Can I control a continuous servo with an RC radio?

opersing · January 25, 2018, 6:47pm

Hi!
I’m pretty new to robotics, but diving in quick to RC, servos, and Arduino. I’ve been playing with FlySky FS-i6 transmitter and it’s 6 channel receiver. When I plug in a small servo to the receiver, it’s easy to set up and control. But I purchased a continuous servo (American MG-360M) and when I plug it in to the receiver the way I would a regular servo I get no movement. Is it possible to control a continuous servo using just an RC transmitter and receiver? Or do I need something like an Arduino to create the right pulse width?

Photos of my equipment: photos.app.goo.gl/Hv8eT2pcKipEhxrv1
Blue servo is a regular one. SG90
Orange is a continuous servo. MG-360M

dialfonzo · January 30, 2018, 1:50pm

Hi opersing,

A continuous rotation servo will work just like a standard servo but without any positioning.
There will be a fixed or adjustable (potentiometer) to set the zero around 1500uS and any commands Up or Down this will induce a movement.

opersing · January 30, 2018, 2:41pm

Thanks Eric. It sounds like you are saying the continuous rotation servo should work when I plug it in to the receiver. But it doesn’t. Everything else is working fine, evidenced by the fact that the regular servo moves when I move it’s joystick on the transmitter. Nothing happens when I move the associated joystick for channel connected to the continuous servo though. Any thoughts?

dialfonzo · January 30, 2018, 2:43pm

You might want to post pictures as well as information regarding your particular servo.

opersing · January 30, 2018, 11:34pm

Thanks all,
I appreciate the help! Here are photos of my equipment: photos.app.goo.gl/Hv8eT2pcKipEhxrv1
Blue servo is a regular one. SG90
Orange is a continuous servo. MG-360M
Radio is a flysky FS-i6, with a FS-IA6B
Trying to figure out why my continuous servo doesn’t respond when I plug it in to the receiver. Does it need an arduino, or ESC to change the signal type? Or is there a different setting on the transmitter that can rotate a continuous servo? At the moment, it doesn’t respond at all.

dialfonzo · January 31, 2018, 1:35pm

The servo should work just fine with a R/C system as it’s made to be compatible with such system.
It will take the same PWM signal that normal servos use.

A continuous rotation servo is nothing more than a normal one with the feedback potentiometer (usually on the output shaft) removed.
That way the servo try to reach a position which he never achieve.

Here is what we found online regarding this particular model that we do not sell:

[highlight=#ffffff][font=Arial, sans-serif][size=2]MG-360M is a continuous rotation micro servo that provides dependable service and better longevity than servos with plastic gears. The MG-360M is a great choice for driving robots using a microcontroller without having to use an H-Bridge or other motor driver board. The servo rotates at full speed CW or CCW. If programming with values used for normal 90° servos, a setting of 90 is ‘no movement’, a setting less than 45 is movement in one direction and a setting of more than 135 will be movement in the opposite direction. There are many sketch samples on the web that can provide more assistance for other programming methods.The MG-360M servos are shipped in ESD protective packaging to assure product quality.[/size][/font][/highlight]