SERVO MOTOR-SG90

Description

🤖 SG90 Servo Motor – Micro Servo for Robotics and RC Applications

The SG90 Micro Servo Motor is a compact, lightweight, and affordable servo motor widely used in robotics, RC models, and DIY projects. This analog servo provides precise angular control with 180-degree rotation capability, making it perfect for applications requiring accurate positioning such as robot arms, camera gimbals, RC vehicles, and hobby projects. With its standard 3-wire interface and universal mounting accessories, the SG90 is compatible with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and most microcontroller platforms.

✨ Key Highlights

📐 Compact Size – Ultra-small form factor: 22.2mm x 11.8mm x 31mm
🔄 180° Rotation – Precise angular positioning from 0° to 180°
⚡ 4.8V – 6V Operation – Standard servo voltage range
💪 1.8kg·cm Torque @ 4.8V – Sufficient power for lightweight applications
⚙️ Analog Control – Standard PWM signal (50Hz, 1-2ms pulse width)
📱 Arduino Compatible – Works with Servo library out-of-the-box
🔧 Complete Accessories – Mounting hardware and servo horns included
⚖️ Lightweight – Only 9 grams, perfect for small robots
🎯 Good Precision – Accurate positioning for hobby applications
💰 Cost Effective – Best price-to-performance ratio

📊 Technical Specifications

Specification	Details
🏷️ Model Number	SG90 (Tower Pro or equivalent)
🔧 Servo Type	Analog Micro Servo
⚡ Operating Voltage	4.8V – 6V DC
🔋 Recommended Voltage	5V DC (standard)
💡 No-Load Current	~170mA @ 4.8V / ~220mA @ 6V
⚙️ Stall Current (Max)	~650mA @ 4.8V / ~800mA @ 6V
💪 Torque @ 4.8V	1.8kg·cm (25oz·in)
💪 Torque @ 6V	2.2kg·cm (31oz·in)
🔄 Rotation Range	0° to 180° (approximately)
⏱️ Speed @ 4.8V	0.12 sec/60° (no load)
⏱️ Speed @ 6V	0.10 sec/60° (no load)
📡 Control Signal	PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)
🔊 PWM Frequency	50Hz (20ms period)
📏 Pulse Width Range	1ms (0°) to 2ms (180°), 1.5ms (90° center)
🎯 Neutral Position	1.5ms pulse width (90°)
🔌 Connector Type	Standard 3-pin servo connector (female)
📏 Wire Length	~250mm (25cm)
⚙️ Gear Type	Plastic gears (Nylon)
🔩 Output Shaft	Spline shaft (standard servo horn compatible)
🌡️ Operating Temperature	0°C to +55°C
📐 Dimensions (L x W x H)	22.2mm x 11.8mm x 31mm (including mounting tabs)
⚖️ Weight	~9g (0.3oz)
🔧 Mounting Holes	2x mounting tabs with holes
🔩 Mounting Screw Size	M2 screws (included)

🔌 Wire Color & Pin Configuration

Wire Color	Function	Connection
Brown (or Black)	Ground (GND)	Connect to power supply ground / Arduino GND
Red	Power (VCC)	Connect to +5V (4.8V-6V) power supply
Orange (or Yellow/White)	Control Signal (PWM)	Connect to MCU PWM pin (Arduino D9, D10, etc.)

📏 PWM Pulse Width to Angle Mapping

Angle Position	Pulse Width	Duty Cycle @ 50Hz
0° (Minimum)	1.0ms (1000µs)	~5%
45°	1.25ms (1250µs)	~6.25%
90° (Center)	1.5ms (1500µs)	~7.5%
135°	1.75ms (1750µs)	~8.75%
180° (Maximum)	2.0ms (2000µs)	~10%

🎯 Perfect For

Application	Description
🤖 Robot Arms	Lightweight robotic arm joints, small grippers, pan-tilt mechanisms
🚗 RC Vehicles	Steering control for small RC cars, boats, aircraft rudders
✈️ RC Aircraft	Control surfaces (ailerons, elevators, rudders) for small planes
📷 Camera Gimbals	Pan-tilt camera mounts, FPV camera stabilization
🎓 Educational Projects	Arduino learning, robotics workshops, STEM education
🎨 Art Installations	Kinetic art, interactive displays, moving sculptures
🏠 Home Automation	Automated blinds, valve control, door locks
🎮 Animatronics	Small animated figures, puppet control, facial expressions
🔬 Lab Equipment	Sample positioning, automated testing, optical alignment
🎯 Hobby Projects	DIY makers, prototype development, Arduino experiments
🌱 Garden Automation	Automated plant watering direction control
📡 Antenna Positioning	Small antenna rotators, directional control

