what's a good quality mini servo i can use in a .40 size plane? i've been using mini ball bearing servos in my .40 ultimate and ahve had no problems, contrary to what some say. they are the hitec hs-85's. the only problem with them is too much slop around center (at least more than i'd like). but other than that they've held up fine. i've been using micro or mini servos for the trhottle as well in all of my .40-size planes and have not had any problems yet.

i'm putting together a pacific aeromodels edge right now and wanted to use mini servos (two) for the elevators. but this time i wanted something a little better quality, more precise. what brand/ model do you guys recommend? i want ball bearing and possibly metal gears also. or should i just stick to standard servos?
i want to go mini to save weight.

thanks.

Actually if you are getting slop around center they are really not holding up fine.

Personally I would use the 225 series from Hitec.

boosted 180
You are trying to go against the industry's general desisn directions here in my view. The larger airplanes sinly need more torque to pull and hold the control surfaces. A edge is a very airobatic airplane, so I assume you intend to fly airobatics or 3-D. In 3-d, the servos actually hold the airplanes near full weight in knife edge, harrier etc. So a 4-5 pound airplane is putting about that weight on the contgrol surfaces. There are some mini survos that doubled up will pull and hold approporiately. Something like a JR DS 3241 that cranks over 60 oz power may do the job, but you will not like the price, around $80.00 each, correspoinding Fatuba about the same. My Banshee, about the same size has JR DS 8411, and 8611 on rudder, all over 200 oz. And yess, I can feel the difference from those and say standard servos. I for one resisted the high dollar, high power digital servos until, I flew a buds exact airplane. Night and day! Mine equiped with good servos that week simply because of the difference in flying character. Your little servos on larger airplanes are working very hard just to hold the surfaces up, much less move them. You re going to pay the price in lost airplanes, sooner or later, and I suspect sooner. The small ones are simply not designed to take the forces you are placing on them. You are much better off going with a good standard servo with 60 or so oz minimum. For what it worth, I started in RC in the late 1960's in my 30's. Having been arround for so long does not make me the brightest bulb on the tree, but at least experienced. Hate to see good birds in pieces. Hope others will give you about the same information.

I have used the 225's on the ailerons of a couple profiles and they did ok.. I still used standards on the rudder and elevator though... The problem with the smaller servos is not the amount of torque but the gear trains.. The gears are small so they may be able to handle the torque but not in a constant "lock to lock" manner that they may incure during 3-d flight...Also, one bump in the "hanger" and the gears are toast... There's my .02 worth on it.

While I agree the 85's are two small for much over a 25 -30 size or a heavy electric and standard size servos are really the way too go, the 225MG's I used in my CG Ultimate held up well for me for 300+ flights. I used them all around and really hammered on this plane (very violent blenders into flat spins).

Besides, a standard size servo would not fit in the wings (too deep) and the thin wing servo was too big for the servo mount in the wing and no, opening it up was really not an option.

I also used one each on the elevator and one for the rudder and an Ultiamte's rudder is huge.

Cirrus has a new servo out thats the same size as the HS 81/85 thats MG and about 60oz's at 6v

so if i go with standard servos, what do you guys recommend? cirrus and hitec servos are relatively inexpensive, but from my experience there's just too much slop near center (on both the standard and mini servos i've used from them).

is metal gears necessary or can i just stick with nylon. i can spend around $35 or less per servo.

what are some good jr or futaba servos? i never used either.

thanks.

I have had good results with the Hobbico CS 35. It weighs in at 2/3s the weight of a standard, but has better speed and torque. With 6v they have around 72 onzes and 0.11 second in speed. The cost is about $25. Tower has the generic version TS 35 for around $20.

I have some in an OMP Yak for 3D and they hold well.

They have a smaller case. If you are building, fit the openings to the servo. If not, add a bit of plywood to the opening.

I bought 4 Hitech 225's. One of them was bad out of the box, two of the stripped in 2nd flight and the other one is still working but has trouble making it back to center. IMO, its marketed like it will work wonders on a .40 sized plane but the truth is that it didnt for me and many others. I have been wanting to try that cirrus mini servo with metal gears, I will go for it again on my next 40 sized profile.

