In this project I am going to show you how you can control a servo motor with the help of a smartphone application via Bluetooth.

For this project we will be using a Bluetooth HC-05 module with an Arduino Uno to control a servo 9g.

How does this project works?

This project has two parts:

1. The android application - This application will be sending various data packets to our HC-05 Bluetooth module

2. The hardware - This consists of HC-05 Bluetooth module, an Arduino Uno and a servo motor.

--> This is how it works --

The android app sends data packets to the Bluetooth module. The Bluetooth modules sends this data packet to Arduino Uno through Serial Communication. Arduino Uno is programmed to generate control signal for the servo motor depending upon the value of the data packet. Here is a flowchart for better understanding.

Flowchart

--> How to get Started

1. Download the android application.

2. Upload the code on the Arduino uno.

3. Make the connections.

Please note that the bluetooth HC-05 module needs to be connected with 3.3v and not with 5v vcc as it can damage the module.

4. Connect Bluetooth module to android app - When you power up your Hardware the Bluetooth module will become visible. So open the application and click on find nearby devices. Select HC-05. Once it shows connected you are good to go!

You can use the slider or enter the value manually to control the servo arm.

Servo motors are largely used in robotics for precise control. Anyone – well, almost anyone – has mobile devices with Bluetooth connection capabilities. In this tutorial, you will find how to wirelessly control a servo motor with an Arduino UNO and an Android device via a Bluetooth connection. In the end, you will be more connected, you will make things easier and control servo motors at the touch of a touchscreen.

In this article, I will introduce you to Bluetooth connections with the HC-06 Bluetooth module, Arduino UNO, and the SG90 servo motor. Also, you need extra resources for this tutorial such as an Android smartphone with Bluetooth capabilities and an application to send commands from smartphone to the Bluetooth module.

In the first part of the tutorial, I will show you how to hook up the HC-06 Bluetooth module to the Arduino. In the second part, you can find the source code to enter in AT command mode of the HC-06 Bluetooth module. Here you’ll set the name of your device, password, and the baud rate of the HC-06 module. Finally, in the last part, you will see how to setup the Android application and how to program Arduino to turn the servo motor at the touch of a button.

Requirements

Connect the right pieces and make them communicate with each other. This is the plan of this project. If you already have all the below parts or a part of them, you are lucky. The whole project will cost you nothing, or a few dollars in case you will buy only the missing parts. Otherwise, you have to spend tens of dollars to buy the servo motor, the Bluetooth module, the development board and few other accessories. To have a clear view of the costs, in the right side of each part and accessory used in this project is a link to an online store. Here are the parts:

1 X Arduino UNO (Amazon) – the Bluetooth module is compatible with almost any Arduino model, but all the code and schematics in this tutorial are for UNO.

1 X HC-06 (Amazon) – this is a slave Bluetooth module very easy to use with Arduino using serial communication.

1 X SG90 Servo Motor (Amazon) – this is probably the most popular servo motor in the DIY community.

7 X male to male jumper wires (Amazon).

1 X breadboard (Amazon).

1 X Android smartphone (Amazon).

Setting Up the Hardware

In this section, I will show you how to wire the Arduino UNO and the HC-06 Bluetooth module.

To use the HC-06 module, simply connect the VCC pin to the 3.3V output on the Arduino, the GND pin to any of Arduino GND pins, then connect the TX pin of the Bluetooth module to pin 10 of Arduino UNO and RX pin of Bluetooth to pin 11 of Arduino.

For servo motor, connect the brown wire to any of Arduino GND pins, the red wire from the SG90 servo to the 5V output of the Arduino, and the orange wire from the servo motor to digital pin 9 of Arduino.

Arduino Sketch and AT Commands

If the Bluetooth module is being used for the first time, you have to interrogate it to change some of the settings. The settings are changed with so-called AT commands.

The HC-06 module allows you to change a limited number of settings. You can change the name of the device, the PIN, and the baud rate.

You have to run the below AT commands in the IDE used with Arduino. These commands show you the version of firmware installed on the HC Bluetooth module, change the PIN, change the name of the module, and set the baud rate at 9600.

