Waveshare Servo Driver for micro:bit 16-Channel 12-bit I2C Control Board

Description

Waveshare Servo Driver for micro:bit 16-Channel 12-bit I2C Control Board is a dedicated servo expansion board for micro:bit built for robotics, motion control, STEM learning, and multi-servo projects. It solves the PWM output limitation of the micro:bit by offloading servo control to a dedicated driver, making it much easier to build projects such as robotic arms, walking robots, multi-axis mechanisms, and other motion systems that require several servos at the same time.

This micro:bit servo driver supports up to 16 servo / PWM channels with 12-bit resolution for each channel and uses an I2C interface, so it only occupies two control lines on the micro:bit. It integrates a 5V regulator with up to 3A output current, supports power input from either a 5V POWER connector or a 6V~12V VIN terminal, and uses the PCA9685 driver for stable multi-servo control.

Features

• Servo driver for micro:bit using the micro:bit edge connector, directly pluggable.
• Up to 16-channel servo/PWM output for multi-servo robotics projects.
• 12-bit resolution with 4096 steps per channel for smoother control.
• I2C control using only 2 pins from the micro:bit.
• Integrated 5V regulator with up to 3A output current.
• Supports power input from 5V POWER or 6V~12V VIN.
• Reserved I2C control pins for working with other control boards.
• Suitable for robotic arm control, classroom robotics, servo experiments, and wireless demo projects.

Specifications

Applications

• Robotic arms and multi-joint robots requiring several servo channels.
• micro:bit STEM robotics education and classroom motion control projects.
• DIY automation and kinetic installations using multiple servos.
• Wireless servo demos using micro:bit Bluetooth or 2.4G control examples.
• Maker prototypes where precise multi-servo control is needed without burdening the micro:bit PWM resources.

Product List

1. Servo Driver for micro:bit x1

Note: micro:bit and servo shown in the photos are not included.

Other Content

Servo control demo

Dimension reference

Power and wiring note
This board supports external servo power input, which is important for multi-servo systems that need more current than the micro:bit can provide directly.

Resources

• Wiki / User Guide
• User Manual
• Schematic PDF
• Demo Code
• micro:bit MakeCode
• Bluetooth App
• MP1584 Datasheet
• PCA9685 Datasheet
• RT9193 Datasheet

FAQ

Why use this instead of driving servos directly from the micro:bit?
Because it overcomes the PWM output limitation of the micro:bit and allows much better support for multi-servo projects.

How many servos can it control?
It supports up to 16 servo channels.

What driver chip does it use?
It uses the PCA9685, which is a common and reliable multi-channel PWM driver.

Does it need external power?
For practical multi-servo use, yes. It supports 5V POWER input or 6V~12V VIN input, which is important because servos usually need more current than the micro:bit alone can provide.

What related micro:bit accessory pairs well with it?
If you want more convenient wiring or broader I/O breakout while building robot projects, you can also pair it with the Edge Breakout for micro:bit.