Pololu Maestro - Manual (Page 66)

The Micro Maestro’s processor and servos
can be powered from a single 5–16V supply
if you connect the positive servo power rail
to VIN.
One power supply
If you connect a single power supply to VIN and the servo
power terminal, then the Maestro’s processor and the servos will
be powered from that supply. The supply must be within 5–16 V
and be within the servos’ respective operating ranges and must
be capable of supplying all the current that the servos will draw.
On the Micro Maestro 6-channel servo controller, one way to do
the wiring for this configuration is to add a wire to between the
servo power rail and the VIN line.
On the Mini Maestro 12-, 18-, and 24-channel servo controllers,
the recommended way to do the wiring for this configuration is
to connect your power supply to the dedicated servo power pins
in the corner of the board and use the included blue shorting
block to connect the pins labeled “VSRV=VIN”.
7.b. Attaching Servos and Peripherals
On the Maestro, any of the channels can be used as RC servo pulse output, as an analog/digital input, or as a digital
output. This allows the Maestro to control servos, read button presses, read potentiometer positions, drive LEDs, and
more. The channels can be controlled from the user script within the Maestro or externally over TTL-level serial or
USB.
Servo
To connect a servo to the Maestro, you must first decide which channel you would like to use. If the channel is not
already configured to be in servo mode (the default), then in the Maestro Control Center, under the Channel Settings
tab, change that channel to Servo mode and click “Apply Settings”. Connect your servo cable to the channel, being
careful not to plug it in backwards. Make sure to connect your servo correctly, or it might be destroyed. The
signal (usually white, orange, or yellow) wire should be toward the inside of the board, and the ground wire (usually
black or brown) should be closest to the edge of the board.
You will need to connect a DC power supply for your servos. See Section 7.a for powering information.
You can test your servo by setting the target of the servo channel in the Status tab of the Maestro Control Center.
If you enable the servo channel by checking the “Enabled” checkbox, you should be able to make the servo move
by dragging the slider bar left and right. Now you can control the servos in your script using the SERVO command,
or over serial using the “Set Target” command. These commands take arguments in units of quarter-microseconds,
so you should multiply the Target values you see in the Status tab by four to compute correct arguments to these
commands. More advanced commands are also available for controlling your servos.
Pololu Maestro Servo Controller User's Guide © 2001–2014 Pololu Corporation
7. Wiring Examples Page 66 of 73