ugoi
commented
2 weeks ago I found the solution. Using kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle directly allows control of the speed and direction of the ESC (Electronic Speed Controller) on channel 0 without additional setup. Positive throttle values move it forward, -1 applies the brake, and setting the throttle to 0 stops the motor. Here’s the code I used:
# Import the time module to allow for timed delays between actions
import time
# Import the ServoKit class from the adafruit_servokit library to control servo motors
from adafruit_servokit import ServoKit
# Set up the ServoKit instance with the number of channels (16 here for Shield/HAT/Bonnet)
kit = ServoKit(channels=16)
# Generic test sequence to test servo movement in different directions and speeds
print("Generic test")
# Stop the servo by setting throttle to 0 (neutral position)
print("Setting throttle to 0")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = 0
time.sleep(2) # Pause for 2 seconds to allow observation of the neutral position
# Set throttle to 1 (full forward)
print("Setting throttle to 1")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = 0.13
time.sleep(2) # Pause for 2 seconds to allow the servo to move forward
# Return throttle to 0 (neutral) to stop movement
print("Setting throttle to 0")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = 0
time.sleep(2) # Pause for 2 seconds to observe the stop
# Set throttle to -1 (full reverse)
print("Setting throttle to -1")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = -0.13
time.sleep(2) # Pause for 2 seconds to allow the servo to move in reverse
# Return throttle to 0 to stop movement again
print("Setting throttle to 0")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = 0
time.sleep(2) # Pause for 2 seconds to observe the stop
# Test the braking functionality with various throttle settings
print("Test break")
# Set throttle to 0 (neutral) before beginning brake test
print("Setting throttle to 0")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = 0
time.sleep(2)
# Apply medium forward throttle (0.5)
print("Setting throttle to 0.5")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = 0.5
time.sleep(2) # Pause for 2 seconds to observe forward movement
# Immediately set throttle to -1 (full reverse) to simulate a braking effect
print("Setting throttle to -1")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = -1
time.sleep(2) # Pause for 2 seconds to observe quick reverse movement
# Return throttle to 0 to stop movement after braking
print("Setting throttle to 0")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = 0
time.sleep(2)
# Apply medium reverse throttle (-0.5) for a slower reverse movement
print("Setting throttle to -0.5")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = -0.5
time.sleep(2) # Pause for 2 seconds to observe the slower reverse
# Finally, set throttle back to 0 to stop the servo
print("Setting throttle to 0")
kit.continuous_servo[0].throttle = 0
time.sleep(2) # Final pause to observe the stop
Can this library also be used to control an ESC? The goal is to remotely operate an RC car using a Raspberry Pi and the Adafruit 16-Channel PWM Servo Hat. I’ve successfully used this library to control the steering servos already.