Build the hexapod/robot arm/other articulated contraption of your dreams with this all-in-one RP2040 powered servo controller with current measurement, sensor headers, and RGB LEDs.

Servo 2040 is a standalone servo controller for making things with lots of moving parts. It has pre-soldered pin headers for plugging in up to 18 servos - enough for the leggiest of hexapod walkers or plenty of degrees of freedom for your robotic arms, legs, or tentacles. Servos can be pretty power-hungry, especially the chonky ones, so the folks at Pimoroni added some neat current monitoring functions so you can keep an eye on power consumption.

There are six addressable WS281x RGB LEDs (AKA NeoPixels!) for visual feedback and status reports, plus pin headers to connect up to six analog sensors - useful for sensing where the ground is, especially if you're about to crash into a wall, or how much pressure The Claw is exerting on your hapless test subject. We've also popped a QT connector on there, to make it super easy to add a STEMMA QT or Qwiic breakout or two.

Servo 2040 is supported by a well-documented C++/MicroPython servo library with lots of examples to show you how to use the individual features (and everything together).

Features

• Powered by RP2040 (Dual Arm Cortex M0+ running at up to 133Mhz with 264kB of SRAM)
• 2MB of QSPI flash supporting XiP
• 18 sets of header pins for connecting 3 pin hobby servos
• Supports higher voltage servos (up to 11V) *
• 6 addressable RGB LEDs/Neopixels
• 6 sets of header pins for connecting analog sensors
• Onboard voltage and current sensing
• Reset and BOOT button (the BOOT button can also be used as a user button)
• USB-C connector for programming and power (3A max)
• Screw terminals for supplying external power (with reverse polarity protection) (10A max continuous current)
• QT (STEMMA QT/Qwiic) connector for breakouts
• Fully assembled (no soldering required)
• C++/MicroPython libraries
• Schematic
• Mechanical drawing

Notes

• Measurements: 62mm x 42mm x 12mm (L x W x H, including connectors). The mounting holes are M2.5 and 2.7mm in from each edge.
• * If you want to run servos with a higher voltage than 5V, you'll need to cut the 'Separate USB and Ext. Power' trace on the back of the board to prevent the RP2040 from getting damaged by the increased voltage.
• If you cut this trace you'll need to provide separate power for the board logic (through USB or the 5V on the broken-out header).
• When programming a battery-powered robot through USB Pimoroni recommends using something like a data only USB adaptor to avoid back-powering your computer, or the battery.

Servos are not included, but we stock all sorts of servos in the shop!