1/4 scale servos
08-08-2020, 07:58 AM
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1/4 scale servos
I know I've been away from the hobby for quite a while, but I don't remember servos being so expensive. I've been reading that I'm about to get some sticker shock when I see the price of balsa now too, but that's another subject. Where is the best place to buy these large servos where I can get decent servos at the most reasonable price? I'm not looking for the cheapest brand, nor the best, but a good compromise between price and quality. Hi-Tech seems to come up a lot when doing searches, are they any good, and are their plugs compatible with Spektrum receivers? Thanks.
08-08-2020, 10:23 AM
#2
As you refer the "1/4 scale" servos, be aware that the servos of today aren't necessarily referred to as such. Most of us go by torque rating. There's some very strong servos available now in what's considered a standard size case... that rival "1/4 scale" servos from yesteryear by a long shot. These new generation servos are far lighter, and far stronger then a 1/4 scale servo from days gone by.
Hitec is one of the better servos on the market really.. along with Futaba and Spektrum. There are many chinese servos on the market as well that some swear by as well. PowerHD is one of those, and some people have great luck with them, for a reasonable price... and they're a digital servo available in several torque ratings, as well as voltage choices.
Most all on the market are all compatible with Spektrum(good choice by the way). Hitec has the line of HS645's, HS5645's, and D645's, that range in the $30-$35 dollar area. PowerHD's can be found for about $25ish price range. There's also cheap cheap servos(chinese types) available through Amazon, Bangood, those kinds of places, but you take your chances with those. Many appear to be decent, but they aren't used in flying machines as much as RC cars and robotics.
I'm a fan of Hitec really. I've had great experience with them, and they'e a company that really stand behind the products, and they have a great service dept as well. Can't say that for chinese servos from Amazon though... or many others. Futaba and Spektrum also stand behind the products very well.
Fact is the servos are the heartbeat of a plane. Without solid servos you really take your chances. You have to find that compromise though between what's affordable, and what's going to work.... but yeah... for what you might want to do(with that Sachs/Dolmar), stick with a standard size/hi-torque servo.... as if you're looking at "1/4 scale" servos, you'll end up with a giant, heavy, battery draining, not so strong servo. Just keep studying, and Google that PowerHD. If you can find a servo that's got torque in the 200-300oz range you'll probably be fine. You can get that kind of torque using a LiFe(6.6v) battery. Stay away from NiCad, or NiMh batteries, there's much better battery technology available these days too. Keep studying and good luck with it.
Hitec is one of the better servos on the market really.. along with Futaba and Spektrum. There are many chinese servos on the market as well that some swear by as well. PowerHD is one of those, and some people have great luck with them, for a reasonable price... and they're a digital servo available in several torque ratings, as well as voltage choices.
Most all on the market are all compatible with Spektrum(good choice by the way). Hitec has the line of HS645's, HS5645's, and D645's, that range in the $30-$35 dollar area. PowerHD's can be found for about $25ish price range. There's also cheap cheap servos(chinese types) available through Amazon, Bangood, those kinds of places, but you take your chances with those. Many appear to be decent, but they aren't used in flying machines as much as RC cars and robotics.
I'm a fan of Hitec really. I've had great experience with them, and they'e a company that really stand behind the products, and they have a great service dept as well. Can't say that for chinese servos from Amazon though... or many others. Futaba and Spektrum also stand behind the products very well.
Fact is the servos are the heartbeat of a plane. Without solid servos you really take your chances. You have to find that compromise though between what's affordable, and what's going to work.... but yeah... for what you might want to do(with that Sachs/Dolmar), stick with a standard size/hi-torque servo.... as if you're looking at "1/4 scale" servos, you'll end up with a giant, heavy, battery draining, not so strong servo. Just keep studying, and Google that PowerHD. If you can find a servo that's got torque in the 200-300oz range you'll probably be fine. You can get that kind of torque using a LiFe(6.6v) battery. Stay away from NiCad, or NiMh batteries, there's much better battery technology available these days too. Keep studying and good luck with it.
08-08-2020, 11:25 AM
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As you refer the "1/4 scale" servos, be aware that the servos of today aren't necessarily referred to as such. Most of us go by torque rating. There's some very strong servos available now in what's considered a standard size case... that rival "1/4 scale" servos from yesteryear by a long shot. These new generation servos are far lighter, and far stronger then a 1/4 scale servo from days gone by.
