12 channel servo tester
 

The [link=http://www.gadgetgangster.com/find-a-project/56?projectnum=159]Servo Boss[/link] is a twelve channel servo tester kit that you build yourself.

The Servo Boss can precisely control up to 12 servos. You can adjust the pulse widths using the potentiometer or push buttons. Using the push buttons you can set the pulse width right down to the microsecond, that's one millionth of a second resolution!

One millisecond (mS) = .001 seconds
One microsecond (uS) = .001 mS or .000001 seconds.

You can use the Servo Boss to cycle your servos either a certain number of times that you designate or indefinitely. You can also set the endpoints, the travel time and the pause time.

There is also a Receiver Input program where you can plug in up to six channels from your receiver and it will display the pulse widths that your receiver is sending. At the same time it passes those signals along to as many as six servos.

It will also measure the dead band of your servos using the "Dead Band" program. To measure the dead band it sends out two pulse widths that differ by X microseconds. You increase the difference (X) one microsecond at a time while watching the servo. When it begins to jitter, decrease the setting until it is silent again. That will be your dead band.

The voltage of your battery pack is always displayed at start up or you can access the "Read Volts" program within the menu.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArqaF1OXr-c[/youtube]

The Servo Boss comes programmed with 1.520 milliseconds as the center value. Using the setup menu you can change this to 1.500 milliseconds or 0.760 milliseconds.

You can also choose to enable an expanded range of pulse widths. To guard against over-driving your servos the default setting limits the servo outputs to between 0.920 and 2.120 milliseconds - enough for normal RC uses. Expanded range allows you to use pulse widths varying from 0.420 to 2.620 milliseconds.

Use caution with the expanded range as most any servo can be over-driven at the limits of this range.

The Servo Boss is available now from [link=http://www.gadgetgangster.com/find-a-project/56?projectnum=159]www.GadgetGangster.com[/link].