Servo motor selection

Support
1

Hi,
I’m doing a design project that requires a servo motor to be back drivable and needs to give torque feedback. Could y’all please tell me if y’all have any options or any alternatives options that I can look into from your catalog.

Hope to hear from y’all soon.
Menaker

2

Hello @Menaker297460,

Welcome to the forum!

Sounds like the Waveshare series might be what you’re after, here are some suitable options from our catalog:

  • 2.3kg Serial Bus Servo with Two-Way Feedback
    A compact servo providing position and torque feedback, ideal for lightweight applications requiring precise control and back-drivability.
  • 20kg Bus Servo Motor (106 RPM)
    A higher torque option that supports full 360° positioning with built-in feedback on position, speed, and load. This servo is also back-drivable and well-suited for more demanding projects.
  • Serial Bus Servo Driver Board
    This driver board is essential for controlling the above servos. It supports UART communication and handles the serial bus protocol these servos use, allowing you to send commands and receive detailed feedback such as torque/load data.

Please feel free to ask any further questions!

3

Is there any higher torque servo motors, more than 50kg.cm ??

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4

Hi @Menaker297460 ,

Unfortunately, it looks like the closest servo that meets your requirements is the 40kg Metal Serial Bus Servo (Which still requires the serial bus servo driver board linked above).

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5

Hi Ryan, Is this motor backdrivable * 30KG Serial Bus Servo, High precision and torque, with Programmable 360 Degrees Magnetic Encoder

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6

Hey @Menaker297460 ,

Thanks for your question!

The 30KG Serial Bus Servo with the 360° Programmable Magnetic Encoder is backdrivable under certain conditions. This means:

  • When the servo is unpowered or set to compliant/motor mode, you can manually rotate the shaft.
  • However, when the servo is powered and actively holding position, it will resist manual movement to maintain its set angle.
7

Is that for all the motors you have mentioned?

8

Hey @Menaker297460,

Yes, that condition applies to all of the bus servo motors I linked earlier.

Each of those serial bus servos (including the 20kg and 40kg models) supports a compliant or motor mode, which allows the shaft to be manually rotated when unpowered or set to that mode. This means they can be backdriven under the right conditions, though there will still be some resistance from internal gearing.

9

So it’s possible to set the motor to compliant mode which allows it to be back driven?

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10

Hey @Menaker297460,

Yes, all three Waveshare serial bus servos, the 20kg (ST3215-HS), 30kg (ST3215), and 40kg (ST3025) models, support a compliant mode, often referred to as “motor mode.” In this mode, the servos allow continuous rotation and can be manually backdriven when unpowered or configured appropriately. This feature is beneficial for applications requiring backdrivability and torque feedback.

For detailed information, you can refer to the official Waveshare Wiki pages for each servo model:

These resources provide comprehensive details on the servos’ specifications, operational modes, and configuration options.

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