Hitec is one of the better servos on the market really.. along with Futaba and Spektrum. There are many chinese servos on the market as well that some swear by as well. PowerHD is one of those, and some people have great luck with them, for a reasonable price... and they're a digital servo available in several torque ratings, as well as voltage choices.
Most all on the market are all compatible with Spektrum(good choice by the way). Hitec has the line of HS645's, HS5645's, and D645's, that range in the $30-$35 dollar area. PowerHD's can be found for about $25ish price range. There's also cheap cheap servos(chinese types) available through Amazon, Bangood, those kinds of places, but you take your chances with those. Many appear to be decent, but they aren't used in flying machines as much as RC cars and robotics.
I'm a fan of Hitec really. I've had great experience with them, and they'e a company that really stand behind the products, and they have a great service dept as well. Can't say that for chinese servos from Amazon though... or many others. Futaba and Spektrum also stand behind the products very well.
Fact is the servos are the heartbeat of a plane. Without solid servos you really take your chances. You have to find that compromise though between what's affordable, and what's going to work.... but yeah... for what you might want to do(with that Sachs/Dolmar), stick with a standard size/hi-torque servo.... as if you're looking at "1/4 scale" servos, you'll end up with a giant, heavy, battery draining, not so strong servo. Just keep studying, and Google that PowerHD. If you can find a servo that's got torque in the 200-300oz range you'll probably be fine. You can get that kind of torque using a LiFe(6.6v) battery. Stay away from NiCad, or NiMh batteries, there's much better battery technology available these days too. Keep studying and good luck with it.
Hitec is one of the better servos on the market really.. along with Futaba and Spektrum. There are many chinese servos on the market as well that some swear by as well. PowerHD is one of those, and some people have great luck with them, for a reasonable price... and they're a digital servo available in several torque ratings, as well as voltage choices.
Most all on the market are all compatible with Spektrum(good choice by the way). Hitec has the line of HS645's, HS5645's, and D645's, that range in the $30-$35 dollar area. PowerHD's can be found for about $25ish price range. There's also cheap cheap servos(chinese types) available through Amazon, Bangood, those kinds of places, but you take your chances with those. Many appear to be decent, but they aren't used in flying machines as much as RC cars and robotics.
I'm a fan of Hitec really. I've had great experience with them, and they'e a company that really stand behind the products, and they have a great service dept as well. Can't say that for chinese servos from Amazon though... or many others. Futaba and Spektrum also stand behind the products very well.
Fact is the servos are the heartbeat of a plane. Without solid servos you really take your chances. You have to find that compromise though between what's affordable, and what's going to work.... but yeah... for what you might want to do(with that Sachs/Dolmar), stick with a standard size/hi-torque servo.... as if you're looking at "1/4 scale" servos, you'll end up with a giant, heavy, battery draining, not so strong servo. Just keep studying, and Google that PowerHD. If you can find a servo that's got torque in the 200-300oz range you'll probably be fine. You can get that kind of torque using a LiFe(6.6v) battery. Stay away from NiCad, or NiMh batteries, there's much better battery technology available these days too. Keep studying and good luck with it.
08-08-2020, 12:57 PM
#4
Knowing what engine you're using, and a ball-park idea of the size of plane(sport style Stik type plane, with probably 1200-1400sq in wing area, probably ball park weight of 15-16lbs), I'd say something in the range of at least 200oz torque would suffice. Standard size servos are available in a whole range of torque ratings... from very low, all the way up to 600oz and more.
I highly recommend a metal gear servo.. at least.... Titanium would be best, but you're looking at $100 per servo starting price for titanium, but there's very decent metal gear servos for much less... but with that Sachs(not the smoothest runner, but a great engine) single cylinder, it will be a shaker,, so don't go with any plastic servo gears... not even the throttle.
The servo array you described is very much mainstream, for that size of plane. You might also consider aluminum servo arms, for same/similar reasons as the metal gear servos. Those are available through major hobby outlets, and there's several types and brands on Amazon as well.
LiFe batteries(lithium phosphorous) have been on the scene for at least 6-8yrs now and have gained alot of momentum. For our RC/receiver use, 2-cell versions are the norm. 3.3v per cell = 6.6v total rating. Yes, a modern charger is needed. Nice thing about LIFe batts is they're very stable, and being 6.6v they give a bit more power then the 4.8v-6.0v NiCad/NiMh batteries... and they dont' gain memory either.. so no real cycling is needed. Very low maintenance. They're actually cheaper in most cases then the Nickelbased batteries.. available in different Mah ratings(capacities). For what you're doing, I'd say something in the 3000mah range.... give or take. HobbyKing has some great deals on them... as well as the chargers.