📦 Package Contents

✅ 1x SG90 Micro Servo Motor
✅ 4x Servo Horns (various shapes: single arm, cross, double arm, star)
✅ 4x Mounting Screws (M2 for servo horns)
✅ 2x Mounting Brackets/Tabs (if separate)
✅ 25cm 3-wire cable with connector
⚠️ Note: Servo horn screws are small – handle carefully
⚠️ Note: Power supply NOT included (5V recommended)
⚠️ Note: Servo extension cables sold separately

💻 Arduino Code Examples

Basic Servo Sweep (Using Servo Library)

Code Snippet

Code Snippet
`#include <Servo.h> Servo myServo; // Create servo object void setup() { myServo.attach(9); // Attach servo to pin 9 Serial.begin(9600); Serial.println("SG90 Servo Test"); }` `void loop() { // Sweep from 0° to 180° for (int angle = 0; angle <= 180; angle++) { myServo.write(angle); delay(15); // Wait for servo to reach position } // Sweep back from 180° to 0° for (int angle = 180; angle >= 0; angle--) { myServo.write(angle); delay(15); } }`



#include <Servo.h>
Servo myServo; // Create servo object
void setup() {

  myServo.attach(9); // Attach servo to pin 9

  Serial.begin(9600);

  Serial.println("SG90 Servo Test");

}

void loop() { // Sweep from 0° to 180° for (int angle = 0; angle <= 180; angle++) { myServo.write(angle); delay(15); // Wait for servo to reach position } // Sweep back from 180° to 0° for (int angle = 180; angle >= 0; angle--) { myServo.write(angle); delay(15); } }

Precise Angle Control

Code Snippet

Code Snippet
`#include <Servo.h> Servo myServo; const int SERVO_PIN = 9; void setup() { myServo.attach(SERVO_PIN); Serial.begin(9600); Serial.println("Enter angle (0-180):"); }` `void loop() { if (Serial.available() > 0) { int angle = Serial.parseInt(); // Constrain angle to valid range angle = constrain(angle, 0, 180); myServo.write(angle); Serial.print("Servo moved to: "); Serial.print(angle); Serial.println("°"); } }`



#include <Servo.h>
Servo myServo;

const int SERVO_PIN = 9;
void setup() {

  myServo.attach(SERVO_PIN);

  Serial.begin(9600);

  Serial.println("Enter angle (0-180):");

}

void loop() { if (Serial.available() > 0) { int angle = Serial.parseInt(); // Constrain angle to valid range angle = constrain(angle, 0, 180); myServo.write(angle); Serial.print("Servo moved to: "); Serial.print(angle); Serial.println("°"); } }

Multiple Servo Control

Code Snippet

Code Snippet
`#include <Servo.h> Servo servo1, servo2, servo3; void setup() { servo1.attach(9); // Base rotation servo2.attach(10); // Shoulder servo3.attach(11); // Gripper // Initialize to center positions servo1.write(90); servo2.write(90); servo3.write(90); }` `void loop() { // Example: Simple robot arm sequence // Move to position 1 servo1.write(45); servo2.write(60); servo3.write(30); // Open gripper delay(1000); // Close gripper servo3.write(90); delay(500); // Move to position 2 servo1.write(135); servo2.write(120); delay(1000); // Release servo3.write(30); delay(500); // Return to center servo1.write(90); servo2.write(90); delay(1000); }`



#include <Servo.h>
Servo servo1, servo2, servo3;
void setup() {

  servo1.attach(9);  // Base rotation

  servo2.attach(10); // Shoulder

  servo3.attach(11); // Gripper

  

  // Initialize to center positions

  servo1.write(90);

  servo2.write(90);

  servo3.write(90);

}

void loop() { // Example: Simple robot arm sequence // Move to position 1 servo1.write(45); servo2.write(60); servo3.write(30); // Open gripper delay(1000); // Close gripper servo3.write(90); delay(500); // Move to position 2 servo1.write(135); servo2.write(120); delay(1000); // Release servo3.write(30); delay(500); // Return to center servo1.write(90); servo2.write(90); delay(1000); }

