Rufcut

I'm not meaning to be dense, but I'm putting together the flight pack for a 4*60 kit that I got for Christmas and I was wondering about the price for the Futaba servos from Tower. The S3004 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXVW07&P=0 is the same size, lighter, has a faster transit speed and more torque than the S3001 http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXH286&P=0. It's also $6 cheaper. What am I missing? Also, the R127DF receiver that I use in my other planes is no longer offered. Can I use the R168DF receiver http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXLSX4&P=0 instead? Can someone also recommend a place to buy receiver NiCd's. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

landeck

My Feedback: (1)

The FS3001 and FS3004 are basicly the same except that the 3001 is intended for helicopters and is built to handle vibration better. I use mainly 3004's and 3010's in my 40-60 size planes.

The R168DF will work fine and I have used SR Batteries for 25 years without problem. They are not cheap but I have never had one fail.

http://www.srbatteries.com/rc.htm

Bruce

ChuckW

You'll be fine with the 3004's in that airplane. The receiver you mentioned took the place of the R127DF if I remember right so you should have no problems.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

If you're already buying things from Tower, why not just get the Hydrimax receiver batteries? They're good, and it will save you extra shipping, and may bump you into a higher savings bracket.

Otherwise, RadicalRC.com is good.

42etus

My Feedback: (2)

The Hitec Supreme II receiver http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXKYK3&P=ML is a good replacement for the Futaba R168DF and is $20 cheaper. I am flying 3 of the Supreme II's and really like them. Hitec's support is also first class.
Paul

Bob Mitchell

You're not alone here. I went ahead and bought the 3004's for my Sig, but was wondering what the difference was between the two.

beau0090_99

I would either recommend getting the flight pack that Futaba already offers http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXMHB0&P=0 or more preferably, the Hitec flight pack http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXKYL2&P=0 . Both include 4 ball bearing servos and 8 ch Rx and switch harness. The Hitec has a battery included, but no 9" extension. The Futaba has vice versa. I also fly the Supreme IIs in several planes and they work great.
Regards,
Curtis

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

A long long time ago I used to buy a lot of stuff from Tower. At one point I bought a few of there Tower flight packs and they are still working quite well. I don't use the switches from any of the flight packs but the rest of the gear worked out fine. These days I use Futaba and Hitec and don't bother with flight packs but last month I gave away an old scratch built plane I made about 12 years ago and have flown the heck out of. When I pulled out my radio gear it was mostly Tower and still working great!! Not telling anyone what to buy but don't over look Towers brand name stuff either when you are just starting out in this hobby.

Jetdesign

My Feedback: (8)

Tower radio gear is often made by Futaba or Hitec - Tower doesn't actually make anything. You can usually figure it out by comparing the looks and then the specs of each individual product. If I hadn't become such a darn snob already I might have considered some Tower servos.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

I must have four dozen Futaba 3004 servos and at least a dozen Hitec receivers that I use with my Futaba transmitter

I also have a Four Star 60 with 3004 servos and a Hitec receiver.

Rufcut

Thanks for the replies. I buy my equipment from Tower for the most part but sometimes their pricing leaves me scratching my head. I don't care what name is printed on anything as long as it works! That's how I ended up with all these TH engines. Lately though, I've been trying to shop around a little more trying to find the best deals. I'll check out those Hitec receivers now that I know that they are compatible with the 3004 servos. Thanks again.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

You have to really stay on top of things to keep up with Tower's pricing games and their coupon codes to know how they work.

In case you are looking at Hitec receivers, the 8 channel is cheaper than the 6 channel and with Hitec there is no high band - low band games. The same reciever works all across the whole band. Don't forget, you are going to need a Hitec dual conversion crystal to go with a Supreme 8 channel receiver

bruce88123

I think that one has a direct drive feedback pot and the other has a gear driven pot. BUT, if I really wanted to know I'd be asking on the FUTABA forum instead of here.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

For servo shopping I go to places like servo city or hobby horse, a number of other places. I look for there sales or close outs. I have picked up some of the close out deals for less then half price and when I find something like that I buy as many as my pockets will allow. My wife has my pockets!! Just because a servo is being replaced with the new super duper doesn't make last years model bad. Joe brought up a great point about Tower too. I'm not real sure who makes there gear but it has always worked fine for me, I haven't ever tried any of there new stuff though, been about 10 years sense I placed my last big order with them but what I have is still working.

jdgt2

I just picked up two new-in-the-box Futaba Flight Paks on ebay with R127DF receivers and S3004 servos for $52/ea. It cost me another $50 to get the two receivers retuned to work with my transmitter. There were quite a few groups of new servos available on ebay when I was shopping for radio gear about a month ago. I'm using the S3004 servos in my current Senior Telemaster build.

