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DIY: Servo System

You can make a servo system by modifying one or more servos to spin in a continuous rotation without stopping. This allows you to spin a fan or power the movement of another object. The object to move is connected to a shaft on the servo motor. To do this, you will need to access the internal parts of a servo motor.

Things You'll Need

1 servo motor
Phillips head screwdriver
Soldering iron
Solder sucker
Small screwdriver
2 2.2K resistors
Wire cutters
Needle nose pliers

Instructions

- 1
  Locate the four screws used to secure the outer casing of the servo. Remove these screws using the Phillips head screwdriver. Be careful to not let the top cover come off of the servo.
- 2
  Take off the bottom cover to expose a small circuit board. Locate the motor terminals at the top of the circuit board. Locate the potentiometer leads above the wire connections.
- 3
  Detach both of the motor terminals and the potentiometer leads using the soldering iron with the solder sucker. Carefully take the circuit board out of the servo casing by prying with a small screwdriver. Pull the potentiometer out of the servo casing.
- 4
  Twist one of the leads from a 2.2k resistor around the lead of the other. Make sure to position the body of each resistor close together. Solder the leads together using the soldering iron. Trim the excess wire lead with the wire cutters. This will leave you with two attached resistors with three leads.
- 5
  Insert the leads on the attached resistors into the holes for the potentiometer leads on the circuit board. Solder the leads to the circuit board with the soldering iron. Cut off the excess wire.
- 6
  Remove the top cover of the servo casing to expose the gears. Take off the top gear from the servo and set it aside.
- 7
  Locate the output gear for the servo. This gear will be the one that has a mechanical stop. Take the gear off and remove the mechanical stop with the wire cutters.
- 8
  Set the gears back in place inside of the servo casing. Set the circuit board back in the servo casing and tighten the screws. Test the servo to see if it turns without stopping.

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