ESP32 Servo Control (Without Library)

Code Snippet

Code Snippet
`// ESP32 native PWM control (no Servo library needed) const int SERVO_PIN = 16; const int FREQ = 50; // 50Hz for servos const int CHANNEL = 0; const int RESOLUTION = 16; // 16-bit resolution void setup() { ledcSetup(CHANNEL, FREQ, RESOLUTION); ledcAttachPin(SERVO_PIN, CHANNEL); } void setServoAngle(int angle) { // Map angle (0-180) to duty cycle // 1ms = 3276, 2ms = 6553 (for 16-bit @ 50Hz) int dutyCycle = map(angle, 0, 180, 3276, 6553); ledcWrite(CHANNEL, dutyCycle); }` `void loop() { setServoAngle(0); delay(1000); setServoAngle(90); delay(1000); setServoAngle(180); delay(1000); }`



// ESP32 native PWM control (no Servo library needed)

const int SERVO_PIN = 16;

const int FREQ = 50; // 50Hz for servos

const int CHANNEL = 0;

const int RESOLUTION = 16; // 16-bit resolution
void setup() {

  ledcSetup(CHANNEL, FREQ, RESOLUTION);

  ledcAttachPin(SERVO_PIN, CHANNEL);

}
void setServoAngle(int angle) {

  // Map angle (0-180) to duty cycle

  // 1ms = 3276, 2ms = 6553 (for 16-bit @ 50Hz)

  int dutyCycle = map(angle, 0, 180, 3276, 6553);

  ledcWrite(CHANNEL, dutyCycle);

}

void loop() { setServoAngle(0); delay(1000); setServoAngle(90); delay(1000); setServoAngle(180); delay(1000); }

✅ Advantages of SG90 Servo

Feature	Benefit
📐 Compact Size	22.2×11.8x31mm – perfect for space-constrained projects
⚖️ Lightweight	Only 9g – ideal for flying drones and small robots
💰 Very Affordable	Best cost-to-performance ratio in micro servo category
📱 Arduino Compatible	Works directly with Arduino Servo library
🔌 Standard Interface	Universal 3-pin connector compatible with most systems
💪 Adequate Torque	1.8kg·cm sufficient for lightweight applications
🔄 180° Rotation	Wide angular range for versatile positioning
🔧 Accessories Included	Multiple servo horns and mounting hardware
🌐 Widely Available	Easy to source globally, good community support
🎓 Beginner Friendly	Simple to use, extensive tutorials available

⚠️ Important Usage Notes & Limitations

⚡ Power supply critical – Use dedicated 5V PSU, NOT Arduino 5V pin for power
🔌 Common ground required – Servo GND and Arduino GND must connect
💪 Torque limitation – 1.8kg·cm is modest; not suitable for heavy loads
⚙️ Plastic gears – Can strip under excessive load or shock
🔄 Not continuous rotation – Standard SG90 is positional servo (0-180°)
🔊 Can be noisy – Produces audible buzzing, especially when holding position
🎯 Dead band – Small position tolerance (±3-5°), not high-precision
⏱️ Response time – 0.12s/60° is moderate speed, not for high-speed applications
🌡️ Temperature sensitive – Performance degrades above 50°C
🔋 Current spikes – Can draw 650mA+ under stall, use adequate PSU
📏 Calibration variation – Individual servos may have slightly different 0° positions
⚠️ Quality varies – Chinese clones may have inconsistent quality

🔋 Power Supply Requirements

Number of Servos	Minimum PSU Current	Recommended PSU
1 Servo	500mA @ 5V	1A @ 5V (USB charger)
2-3 Servos	1A @ 5V	2A @ 5V (wall adapter)
4-6 Servos	2A @ 5V	3A @ 5V regulated PSU
7+ Servos	3A+ @ 5V	5A @ 5V switching PSU
⚠️ Note: NEVER power servos directly from Arduino 5V pin – use external PSU

