleshooting notes
Servo Troubleshooting
Ostendorff
Forcing a servo to rotate when off can damage it.
Malfunction:Servo makes a grinding noise or acts erratic
| Probable Cause | Corrective Action | Source |
| Examine gears for broken teeth | Replace gears | General |
| | | |
Malfunction:Servo Jitters
| Probable Cause | Corrective Action | Source |
| Dirty potentiometer | Use zero residue contact cleaner | General |
| | | |
Malfunction:Hunting
| Probable Cause | Corrective Action | Source |
| Underpowered servos don’t move exactly to position, but go back and forth near it | Use servo with more torque | Grusin |
| | | |
Malfunction:Servo is locked in place
| Probable Cause | Corrective Action | Source |
| Gears not aligned | Check alignment | General |
| Top case worn | Inspect top case for wear.Replace if needed | General |
| | | |
Malfunction:Servo hums under load
| Probable Cause | Corrective Action | Source |
| Servo trying to hold position | Use servo with higher torque | General |
| Servo has forgotten words | Find lyrics | |
| | | |
Malfunction:Servo gets hot
| Probable Cause | Corrective Action | Source |
| Overheating | Check wiring | General |
| Gears binding | Check alignment | General |
| | | |
Malfunction:Servo is clicking
| Probable Cause | Corrective Action | Source |
| Gears are binding | Check servo for wear Replace gears | Grusin |
| | | |
Malfunction:Erratic operation
| Probable Cause | Corrective Action | Source |
| Trying to make servo switch too quickly | Slow operation Use faster servo | Grusin |
| Low battery | Replace battery | |
| | | |
"General Servo Information." Hitec, n.d. Web. 4 May 2017. < https://www.robotshop.com/media/files/pdf/servomanual.pdf >.
Grusin, Mike. "SparkFun Hobby Servo Tutorial." Learn at SparkFun Electronics. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017. < https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/hobby-servo-tutorial >.
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