summerwind

please don't spank me for this one, but i am making the jump from glow to gas.
always used analog servos in the past.
so the question i can find no answer on here on RCU is which is the way to go these days?

digital w/metal gears, or digital w/nylon gears?

feel like a freakin newborn here

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

How big is your engine? I asked the same question in the radio forum for smaller gas engines.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10085896/tm.htm
John

summerwind

right now it's a DLE30...may go no bigger than a 55 though.

Rodney

I have used both metal and nylon geared servos, all successfully. If the nylon gears are well made, they have many advantages over the metal gears as they wear much better (do not create slop with wear as metal gears do) and are audibly less noisy. I have never had a nylon gear break under normal use but; if it happens in a crash, it is probably a good thing saving more expensive damage elsewhere.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

I use both. It depends on the quality grade of the servo a bit. I generally go to the higher side of the quality list. Costs more but dependability and longevity increase exponentially.

Zippi

My Feedback: (10)

summerwind,

I always use metal gear and as far as digital servos go, if you can afford them use them but they are not required when running a gasser. When using metal gear servos always use blue loctite on the screws.

summerwind

thx for the replies.
all my gear is Futaba, and i don't mind spending big bucks on the servos that do the best job in terms of centering, and have durability.
i just wanted to make sure using metal gear servos was compatiable with gassers.

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

Summerwind, There's no reason to use digital servos unless you have to and most flyers don't have to. In fact there's one very good reason you should not use them and that is a very high current consumption. Name brand servos with plastic or nylon gears are just as satisfactory for models up to 50cc, or even more, as metal geared servos. Keep in mind that metal gears do wear out. Dan.

AirWizard

My Feedback: (3)

Normal flying any servo will do. If you are doing 3D then go digital metal gear.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

I feel the need to rebut an earlier post where using Locktite on the output shaft screw is concerend. In a word, don't. Too much and you'll ruin the servo trying to get it out later. The wrong Locktite assures it never comes out. With some Hitec servos the use of Locktite is forbidden. Easier to simply use a small dab of clear silicone over the top of the screw over lapping onto the arm to prevent a machine screw from backing out. The removal process is easy. Just scrape the silicone away with a fingernail.

summerwind

good one TOM......actually i only loan out the Red stuff to smart*****'s

speaking of Hitec though, what is the take on these servos?
good reliable quality?

i remember years ago that Hitec was use at your own risk affairs

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

They still are. Dan.

JNorton

My Feedback: (2)

Just curious Dan how many have you used lately. I've only been in this game since 2000. I use Hitec almost exclusively. I've 15 different airframes using Hitec servos.
John

the Wasp

My Feedback: (1)

John,, I have to agree, I know guys that say don't trust them, but I will be flying 10 years in January and I have NEVER seen a Hitech Servo fail, and I know guys that fly them for years in 100 inch 100cc Planes and no failures..

Jim

Truckracer

My Feedback: (19)

I agree and I've been around this game more than a few years. I remember years ago when a HiTec servo pretty much guraranteed your plane would one day come falling out of the sky with some kine of servo failure. Not so today and I use HiTec almost exclusively these days if they offer a servo with the specs I'm looking for. Also use the Aurora radio and find it likewise a great product for the $$.

captinjohn

Absolutley a great Idea Tom...and Just in time...I was going to use tiny bit of the blue off the end of a toothpick.....now its clear silicone rubber instead!!!! Thanks a ton. Capt,n

captinjohn

Another question abour servos. I called Tower where I boughtt a Futaba 6EX and they tell me I need a servo reverser for split elevator and the best way they say is buy a Futaba one. Is this right or should I get one from EMS where I got a heavy duty switch? Thanks Capt,n

nonstoprc

My Feedback: (90)

I recommend getting the metal gear servos if your plane is 50cc or larger. Follow the torque requirement of the plane when selecting servos.

On using Lock Tight. No harm will be done if only a small amount that lubricates a couple threads. The key is to use socket head screws so they can be backed out easily.

captinjohn

One using Lock Tight. No harm will be done if only a small amount that lubricates a couple threads. The key is to use socket head screws so they can be backed out easily<hr />Not me...soon as you turn that screw in the locktite will spread. Also the average person will go bananas finding a socket head screw!!!!!!!!!!!! Capt,n

rcguy59

My Feedback: (8)

Since when did average people start flying gassers? Most of the ones I fly with are well BELOW average.

kurt2022

My Feedback: (18)

Personally failure is NOT an option, I use metal gear servos on ALL surfaces except throttle and choke, but do not own any gassers below 50cc. We have a guy at the field that uses plastic gear servos and can replace gears in record time because he has done it so much. On my seven gassers, all with metal gear servos, I have never had a gear strip but have changed a few gears on one plane because the the gears became sloppy on JR 8611a servos, and that is why I prefer hitec servos. To me safety is priority and a stripped gear means NO control of a surface and could lead to disaster or bodily injury if the plane ever hit someone. Just my 2 cents worth!

nonstoprc

My Feedback: (90)

I think if you are careful about the amount, it will not go down to the electronics no will it be too much. With a socket head screw, u can do the back out back and forth. It works equally well on my wing incident adjusters.

For Hitec servos, you should be able to find the socket head type in LHS. I recall it is 2mm in diameter.

All Day Dan

My Feedback: (5)

John, I did buy four or five over the years for different special applications and I think three were bad in the box. All were made in the Philippines, maybe. I also make my judgment based on the number of failures I see at the field. I can't give you a number but it is noticeable. It's hard to resist buying a servo that is half the price of a name brand especially when you need ten or so on a large plane. That’s why there are so many around. They are electro-mechanical devices and are prone to failures as any such device is. Much more than some electronic assembly composed of chips. I do not use them. It does not bother me that other guys do use them. Dan.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

Go with the Futaba product John. It's one of the best on the market. It would have been better to have a Tx that would have done that for you but you know how that goes.

I certainly don't want to get into a servo war. I was working P/T for a company when Hitec first started sellingtheir wares in this country. pretty much after market receivers at the time, but expanded as they gained market recognition. The first servos were pretty standard stuff and worked fine. Course at the time they all did. You only had two basic classes of servos. Standards and 1/4 scale.

I've used just about every manufacturer out there for servos. I do have a particular favorite based on reliability standards but I'm not going to share that now. However, I was there when Hitec had some serious issues with a specific type of servo. Lost a plane to some and darn near lost another, but that was quite some time ago. So I made a change to JR because of their centering and resolution quaity. Unfortunately the 8611 ended up with quite a problem with gear wear and chattering servos. The follow on line contained the same gear train so the problem continued. Actually it got a little worse since some of them could not handle any kind of a load without becoming a chatter box. Now we are charged big bucks for servos to cover the eventual costs of "free" repairs during the warranty period... Of course there has never been an admission from any company about their products having a design issue.

So it was back to Hitec because they had fixed their problems. Only a couple small issues remain. Centering and resolution could be a lot better and Hitec servos heat fade under load. You have to carry one more than you would a JR for the same load factors if you want to maintain control surface strength. I lied, IMO Futaba makes the best servos with Airtronics not far behind. They've had more practice than the others to become better at it. Overall they all work pretty well though. You just have to do your comparative homework and select the right tool for the job.

mroyer

My Feedback: (2)

but how do I "do my homework" before buying servos? The specifications include weight, torque, current, max speed. Nowhere do I find gear train lonjevity or idle chatter specifications.

Mike