Expect to pay about $20-$25 for a battery(give or take, might even be a bit less), and expect to pay about $30-$35 for a single input charger(one battery at a time)... and the modern chargers will charge nearly any hobby battery on the planet for our sport planes... they're usually set up to charge several battery chemistries(including NiCad/NiMh/LiPo,etc..). YouTube search, or Google "four button charger"... which is the simplest most effective type to get started. You'll get a general idea of how they work, as well as Google everything I've mentioned, and you'll get info. There is a certain charging criteria to follow to get the most service and safety when charging, but it's pretty simple, and the LiFe's are as safe as any other battery when charged correctly. LiPo's not so much, but we'll save that conversation... just check out LiFe's and see if they'd work for you. They seem to be working across the board though for many sport flyers, and the older systems(older 72mhz receivers and servos) tolerate LiFe's very well.
I highly recommend a metal gear servo.. at least.... Titanium would be best, but you're looking at $100 per servo starting price for titanium, but there's very decent metal gear servos for much less... but with that Sachs(not the smoothest runner, but a great engine) single cylinder, it will be a shaker,, so don't go with any plastic servo gears... not even the throttle.
The servo array you described is very much mainstream, for that size of plane. You might also consider aluminum servo arms, for same/similar reasons as the metal gear servos. Those are available through major hobby outlets, and there's several types and brands on Amazon as well.
LiFe batteries(lithium phosphorous) have been on the scene for at least 6-8yrs now and have gained alot of momentum. For our RC/receiver use, 2-cell versions are the norm. 3.3v per cell = 6.6v total rating. Yes, a modern charger is needed. Nice thing about LIFe batts is they're very stable, and being 6.6v they give a bit more power then the 4.8v-6.0v NiCad/NiMh batteries... and they dont' gain memory either.. so no real cycling is needed. Very low maintenance. They're actually cheaper in most cases then the Nickelbased batteries.. available in different Mah ratings(capacities). For what you're doing, I'd say something in the 3000mah range.... give or take. HobbyKing has some great deals on them... as well as the chargers.
Expect to pay about $20-$25 for a battery(give or take, might even be a bit less), and expect to pay about $30-$35 for a single input charger(one battery at a time)... and the modern chargers will charge nearly any hobby battery on the planet for our sport planes... they're usually set up to charge several battery chemistries(including NiCad/NiMh/LiPo,etc..). YouTube search, or Google "four button charger"... which is the simplest most effective type to get started. You'll get a general idea of how they work, as well as Google everything I've mentioned, and you'll get info. There is a certain charging criteria to follow to get the most service and safety when charging, but it's pretty simple, and the LiFe's are as safe as any other battery when charged correctly. LiPo's not so much, but we'll save that conversation... just check out LiFe's and see if they'd work for you. They seem to be working across the board though for many sport flyers, and the older systems(older 72mhz receivers and servos) tolerate LiFe's very well.
08-08-2020, 01:45 PM
#6
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I wasn't specific enough with my question. I have 2 Lipo chargers, one for smaller batteries, and one for large capacity batteries.Will these work to charge LiFe batteries, or will I need a charger made specifically for that type of battery? Thanks for the info!
08-08-2020, 04:45 PM
#7
If either of your chargers have a LiFe setting, then they're fine for LiFe batteries. A modern LiPo charger usually has settings for many different batteries.
Without knowing what chargers you have though, I really can't say whether they're compatible. As I mentioned, a modern charger usually has settings for many battery types. Your question was "do I need a special charger?"... and I should have said "no, not if you already have a modern charger, that might work with LiFe too". Then I should have asked... "Do you already have a charger that might be compatible?" So...
Let's cut to the chase... LOL... What chargers do you have? Lets see if you already have what it takes to charge a LiFe battery. My guess is you probably do, now that I'm getting a better picture here. Brand and model#'s please, and we'll have a look. There's a chance both of your chargers might be compatible.
Without knowing what chargers you have though, I really can't say whether they're compatible. As I mentioned, a modern charger usually has settings for many battery types. Your question was "do I need a special charger?"... and I should have said "no, not if you already have a modern charger, that might work with LiFe too". Then I should have asked... "Do you already have a charger that might be compatible?" So...
Let's cut to the chase... LOL... What chargers do you have? Lets see if you already have what it takes to charge a LiFe battery. My guess is you probably do, now that I'm getting a better picture here. Brand and model#'s please, and we'll have a look. There's a chance both of your chargers might be compatible.
