Arduino - Servo Motor controlled by Potentiometer

In a previous tutorial, We have learned how a potentiometer triggers a servo motor. In this tutorial, We are going to learn how to rotate a servo motor according to the potentiometer's output value

Hardware Required

1×Arduino UNO or Genuino UNO
1×USB 2.0 cable type A/B
1×Servo Motor
1×Potentiometer
1×Breadboard
1×Jumper Wires
1×(Optional) 9V Power Adapter for Arduino
1×(Recommended) Screw Terminal Block Shield for Arduino Uno
1×(Optional) Transparent Acrylic Enclosure For Arduino Uno

Or you can buy the following sensor kit:

1×DIYables Sensor Kit 30 types, 69 units
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 and Potentiometer

If you do not know about servo motor and potentiometer (pinout, how it works, how to program ...), learn about them in the following tutorials:

Wiring Diagram

Arduino Servo Motor Potentiometer Wiring Diagram

This image is created using Fritzing. Click to enlarge image

How To Program

  • Reads the value of the potentiometer (value between 0 and 1023)
int analogValue = analogRead(A0);
  • Scales it to angle (value between 0 and 180)
int angle = map(analogValue, 0, 1023, 0, 180);
  • Sets the servo position according to the angle
myServo.write(angle);

Arduino Code

/* * Created by ArduinoGetStarted.com * * This example code is in the public domain * * Tutorial page: https://arduinogetstarted.com/tutorials/arduino-servo-motor-controlled-by-potentiometer */ #include <Servo.h> Servo myServo; // create servo object to control a servo void setup() { // initialize serial communication at 9600 bits per second: Serial.begin(9600); myServo.attach(9); // attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object } void loop() { // reads the value of the potentiometer (value between 0 and 1023) int analogValue = analogRead(A0); // scales it to use it with the servo (value between 0 and 180) int angle = map(analogValue, 0, 1023, 0, 180); // sets the servo position according to the scaled value myServo.write(angle); // print out the value Serial.print("Analog: "); Serial.print(analogValue); Serial.print(", Angle: "); Serial.println(angle); delay(100); }

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
Arduino IDE Upload Code
  • Open Serial Monitor
  • Rotate the potentiometer
  • See the servo motor's rotation
  • See the result on Serial Monitor
COM6
Send
Analog: 0, Angle: 0 Analog: 85, Angle: 14 Analog: 201, Angle: 35 Analog: 286, Angle: 50 Analog: 370, Angle: 65 Analog: 444, Angle: 78 Analog: 521, Angle: 91 Analog: 608, Angle: 106 Analog: 690, Angle: 121 Analog: 793, Angle: 139 Analog: 907, Angle: 159 Analog: 1023, Angle: 180 Analog: 1023, Angle: 180
Autoscroll Show timestamp
Clear output
9600 baud  
Newline  

Code Explanation

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

Video Tutorial

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