How to Connect a Servo Motor to Raspberry Pi 4: A Complete Guide for Hobbyists and Makers

How to Connect a Servo Motor to Raspberry Pi 4: A Complete Guide for Hobbyists and Makers

The Raspberry Pi 4 is a powerhouse of versatility that opens countless doors for DIY electronics projects, especially in robotics and automation. Among the many components you might want to control, servo motors are among the most popular. They’re precise, compact, and relatively straightforward to interface with, making them ideal for projects like robotic arms, remote-control vehicles, camera gimbals, and interactive art installations.

If you’re eager to learn how to connect a servo motor to your Raspberry Pi 4 and command it to move with precision, you’ve come to the right place. This guide will walk you through the entire process—covering hardware considerations, wiring diagrams, software setup, and some practical tips to ensure success.

Why a servo motor?

Before diving into the technical steps, it’s helpful to understand why servo motors are different from regular DC motors. Unlike basic motors, servos have built-in feedback mechanisms, allowing you to specify an exact position — rotation angle or linear position — rather than just having a motor spin freely. This makes them perfect for applications where controlled movement is essential.

What you’ll need

To get started, gather the following components:

Raspberry Pi 4 — with Raspbian OS installed and updated Servo motor — typically a small, standard hobby servo (e.g., SG90, MG90S, or similar) Power supply — a dedicated 5V power source, especially if using multiple servos, to prevent overloading the Pi’s USB or GPIO power pins Jumper wires — male-to-male and female-to-male depending on your setup Breadboard (optional, but helpful for testing) Resistor — 1KΩ to 10KΩ (for signal conditioning, optional but recommended) Python environment — with GPIO libraries installed (like RPi.GPIO or gpiozero)

Understanding the hardware

Servo motors typically have three wires:

Power (VCC) — usually red, connected to 5V or 6V source Ground (GND) — black or brown, connected to GND Signal (PWM control) — often yellow or white, used to send control signals

Since Raspberry Pi's GPIO pins operate at 3.3V logic levels, and many servos expect 5V signals for reliable operation, it’s best practice to ensure the power supply is dedicated to the servo rather than powering the servo directly from the Pi’s 5V pin if the servo draws significant current.

Initial wiring setup

The straightforward wiring process involves connecting these components:

Connect the servo's power wire to a 5V source (like the Pi’s 5V pin if the servo is low power, or an external power supply for multiple or high-torque servos). Connect the ground wire of the servo to the Pi’s GND pin and the power supply’s GND (to ensure a common ground reference). Connect the signal wire to a designated GPIO pin on the Pi (for example, GPIO 17, Pin 11).

It’s crucial to have a common ground between the Pi and the external power supply if used, to ensure reliable communication.

Established in 2005, Kpower has been dedicated to a professional compact motion unit manufacturer, headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China.