Quiet Servo

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emebane
 
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Quiet Servo

Post by emebane »

Are any of the servos on the website quiet? I'd like it to operate in a quiet room with as minimal audio impact as possible.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Quiet Servo

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Hobby-grade RC servos do tend to be noisy. It is a combination of the brushed DC motors and inexpensive gear-trains. Some of the higher-end servos use brushless motors and better quality gear-trains. But they are still far from silent.

What is it you are trying to move? Near silent operation can probably be achieved with the appropriate choice of actuators.

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emebane
 
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Re: Quiet Servo

Post by emebane »

I'm thinking of an automated percussion instrument, so something where a swing-arm would move to strike something and play a note. Anything in the Adafruit catalog that I should focus on?

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emebane
 
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Re: Quiet Servo

Post by emebane »

I saw a recommendation for using a stepper motor. That might work. I haven't used one. Some YouTube videos suggest that they are quiet. Thoughts?

Also, here's a product that seems right up Adafruit's alley: https://www.artimusrobotics.com/

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Re: Quiet Servo

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Solenoids work well in that application. The solenoid movement itself is silent. And if you adjust the travel so that your swing-arm makes contact before the solenoid reaches the end of its travel, you will avoid the 'click' at the end:
https://www.adafruit.com/product/413
https://learn.adafruit.com/midi-solenoid-drum-kit

Steppers can also operate quietly. Although compared to solenoids, there will be a lot more circuitry and code involved.

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