Thread: Servo wiring color guide

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Many have writing asking how to wire their servos.. there is no standard and when I started working on mine, I didnt really see anything in the thread so I thot it out and came up with what seemed logical.. (a pirate using logic?? Unheard of!)

The wiring I use is just a 5'-10' Cat5 router cable.. (you can use Cat5e, 6pair, 8pair or 10pair wire also), I cut the plug off one end of the Cat5 (leaving the other to plug into controller Cat5 sockets), split the wires and twist/solder them such:

Orange/Wht - B+(RED)
Orange - Nod command
Green/Wht - B+ (RED)
Blue - Tilt command
Blue/Wht - GND (BLK)
Green - Rotate command
Brown - Jaw command
Brown/Wht - GND (BLK)

I twisted the bright-striped wires(org/wht & grn/wht) together to carry the B+ (positive) current load, and twisted the dark-striped wires(blu/wht & brwn/wht) together to carry the Ground current load. Single wires by themselves wont carry the current for four servos, hence the twisted pairs. Each of the solid colors go to individual servo command wires(the yellows).

Orange - Nod servo yellow wire
Green - Rotate servo yellow wire
Blue - Tilt servo yellow wire
Brown - Jaw servo yellow wire

If you want to include LED eyes, you can use the Cat5, just wire the LEDS to the Red and Black wires (DONT forget the limiting resistor!). Using intercom(6, 8, 10pair) wires gives you more options(LEDs, moving eye servos, etc), just remember to double up the positive and negative wires to be able to handle all the current.

If you already have a color code, great! This is just what I thot of.. No one's code is wrong.. jus' Keep ta th' Code, 'Mate!!

Capt. Jack

I know this might be a silly question but if you do get Cat5e with more wires than you need, do you just put black tape over the top and move them to the side?

'ello Di, got yer addy fer the plates, an' ye wantin' 16 mor servos... be ye wantin' 425bb's or 475bb's? $1 difference 'tween th' two.. 425's be $12, 475's be $13.... with 475's 'avin lil more torque(push-pull) than 425's..

As fer mor wires.. if ye be makin' the 3-axis skulls with a talkin jaw, Cat5 be 'avin the exact numba' wires ye be needin'(4pairs). If ye usin' cable with mor than 4 pairs, aye, ye can fold back the extras and elec. tape them down...

Hang on. I need to get my Pirate to English dictionary.

Ok. I better stick with the 425bb servos. I don't want to put the wrong one in and watch a jaw shoot across the room.

Ok. Now that I am getting down to business here, I have a question (the first of many).

With the servo cable, you mentioned you plugged it into the RJ45 jacks. Mind if I ask which terminals you plugged the servo wires into?

Aye lass, take each servo, cut 4"-6" off th' end of it's wire, set servo aside. Split plug pigtail wires you jus' cut off into red, black, yellow wires, seperate 2-3", strip each wire 1/2" back. Twist th' 4 red's together, solder, twist th' 4 black's together, solder. Set aside.

If ye be nigh usin' Cat5 sockets, skip yellow part..

I takes me Cat5 socket an' punch tool, punches down th' red wires inta one o' th' contacts, then th' black, then each servo (yellow) control wire..
Lookin' at th' punch-down socket.. socket away from ye, pins stickin up..

8 Yellow 7 Grounds
6 B+ 5 Yellow
4 B+ 3 Yellow
2 empty 1 Yellow

NIGH USIN' SOCKETS -

Take Cat5 cable, strip each end back 'bout 4". On each end, strip n' twist bright color striped pairs, Orange-Green together. Strip n' twist dark color striped pairs, Brown-Blue together. Ya shud 'ave th Orange & Green striped wires twisted an' Brown-Blue striped wires twisted with 1" bare wire on each.

Pick up pigtails, twist red wires ta Cat5 bright color striped pair yer usin' ta carry th' power to th' servo. Do th' same fer black(ground) wires, twist to dark colored striped pair. Twist yellow pigtail wire ta Cat5 solid color wire used ta carry command to th' servo.. Repeat fer each o' th' other three pigtails.. Ye shud 'ave 4 red wires twisted to th' bright color striped pair Cat5 wires, 4 black twisted to th' dark color striped pair, an' yellows goin to th solid Cat5 color wires. Label EACH yellow wire accordin' to th' code.. ya gots ta remember, keep to th' code!! Solder th' all th' wires. Heat-shrink-wrap'em or wrap with elec tape. Tha's the controller end done.

Pick up th' servos, seperate th' three wires n' strip 1" from each red, black, yellow. Twist/solder 4 reds to servo end of bright color striped Cat5 wires. Twist/solder 4 blacks to dark color striped Cat5 wires. Twist/solder each yellow wire to each solid color Cat5 wire. Label EACH yellow wire. Label EACH servo.

I'm having trouble visualizing the servo cables going into the CAT5 plug. This is instruction for 1 skull or multiple? If it's one, how many sets of servo wires are being used to plug into the CAT5 plug?

Ye follow the steps fer all four servos.

The picture of the socket shows th wires for all four servos. th three yellows be on the right side of th socket, the fourth(jaw i think) be at the top of the left side.

Originally Posted by dionicia

I'm having trouble visualizing the servo cables going into the CAT5 plug. This is instruction for 1 skull or multiple? If it's one, how many sets of servo wires are being used to plug into the CAT5 plug?