Powering servos from FEZ Cobra

NETMF & Gadgeteer
1

Hi,

I’m new to dealing with hardware, so apologies if this is a stupid question.

I would like to power a servo (Futaba S148) from my FEZ Cobra. The servo has three connectors - ground, power and signal. It takes 5V on the connection which supplies it with power, so my instinct would be to hook it up across the 5V In/Out connector and ground. I’m not sure how much current it draws when under load, but let’s assume something high for the sake of argument.

My question is - might drawing a large enough current through that pin damage the board in any way? If so, what’s the limit, roughly?

Thanks in advance

2

You will not damage the board…but, when you run the servo, touch the regulators and check for heat. If you can keep your finger on there for 5 seconds then it is okay but it if you couldn’t then the regulator is too hot and you need separate power for your servo.

It is a good practice to use separate power for motors anyway.

3

If you have a light load on the servo, you’ll be fine, if the servo is under any visible strain, you need a separate power source.