Interactive Artwork Servo not working

[deleted-406218]

HELP! We followed directions to build the servo motor with the breadboard for the Interactive Art Work Project. At one point, we heard the servo turning, before we added the diode. It worked intermittently, but the photo resistors were definitely working sometimes. When we finished, it would not work. We took it apart and rebuilt it and NOTHING.

We tried the trouble shooting steps, also those did not cause it to work. We read a posting about if the server could be turned by hand or not. Ours can be turned by hand.

He must have this project completed by the end of this week. Any help you can give us would be great. We ordered the servo and all the parts here from Jameco. Could one be bad? Why would it work intermittently before, but not now?

Aaron

[rmarz]

aarongarcia1 - Sorry you haven't gotten any response. It seems that you have evaluated the components and they seem to be working. The 555 timer in this circuit creates a PWM (pulse width modulated) signal that drives the servo motor. I can't verify the schematic diagram as being of the optimum design, but the 555 is a fairly simple circuit. Prototyping boards can be tricky so if you have a multimeter, you might check to see if your rows and columns are wired the way you believe the schematic is written. Use an ohmmeter setting to check for connection or 'no connection' for verification. There are many YouTube videos showing applications of the 555 as a PWM generator driving RC servos. You may want to view a few of these. Here is a link to an example. This uses a single photoresistor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnqGmk-Ad5U

You can also search for terms like '555 as PWM for driving RC servo'. You will get several hits.

My first thought is that there may be a wiring error in the breadboard. Maybe take it out of the equation and carefully solder the components together, using the breadboard only as a socket for the 555, jumper to it.

You might find that the 555 is bad, they're not expensive and you might find one at a nearby Radio Shack.

Good luck.

Rick Marz

[deleted-406218]

Thanks, we did try replacing the 555, and it didn't make a difference.

[LeungWilley]

Sorry for the late response. If you apply power directly to the servo, does it turn on?
With your description of the circuit working intermittently, it sounds like you could have a bad connection some where in the wires. If you have a volt meter, see if you can find where the voltage stops, that's going to be your faulty component.
Good Luck!
Willey