Convert a Servo to switch on and off LED's

One of the most common parts in remote control electronics is the servo. They offer proportional movement using a potentiometer, gears, a motor and an H Bridge Circuit. What we will be doing is taking apart a tiny servo to remove the circuit and potentiometer. We will then de-solder the motor and solder wires in it's place. These wires will then go to LEDs to light them up.

One interesting part about LEDs is that they are diodes (Light emitting diodes) so electricity will only flow through them one way. Based on this principle when we attach them to where the motor was, when the motor would be spinning one way, the electricity flows one way and will light up the LED. When you flip a switch on your transmitter it would make the motor spin the other way which makes electricity flow the other way but it can't becasue the LED won't allow it through the other direction. This essentially turns off the light. When paired up (the + of one LED to the - of the other and vice versa) when the motor spins one way, one LED lights up, flip the switch and that one turns off and the other turns on. This is what we will be making

Step 1: Take apart the servo

First you need to extract the necessary pieces. Remove the 2-4 screws to pull the bottom of the casing off, then pull the top off. Remove the gears as we will not need them. Then remove the potentiometer (It will have 3 pins and likely be what the main shaft of the servo rotates on. I had to cut my case to get it out without de-soldering the leads. You will then de-solder the motor and put it in your junk pile for some other project.