Langster

Hi All,

I wonder if someone could tell me more about the advantages of ental gears in servos. I can see strength as one but are there other reasons?

Thanks

Langfire

combatpigg

My Feedback: (3)

HI LANGFIRE! I use MG servos when I'm worried about vibration eating the plastic teeth up, or on a combat plane because they are more crash resistant. Otherwise you can get many years worth of rugged service out of standard servos in a medium duty application.

Geistware

My Feedback: (16)

From the futaba web site:

Metal gears
Drive gears within a servo which are made of one or multiple metal types. Metal gears tend to wear more rapidly than nylon gears when in the same installation, and so require more frequent service to maintain optimum accuracy; however, metal gears are more durable in the case of severe vibration, flutter, or physical shock.

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

For combat or extreme aerobatics metal gear servos are preferred, but for sport flying I would say stay away from them. (I have standard Futaba S148 servos, the predecessor to the 3003/3004, that I've been using for 8 years with no sign of wear.)
Dennis-

CafeenMan

Dennis is right - I have a few metal gear servos that were expensive and supposedely good quality. They became sloppy after less than 2 seasons. If you abuse your planes in combat or 3D then the metals are probably the way to go, but otherwise, stick to nylon gears - you'll save money and have a smoother setup.

Langster

Thanks Guys,

A great scope of replies. I am intersted in purchasing my new radio and am attempting to select the most appropriate servos. I am looking at a sport .40 for general 4 channel operation.

Cheers and merry Christmas.

Langfire

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

May I make a suggestion? Rather than considering additional money spent on upgrading servos, put the money into the transmitter. Spend a bit more for a decent 6 channel (or more) computer radio, like the Futaba 6XAS, or a Hitec Spectra (?) 7 channel, or an equivalent JR or Airtronics. The brand isn't terribly important, they're all good.

It may make a difference to your instructor, so try to get stuff compatable with his.

(You are using an instructor, right?)
Dennis-

Langster

Hi DBCherry,

Thanks for your suggestions, and I do plan to go for a higher level Tx than I need for now. The reason I was asking about the metal gears is that some radio systems are offered as a package and for one package I noted that the servos had metal gears which spawned my curiosity.

Yes I will be using an instructor to get over the first few nervous moments, and I agree totally in using an instructor when a beginner.
I used to fly 20 years ago and at the time flew for 4-years with a variety of aircraft. I am planning coming back to powerplanes at the .40 level but have even been thinking that I might purchase a simple glider to refresh myself before I return to a powerplane. I remember that this was the standard practice at our airfield to start with a slow glider (generally more predictable) then move up to powered planes. The trouble I found when learning powered planes (I flew a .40 Hustler) was that everything happens so fast.

Cheers

Langfire

rickwallace45

My Feedback: (3)

Langfire -
Welcome back to RC - I bet you'll be back at it in no time - I had a 14 year layoff and the basics came back pretty quickly (precision, now -- that's another story...)

I second all the recommendations to stay w/ nylon / plastic gears in your servos for .40 size planes.

As stated above metal gears are good for impact loads - like when large planes w/ big control surfaces land hard and cause a big load on the gear train as the surfaces flex downward - but they wear lots faster than nylon.

I fly 2 meter pattern planes , and even at that size the nylon gears are much preferred over metal ones
- the metal gears wear and produce noticeable unwanted control surface slop within about 50 flights.
- the nylon gears stand routine flight / landing loads fine, and develop no geartrain slop even after hundreds of flights.

In fact, JR released a line of metal-gear high end digital servos a couple years ago - and after lots of guys retrofitted nylon gears into them, JR now produces many of those servos with both nylon gears and with metal gears.

So bottom line- the nylon / plastic gears should be fine for .40 size through at least 2 meter- welcome back --and enjoy!

Langster

Hi Rickwallace,

Thanks for the suggestions and welcome. I will stick with nylon gears for the servos I will hopefully buy soon. I am pleased to be back (after overseas travel and a lengthy uni degree) and am now slowly uncovering an immense amount of information about RC aircraft, including some basic physics of flight which are extremely helpful to understand the action of wings, control surfaces,etc. This is through the internet which of course didn't exist 20 years ago (not like today anyway). I plan to eventually fly planes such as pattern planes like yourself. I am sure that this type of RC would be absolutely amazing. I have decided to start flying gliders first, like I did when I first started RC. I am not in any rush...

It's also great that you returned to RC flying and there must have been a large amount of change in 14 years?

Thanks again for your comments.

Cheers

Langfire

DBCherry

My Feedback: (4)

I'm thinking that even though that experience was 20 years ago, you could probably start with a plane that is generally considered a "second" plane, and that you could skip the glider phase. Of course, if you think you'll want a glider for relaxed, lazy afternoons....

The Sig Four Star (4*) 40, Great Planes Super Sportster, Tower Kaos, or a number of others should work well for you. Possibly a half dozen or so flights with an instructor would likely get you back up to speed.

Good luck, and Welcome Back!
Dennis-

Langster

Hi DBCherry,

I know what you are saying and that is one good option for me to go for a scond type plane first. But I generally like to keep the planes that I build, and I know that I would be able to use the glider in the future for like you say, those lazy afternoons!!

Cheers

Langfire

lownslo

I almost passed on reading this posting....... as it seemed so obvious. (Of course, the gentleman DID mention he understood the strength of metal etc.). You really CAN learn something new every day. I have only been in RC about 3 years .... but I would have never guessed that metal gears could wear out, and/or, need more maintaince than nylon gears. I am glad I took time to click on this one. I have rebuilt about 4 or 5 servos, Futaba 3004 and Hitec 425's. It is not hard to do........so........ I think I will just stay with the nylon geared servos for my style of flying. (reason for replacement was not wear.... but from a dirt nap). ...lownslo