Pololu Micro Serial Servo Controller (assembled)

At only 23 x 23mm, the Pololu micro serial servo controller is the smallest, highest-performance serial servo controller you’ll find. With individual speed and range control of eight servos and over 12 bits of resolution, this tiny device has the features you would expect in a latest-generation design, all for a surprisingly affordable price.

Not currently available

Our Code: MCU-60006

Supplier Link: [Pololu MPN:207]


Overview

The Pololu micro serial servo controller (SSC) is a very compact solution for controlling up to eight radio control (RC) servos from a computer or microcontroller. The controller measures just 23mm x 23mm, yet it is one of the most full-featured servo controllers available. Each servo speed and range can be controlled independently, the baud rate is detected automatically over a 1200-38400 bps range, and multiple units can be daisy-chained on one serial line to control up to 128 servos. Three status LEDs and an integrated level converter for RS-232 applications get you up and running quickly. The micro serial servo controller is dwarfed by even a standard servo, but it can control any standard RC servos, including giant 1/4-scale servos.

This servo controller supports two separate communication protocols. One protocol offers individual range and speed control for each servo. This servo controller is also compatible with the Scott Edwards MiniSSC II servo controller and any software written for it.

The servo controller is less than half the size and price of most 16-channel servo controllers. This means that the micro servo controller is an ideal solution even if you need to control more than eight servos, as in the case of a six-legged walking robot. Having multiple smaller controllers means less of a wiring mess since servos in one section of the robot can be connected to a more local controller.

 

 

 

The back side of the board has all of the ports labelled, and two mounting holes allow you to secure the controller to your project. The logic supply and the servo supply can be tied together for single-battery operation, or the on-board voltage regulator allows the logic supply to be as high as 16V.


Specifications

PCB size: 0.91" x 0.91"
Servo ports: 8
Resolution: 0.5 µs (about 0.05°)
Range: 250-2750 µs
Logic supply voltage: 5-16 V
Data voltage: 0 and 5 V
Pulse rate: 50 Hz
Serial baud rate: 1200-38400 (automatically detected)
Current consumption: 5 mA (average)


Resources

Documentation and other information

Pololu Serial Transmitter utility for Windows (Printable PDF: pololu_serial_transmitter.pdf)

A simple serial transmitter utility for Windows that lets you transmit sequences of bytes at 9600 baud to a selectable COM port. This program can be conveniently used to send commands to our serially controllable devices.