I’m an R/C model builder and having to choose some servos to install in a glider some time ago i searched in this forum about any device useful to check a servo before to use it, but i didn't find anything useful for my purpose so i decided to make my own solution.
My idea is quite simple: if the movement of a servo is smooth, without strange noises and the power consumption is consistent with the manufacturer's data or with the consumption of another similar servo (analog or digital), then the servo has no defects symptoms.
To do this, the project uses a INA219 ammeter module, a TFT color display (128x160px) and an Arduino Nano (but every Arduino is fine) and allows to do 3 kind of tests:
- Manual: to test smoothness and noises
- Automatic: to test power consumption of a servo
- On board system: to estimate the overall consumption of the electronics on board the model (RX + servos) and choose the right battery to use
You can find the project including electric scheme, PCBs and sketch at: GitHub - IWILZ/Servo-Tester-Arduino: How to test mini and medium servos before use them
Have fun! 