I have this built, but I want it to drive the continuous tiny servo slower than it currently is.
Its currently running at 9vdc.
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance

 

that is a bad circuit... there is nothing to limit discharge pin current when potentiometer wiper is at the top. also are you sure that your servo is rated for 9V?

check this out:
https://www.hackster.io/e_s_c/servo-tester-using-ic-555-50c99d

 

that is a bad circuit... there is nothing to limit discharge pin current when potentiometer wiper is at the top. also are you sure that your servo is rated for 9V?

check this out:
https://www.hackster.io/e_s_c/servo-tester-using-ic-555-50c99d

Can I throw in a zener to take the voltage down to 6v?
Can I use a regular electrolytic rather than Tantalum....I have no Tantalums in stock. This unit does not need to be particularly accurate, just slow.

 

zener and resistor can be used but need to be sized correctly.
type of capacitor is not an issue for short period, leakage current becomes a problem when making circuit for long periods. also you can use ceramic - much better in just about every way. in this case proposed use of tantalum cap was for power... not a problem. standard Alu cap will do fine.

to get same timing, you can also reduce capacitor value and increase resistor.

and to drive servo you need PWM (control how narrow pulses are while maintaining frequency). your circuit does not do that. linked circuit accomplishes that with diode across pins 6 and 7, making charge and discharge times asymmetric.

your circuit does not have current limit for discharge transistor, linked circuit uses 12k:

 

Thank you, can you suggest a value of resistor to be used with a 6v Zener, to lower the voltage??

 

Thank you, can you suggest a value of resistor to be used with a 6v Zener, to lower the voltage??

I would suggest using a voltage regulator chip if you need 5 or 6 volts.
Post a link to this servo.

 

Thank you, can you suggest a value of resistor to be used with a 6v Zener, to lower the voltage??

A 7805 or 7315 voltage regulator would be a much better choice for dropping the voltage for the servo which can take up to an Amp.
How slow do you want the servo to go? Slowing down the pulse repetition rate will cause the servo to rotate in small jerky steps. Reducing the servo voltage to below 5V will slow it down, but it will also lose torque. A combination of both of these may slow it down enough for you. It all depends on the application which you have not explained to us.

 

Thank you guys for the help. I increased the 12k resistor on the wiper of the potto 20k, and all is well with the circuit.
I appreciate the help to all involved