The HS225 and HS225MG are the *worst* servos that Hitec have ever made.

Even Hitec themselves admit that the gear-train really isn't up to the task. Calling them a "Mighty Mini" is a joke.

Having said that -- most of Hitec's other stuff is fine -- I use HS425 and 475 servos on lots of my 40-sized 3D ships -- albeit I now fit a digital amp for *much* better torque, speed and holding power on rudder/elevator.

i have used cs35mg's in a .40 size profile 3d w/good results. i am also have a pac aero edge 540 .40 size, looking to put cs35's in the tail. is it necessary to use mg, since there are two servos, that takes alot of load off the servos, and the deflection isn't much on the elevator. also because there are two servos there is a margin of safety built in if one fails. i would like to replace the standars w/cs35 or mg, save about 1 1/2 ounce, then put the hs 625 in the tail for rudder. i have an os 91 fs that needs some tail weight.
i'm looking for some feedback on the hobbico servos, i've had good luck with these. is it safe to use them in my Great planes .60 size extra 300 (w/120fs) two on the elevator halves, i feel safer w/mg althought they might wear in a short time (or not).
jon b

The JR 3421 mini digitals are the real deal but expensive. I tried the hitec 225's and have the same evaluation as others....poor.

I am using 5245 digital mini's in a 90 size ship and use them for throttle on my GS stuff with no problems.

I'm using Hitec 225 with plastic gears on each elevator in a World Models 40 Ultimate Bipe. Working fine.

Also using HS-81 on each aileron of the same plane. The reaosn why they are working is because they are overkill for each surface.

67oz on each elevator in this plane. 45oz on each aileron in this plane. Total overkill.

It's not a 3D plane, but I bang it around without a shred of mercy. Servos are holding up fine, but thats becaue they aren't marginal for the plane. They are overkill.

Any plane with marginal servos is going to suffer from wear and slop quickly. Put a Hitec HS-81 on the ailerons of your slowest flying 40 size trainer--they won't last 3 flights. Too much aileron and too much mass involved. But put 1 on each aileron--like my little bipe--and they work fine.

I'm a nut job about hanger rash. Takes me 15 minutes to carry a plane up from the basement and put it in the truck. Thats because I'm not banging it into doorways and throwing it in the truck. Hanger rash has crashed more planes than anything else. Guys break the gears or severely weaken the gears by banging the plane into doors and such. Take it to the field and wiggle the sticks. Everything checks out untill you put flight loads on that weak gear. SPLAT!! Dead plane because of a stripped gear.

Just be sensible about the loads that your exposing the servo too. Is the rudder huge on your 3D plane? 225 probably ain't gonna do it. With a large cord on the rudder, and extreme throws--the gears just can't handle it. But, for this little bipe with a 2" cord on the rudder--a 225 is fine. 67oz on a rudder thats 8" tall and a 2" cord--totally fine.

Put a 225 on the rudder of a 40 size Powerline Edge 540 and it'll strip on the first knif-edge. That rudder is HUGE. Cord is probably 8" or 9" and it's 12" tall. Lot more surface area there.

I dont think its so much the torque of the 225 that makes it strip as much as I think its just a cheaply made servo with sub standard gears in it. If you look at the hitech 425 standard sized servos on 4.8 volts it has less torque than the 225 on 6 volts. Case in point. I put the 225's on my profile with 6 volts, they all failed. I have run many 425's (4.8v) on profiles with zero problems. "Mighty Mini" is really bad advertising. From looking at the stats you think its the perfect servo to replace a standard servo (which works fine on a .40 sized profile). I replaced the "mighty Minis" with MPI mini servos and I havent had a problem in over 200(+) really hardcore flights. I like the idea of the mini servos on profiles and other small 3D ships and I think I will try the Cirrus MG mini on the next .40 sized plane I do.

I had a Hitec 225 show me it's full travel range when it was uncommanded, in the air, on a dual servo elevator set-up.[X(]

Have been using 4 JR DS3421 in my 40 size 3D planes since summer of 2002. Best investment I ever made. They are still going strong and I am about to put them in their 3rd plane!

A top flier once said "Buy the best servos you can afford".

The Hitecs is all I can afford right now. Guess they will have to do.