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DIY: Turn an Old Servo into an LED/Buzzer Controller

Got a dead servo? Don’t toss it—convert it into a simple LED or buzzer controller for your RC project!


🔧 What You’ll Need:

  • Old servo motor

  • Two resistors

  • Soldering tools

  • Multimeter (optional)

  • LED or buzzer

  • Hot glue

  • RC receiver (with toggle switch channel)


⚙️ Steps:

  1. Open the Servo: Remove the 4 screws, take out the gears, circuit board, and potentiometer.

  2. De-solder Parts: Remove the potentiometer and motor wires from the board.

  3. Measure or Estimate Resistance: Use a multimeter to find potentiometer resistance (e.g., 5kΩ).No multimeter? Just center the knob and glue it in place.

  4. Replace Pot with Resistors: Connect two resistors in series to match the pot’s value. Solder one end to GND, the other to VCC, and the middle to signal.

  5. Connect the Output: Hook the motor wires to an LED or buzzer.

  6. Plug into RC Receiver: Connect the servo plug to any channel with a toggle switch.

Modified servo circuit board with annotation showing how to replace the internal potentiometer with two resistors (R1 and R2) in series, and how to connect an LED or buzzer in place of the motor. The resistors simulate the original potentiometer’s feedback, allowing the servo controller to drive the LED or buzzer as if it were a servo motor. Suitable for converting old or broken servos into LED or buzzer controllers for DIY electronics projects.

Done!

Flip the switch and enjoy your DIY controller. Great for lights, buzzers, or simple add-ons to any RC setup.

 
 
 

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