🔍 Troubleshooting Guide

Problem	Possible Cause	Solution
Servo Doesn’t Move	No power or wrong wiring	✅ Check red wire to +5V, brown to GND, verify connections
Servo Jitters/Shakes	Insufficient power or bad PWM signal	✅ Use external 5V PSU (2A), check common ground, verify PWM frequency
Arduino Resets When Servo Moves	Powering servo from Arduino 5V pin	✅ Use separate 5V PSU for servo, connect grounds together
Servo Doesn’t Reach Full Range	Mechanical obstruction or calibration	✅ Remove servo horn, check for binding, recalibrate with myServo.write()
Servo Gets Hot	Stalling against obstacle or overvoltage	✅ Remove obstruction, verify 5V (not 6V+), add cooling time
Inconsistent Positioning	Worn gears or damaged potentiometer	✅ Check for gear damage, replace servo if internal components worn
Servo Horn Loose	Stripped spline or loose screw	✅ Tighten mounting screw, replace horn if stripped
Buzzing Noise	Normal operation or voltage fluctuation	✅ Add 100µF capacitor across servo power, use regulated PSU

💡 Pro Tips for SG90 Usage

🔋 Dedicated power supply – Always use external 5V PSU, never Arduino 5V pin
📏 Add capacitor – 100-470µF across servo power lines reduces noise/jitter
⚙️ Gentle operation – Avoid forcing servo beyond limits to prevent gear stripping
🔧 Test before installation – Verify servo operation before mounting in project
📐 Center before attaching horn – Set to 90° with code, then attach horn
🔩 Don’t overtighten – Horn screw can strip plastic gears if too tight
💾 Smooth movements – Use incremental angle changes for smoother motion
⏱️ Add delays – Give servo 15-20ms to reach position before next command
🛡️ Protect from dust – Seal servo in dusty environments to prevent gear contamination
🔄 Limit range in code – Constrain to 10-170° if hitting mechanical limits
📊 Monitor current – High current indicates stalling or obstruction
🎯 Calibrate individually – Each servo may need slight angle adjustment

🆚 SG90 vs Metal Gear Servos

Feature	SG90 (Plastic Gear)	MG90S (Metal Gear)
Torque @ 4.8V	1.8kg·cm	2.2kg·cm
Gear Material	Plastic (Nylon)	Metal (Steel/Brass)
Durability	⭐⭐⭐ Good	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent
Weight	9g (lighter)	13.4g (heavier)
Noise Level	⭐⭐⭐ Moderate	⭐⭐ Noisier
Price	💰 Very Low	💰💰 2-3x more expensive
Best For	Lightweight, low-stress applications	Heavy-duty, continuous operation

🎓 Example Projects

Project	Servos Needed	Description
2-Axis Camera Gimbal	2x SG90	Pan-tilt mechanism for smartphone or small camera
4-DOF Robot Arm	4x SG90	Base, shoulder, elbow, gripper control
RC Car Steering	1x SG90	Front wheel steering mechanism
Hexapod Robot	12-18x SG90	6-legged walking robot (2-3 servos per leg)
Automated Blinds	1x SG90	Open/close small window blinds
Solar Panel Tracker	2x SG90	2-axis sun tracking for small panels

🔧 Servo Horn Types & Uses

Horn Type	Description	Best Use
Single Arm	Straight arm with mounting holes	Linear linkages, simple levers, RC car steering
Double Arm	Two opposing arms	Balanced loads, push-pull mechanisms
Cross (4-Point)	Four arms at 90° angles	Robot joints, multi-directional control
Round Disc	Circular disc with multiple holes	Wheels, gears, rotary platforms
Star (6-Point)	Six arms radiating from center	Complex linkages, hexapod legs

🛡️ Warranty & Support

✅ Genuine or high-quality compatible SG90 micro servo
✅ 180° rotation range with accurate positioning
✅ 1.8kg·cm torque @ 4.8V for lightweight applications
✅ Standard 3-wire interface (brown-red-orange)
✅ Complete accessory kit (4 horns, screws, mounting hardware)
✅ Compatible with Arduino Servo library
✅ Works with 3.3V and 5V logic levels
✅ Compact 22.2×11.8x31mm form factor
✅ Lightweight 9g design
✅ Pre-tested before shipping
✅ Technical documentation and example code
✅ Fast replacement for defective units
⚠️ Important: Always use external 5V power supply (NOT Arduino 5V pin) to avoid brownouts and damage. Connect common ground between servo and microcontroller. Plastic gears are suitable for light loads only – avoid excessive force. Normal operating current 170mA, stall current up to 650mA – ensure adequate power supply capacity.