#define BLUETOOTH_SPEED 9600 //This is the default baud rate that HC-06 uses

SoftwareSerial mySerial(10, 11); // TX | RX

// Connect the HC-06 TX to Arduino pin 10 RX.

// Connect the HC-06 RX to Arduino pin 11 TX.

void setup() {

  Serial.begin(9600);

  Serial.println("Starting the configurations!");

  mySerial.begin(BLUETOOTH_SPEED);

  delay(1000);

  // Should respond with OK

  Serial.print("AT test command is: ");

  mySerial.print("AT");

  waitResponse();

  Serial.println("----------------");

  // Should respond with its version

  Serial.print("AT version is: ");

  mySerial.print("AT+VERSION");

  waitResponse();

  Serial.println("----------------");

  // Set pin

  Serial.print("Set pin: ");

  mySerial.print("AT+PIN1234");

  waitResponse();

  Serial.println("----------------");

  // Set the name to ROBOT_NAME

  Serial.print("Set the name: ");

  String rnc = String("AT+NAME") + String(ROBOT_NAME);

  mySerial.print(rnc);

  waitResponse();

  //Set baudrate to 9600

  //AT+BAUD1  OK1200  Sets the baud rate to 1200

  //AT+BAUD2  OK2400  Sets the baud rate to 2400

  //AT+BAUD3  OK4800  Sets the baud rate to 4800

  //AT+BAUD4  OK9600  Sets the baud rate to 9600

  //AT+BAUD5  OK19200 Sets the baud rate to 19200

  //AT+BAUD6  OK38400 Sets the baud rate to 38400

  //AT+BAUD7  OK57600 Sets the baud rate to 57600

  //AT+BAUD8  OK115200  Sets the baud rate to 115200

  //AT+BAUD9  OK230400  Sets the baud rate to 230400

  //AT+BAUDA  OK460800  Sets the baud rate to 460800

  //AT+BAUDB  OK921600  Sets the baud rate to 921600

  //AT+BAUDC  OK1382400 Sets the baud rate to 1382400

  Serial.println("----------------");

  // Set baud rate to 9600

  Serial.print("Set baud rate: ");

  mySerial.print("AT+BAUD4");

  waitResponse();

  Serial.println("The configurations are done!");

}

void loop() {

  }

void waitResponse() {

    delay(2000);

    while (mySerial.available()) {

      Serial.write(mySerial.read());

    }

    Serial.write("\n");

}

The Android Application and the Arduino Sketch

We’re very close to wirelessly control the SG90 servo motor with an Android smartphone. This is usually done by using an Android application that enables the Bluetooth features of the device.

From many applications that enable the Bluetooth features on Android devices, I choose the Arduino Bluetooth Controller application because is free and easy to use.

Before running the Android application, you make sure that the HC-06 Bluetooth module is up and running.

After the application is installed on your device, you have to scan for devices, enter the PIN number set with the script above, and connect the Bluetooth module.

For this tutorial, I use the “Controller Mode” for commands.

For this tutorial, I use “Controller Mode”

The interface layout provides 10 buttons specifically designed to send continuously commands while pressed. For now, we only use two of the buttons: one button to send “1”, and another to send “2”. So, use the settings of the application to set the value “1” and value “2” for two of the buttons. These values will be received by the Bluetooth module and used in the Arduino sketch to control the servo motor.

I use these two buttons to send the commands to the Bluetooth module

After the Android application setup is finished, we have to turn back to the Arduino and upload the code to control the servo motor. Below is the Arduino sketch to turn the servo motor at a specific position.

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

#include <Servo.h>

SoftwareSerial mySerial(10, 11); // RX | TX

Servo servo;  

int servoPin = 9;

int servoAngle = 0;  // servo position in degrees

char command;

void setup() {

  Serial.begin(9600);

  mySerial.begin(9600);

  Serial.println("You're connected via Bluetooth");

  servo.attach(servoPin);

}

void loop() {

  if (mySerial.available())

  {

    command=(mySerial.read());

    if (command=='1')

    {

      Serial.println("Servo motor to 10 degrees");

      servo.write(10);              

      delay(500);                  

    }

    else if (command=='2')

    {

      Serial.println("Servo motor to 120 degrees");

      servo.write(120);              

      delay(500);

    }

  }

}