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

Some Tower/Hobbico brand servos are Futaba and some are Hitec

I have some TS-53 servos that are the same as Futaba 3003 servos. I've had them for several years. I tore the gears out of one in a crash and I put 3003 gears in it.

Rufcut

Bruce88123,
I took your advice and searched the Futaba direct support forum and found a couple of threads concerning 3001 vs. 3004 servos. Here are the responses:

12/20/2005
The 3004 has a ball bearing and thus moves smoother. It is a little bit better than the 3001. The ball bearing is up on top and is around the output shaft. It can also take vibration a little better and therefore lasts longer. For a couple of bucks go for the3004s

4/30/2004
The S3001 has a different motor, amp, and output gear than the S3003 and S3004. The S3001s' should be fine for heli use, but if you would like to "upgrade", the S9001s' would be the next step up.

Not a lot of help, but the Futaba reps seem to feel the 3004 is the superior servo. This has been a good lesson for me. The best is not necessarily the most expensive, and it pays to look around. As w8ye said "Tower pricing games". Next on my list is the receiver and battery.

Clay Walters

I just ordered some of these: http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/474144.asp and believe they're in the same league plus you don't have to trim off the tab on the plug for a non-Futaba receiver. Have also used these http://www.hobbypeople.net/gallery/474103.asp which is essentially the same servo without a ball bearing. Both are proven servos.

Also, I like the Hitec HS-475HB servos. They offer considerably more torque but tend to be more expensive and on the small planes I've fooled with probably overkill.

I like Tower Hobbies a lot but these folks have also been a real joy to deal with and the current prices and free shipping are hard to ignore.

Happy New Year,

Clay

CGRetired

My Feedback: (1)

I"Ve been using Venim 1200 mah 6 volt NiMH packs that I buy from the LHS for about $20.00 and have been very happy with them.

CGr

bruce88123

Would that be Venom?

Weasel Keeper

My Feedback: (16)

I believe the S3001 also has a top ball bearing and it used to be advertised with the same torque and speed specs. The main difference, as I understand it, is that the S3001 has indirect feedback pot that helps protect it from vibrations. It is recommended for use in Helis as well as fixed wing aircraft. You really can't go wrong with either the 3004s or 3001s.

The Tower radio equipment branded as "System 3000" looks to be the same form, fit, and function as Futaba counterparts. I wouldn't be surprised they were built in the same plant.

Rufcut

Yeah, the 3001 seems to be the recommended Heli servo due to its ability to handle vibration. I wonder why they downgraded the specs? I'm making a list so I can do a reasonable comparison of all the different servos. It gets a little confusing, but then again, I'm easily confused.[&o]

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

http://www.futaba-rc.com/servos/index.html

http://www.hitecrcd.com/servos/list

Rufcut

Thanks for that very comprehensive list of servos. Makes it easy to make comparisons. I've always used Futaba servos and I have never had a problem with them. I've decided to go with the S3004. Thanks for all the help.

Spacemonkey71

I've always had good luck with the Futaba 3004's. They're fairly cheap and I've never had one fail. I know HiTech really is a better servo - especially for precision flying, but the price is significantly more. The way I look at it is that I can buy a "bulk" pack of 6 Futabas for $50 and after a couple of years of flying -should they wear out-, I can easily replace them for a far lower cash layout. There's nothing "wrong" with these servos that really make them inferior (from a practical "daily flying" point of view -> with the possible exception of high precision pattern or intense 3D flying where perfection in critical). IMO, for an afternoon on the grass just having fun, they helped me build my planes and get into the air for a BUNCH less money.

Just my $0.02 (for what it's worth )