Talk:Servomechanism

message: Is it strictly true that a power window control cannot be considered a servo, as some power windows mechanisms automatically cut off when the windows (or in some cases just the drivers side window) reaches the top or bottom of the frame: as in, the button does not have to constantly be held for the window motor to operate. Surely without a system that could be considered a servo, the motor moving the window could simply carry on running endlessly? 86.9.242.214 (talk) 09:24, 15 April 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: No, power window controls are not a servomechanism. The motors shut off as the result of limit switches, in a fixed position and not in a commanded position.  On the other hand, power steering might be a servomechanism, in that there is a mechanism inside the p.s.unit that detects difference between where steering wheel is and the wheel position and opens/closes hydraulic valves accordingly.  --71.214.209.23 (talk) 01:38, 16 April 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Power window example 

message: I wasn't login at the time so it appears has my IP. I have reverted both changes by 193.132.24.231 has they were vandalism the page by changing words
Louispq 16:34, 16 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  vandalism 

message: This intro is too narrow.  Servos are more broadly used.  I propose something like the following:
A servomechanism, usually shortened to servo, is a device used to provide control of a desired operation through the use of feedback.  Feedback is the term used to describe the use of a sample of the current output from the system which is "fed back" to an earlier part of the system (earlier in the forward signal flow) to bring the system's output closer to the desired result.  An example of a servomechanism is a home furnace controlled by a thermostat. 
INFO:
The R/C servo is indeed, only one type of (position control) servo.  Others are Furnace (temperature servo) Automotive power steering (force servo), Phase-Lock Loop (phase servo), AM radio AGC ( amplitude servo), FM radio AFC (frequency servo).
INTERESTING:
The term servomechanism was originated in H.L. Hazen's 1934 paper Theory of Servomechanisms, Journal of the Frankiln Institute, from the words servant (or slave) and mechanism. This from Feedback Control System Analysis and Synthesis", D'Azzo & Houpis, 1966 McGraw-Hill.
I'll make these citations legal if they are used.
-- Steve -- 13:04, 20 May 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: That PWM format (1 to 2 ms pulse width, about 60Hz rep rate) is a de-facto standard in hobbyist R/C servos.  It's not single-vendor.  But it's not formally standardized, as far as I know. --John Nagle (talk) 04:31, 23 December 2007 (UTC)

text: I'll back up the above user, having tested a range of servo-transmitter pairs, I found 1.5 mS, 55Hz to be the norm across the range Jdedmond (talk) 15:17, 23 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Proposed change to intro 

message: I've proposed merging Servo drive into there. That article isn't very good, duplicates content here, and may just be a placeholder for an advertising link. --John Nagle (talk) 04:33, 23 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Proposed merging [[Servo drive]] into here. 

message: The following is off topic for an introduction:
On the other hand, the line between servo control and negative feedback is in general blurred in the context of cybernetics, where it is thought that a human being can actually serve as a part of a servo loop, and that quite a number of human behaviors can be explained as being instances of such control within the context of the organic world.
I don't think there is any line between servo control and negative feedback. Negative feedback is used to make the servo control mechanism "stable." Further, the argument about the human role in a feedback system isn't informative here: is a car an open loop or closed loop mechanical system? Does the presence of a human make it a closed loop system? The answers aren't directly related to what a servomechanism is.
I recommend deleting or moving the paragraph.
Serrano24 (talk) 21:49, 23 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Off topic/incorrect section 

message: Do we really need two pictures of exploded RC servos?  They are both good pictures, but I suggest one should be removed.  I vote for removing the first one and leaving the second one (leave the one that is numbered and labeled.) (Steelerdon (talk) 21:48, 3 February 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Agreed. I've removed the non-numbered image. Wizard191 (talk) 13:51, 4 February 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Redundant Images 

message: Ouch, an enormous subject with an enormous wedge of some very complex and subtle mathematics, - trouble is I don't see much of it in this article. What is here looks pretty good, it does describe the basic concept quite well and there is a little history and so on - but the article needs to be at least twice as long. 
On history, robotics like many subjects has a somewhat complex disputed history, emphasizing one set of authors and not mentioning another might be a little close to POV. Desperately needs to mention Norbert Wiener and could do with a link to Cybernetics which is pretty much a different name for the same subject (actually servomechanisms are a large sub-area within cybernetics). Then there is Marvin Minsky et al and AI and Perceptrons (neural networks) again sometimes pretty close relatives to servomechanisms. I'm sure there are a few others but this isn't quite in my main areas of expertise, someone with a background in electronic engineering or robotics or best of all cybernetics might be a good start. Hope that helps. Lucien86 (talk) 11:14, 12 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Needs a section in more detail and more advanced concepts  

message: For example, an automotive power window control is not a servomechanism, as there is no automatic feedback that controls position
This is not true as the as the window control has feedback that controls position albeit only at both ends of the range. BerlinSight (talk) 22:14, 8 December 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bad example 

message: Hello editors,   The article title refers to a broad area in science and engineering. It as a long history going back to ancient Greece and China.  It is both funny and interesting that modern "hobby servos" appear fairly prominently in the article.  To an ancient Greek engineer,the hobby servo would be magical indeed.  And they are, in many ways, the apotheosis of modern technology.  
Here are some early references to help us find out when and where the term servomechanism originated.  Merriam-Webster says 1926 but I think a bit earlier.
http://books.google.com/books?id=VhtQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA813&dq=servomechanism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7QVUU5KIC4ahyASfp4DwBg&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=servomechanism&f=false
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/servomechanism
Codwiki (talk) 17:51, 20 April 2014 (UTC)
replies: text: It predates that. Look at sources for the history of engineering in the French navy. The mechanism is earlier than that (and English, AFAIK), but the word as we know it today seems to be French. Andy Dingley (talk) 21:15, 20 April 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  This Article Needs Major Revision 

message: Substituted at 05:49, 30 April 2016 (UTC)
thread_title: Assessment comment

message: Servo mechanisms need some form of damping to avoid over-reacting and oscillation. This is not mentioned in the article, but ti seems like it should be.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.100.8.226 (talk) 19:56, 22 August 2017 (UTC)
thread_title: Damping

message: This is so epic oh my god I’m in heaven reading this all the time. ItalicConfucius senses are tingling 😂😂😂 2600:8806:501:FC00:354C:DE66:EC74:6CF7 (talk) 05:03, 8 May 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Epic