Arduino - MG996R

In this tutorial, we are going to learn how to use the MG996R high-torque servo motor with Arduino.

Hardware Required

1	×	Arduino UNO or Genuino UNO
1	×	USB 2.0 cable type A/B
1	×	MG996R Servo Motor
1	×	Jumper Wires
1	×	(Recommended) Screw Terminal Block Shield for Arduino Uno
1	×	(Recommended) Breadboard Shield For Arduino Uno
1	×	(Recommended) Enclosure For Arduino Uno

Or you can buy the following sensor kits:

1	×	DIYables Sensor Kit (30 sensors/displays)
1	×	DIYables Sensor Kit (18 sensors/displays)

Please note: These are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy the components through these links, We will get a commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate it.

About Servo Motor

The MG996R servo motor is a high-torque servo motor capable of lifting up to 15kg in weight. The motor can rotate its handle from 0° to 180°, providing precise control of angular position. For basic information about servo motors, please refer to the Arduino - Servo Motor tutorial.

Pinout

The MG996R servo motor used in this example includes three pins:

VCC pin: (typically red) needs to be connected to VCC (4.8V – 7.2V)
GND pin: (typically black or brown) needs to be connected to GND (0V)
Signal pin: (typically yellow or orange) receives the PWM control signal from an Arduino's pin.

Wiring Diagram

Since the MG996R is a high-torque servo motor, it draws a lot of power. We should not power this motor via the 5v pin of Arduino. Instead, we need to use the external power supply for the MG996R servo motor.

This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image

Arduino Code

/* * Created by ArduinoGetStarted.com * * This example code is in the public domain * * Tutorial page: https://arduinogetstarted.com/tutorials/arduino-mg996r */ #include <Servo.h> Servo servo; // create servo object to control a servo void setup() { servo.attach(9); // attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo objectư servo.write(0); // rotate slowly servo to 0 degrees immediately } void loop() { for (int angle = 0; angle <= 180; angle += 1) { // rotate slowly from 0 degrees to 180 degrees, one by one degree // in steps of 1 degree servo.write(angle); // control servo to go to position in variable 'angle' delay(10); // waits 10ms for the servo to reach the position } for (int angle = 180; angle >= 0; angle -= 1) { // rotate from 180 degrees to 0 degrees, one by one degree servo.write(angle); // control servo to go to position in variable 'angle' delay(10); // waits 10ms for the servo to reach the position } }

Quick Steps

Connect Arduino to PC via USB cable
Open Arduino IDE, select the right board and port
Copy the above code and open with Arduino IDE
Click Upload button on Arduino IDE to upload code to Arduino

See the result: Servo motor rotates slowly from 0 to 180° and then back rotates slowly from 180 back to 0°

Code Explanation

Read the line-by-line explanation in comment lines of code!

How to Control Speed of Servo Motor

By using map() and millis() functions, we can control the speed of servo motor smoothly without blocking other code

/* * Created by ArduinoGetStarted.com * * This example code is in the public domain * * Tutorial page: https://arduinogetstarted.com/tutorials/arduino-mg996r */ #include <Servo.h> Servo myServo; unsigned long MOVING_TIME = 3000; // moving time is 3 seconds unsigned long moveStartTime; int startAngle = 30; // 30° int stopAngle = 90; // 90° void setup() { myServo.attach(9); moveStartTime = millis(); // start moving // TODO: other code } void loop() { unsigned long progress = millis() - moveStartTime; if (progress <= MOVING_TIME) { long angle = map(progress, 0, MOVING_TIME, startAngle, stopAngle); myServo.write(angle); } // TODO: other code }

Video Tutorial

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Function References

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