The ESP8266 module, with its 80Mhz processor and built-in WiFi capabilities, has taken the maker world by storm in the past few years. Along with the module itself, development boards like the Wemos D1 mini have sprung up, providing a convenient way to use it, and it can even be programmed using the Arduino IDE.
This is great if you want to read sensors from a distance, control a few LEDs, or other non-power intensive tasks, but what if you want it to physically do something? One of the easiest ways to do this would be to use a hobby-style servo, but control and power distribution can be dicey, especially as you implement control of more than one or two.
For a ready-made solution to this issue, the 16-channer D1 Mini servo shield looks quite convenient. It plugs into the top or bottom of a D1 Mini board, and can power the servos via an external power supply if needed. Communication with the board is via I²C, offloading control duties to the shield, and allowing up to 64 boards to be used together.
The ability to use 64 of this item together means that you could, in theory, control up to 1024 servos or other PWM devices (64 expansion boards each driving 16 servos). If you do end up controlling a thousand servos with these boards—or come up with other cool inventions using products you found here—please let us know! You can find Tindie on Twitter here, or tweet me directly @JeremySCook. I’d love to feature it!
