ravager soervo replacment
 

Well today i was driving my Ofna Ravager at the park near my house with my my family and i carwheeled and strippedm y steering servo[X(]. Nad follow some recommendations by super dave from a while ago im ogin to order a Futuba S3010 servo ( throttle/brake) and a S3305 servo (steering). Nad im wondering if they will fit directly? Like will i need to buy special connectors , wires ect. THanks for any and all help

RE: ravager soervo replacment
 

I just spent days researching high end servos. Below are prices for what are pretty much top end models from each company. All of these are servos that are coreless (longer lasting), 150+ for torque (needed for steering 8lb buggy or monster trucks), and .15 or less for reaction (less lag between my fingers and what the servo does):

Airtronics 94358 200/.10 = 85.00 Ebay
Airtronics 94359 200/.10 = 119.99 Carolina's RC
(this good of analog servos, and yet they can't manage a digital above 110oz???)

*Futaba S9153 208/.15 = 99.99 many places
*Futaba S9351 192/.13 = 109.99 many places

Hitec 945MG 153/.12 = 62.99 Ebay
*Hitec 5945MG 181/.13 = 80.00 Ebay
*Hitec 5997TG 181/.14 = 104.60 Ebay

*JR Z8550 188/.15 = 75.00 Debbie's RC World
*JR Z8800T 188/.15 = 84.99 Ebay
JR z4800T 162/.15 = 80.99 SouthEast RC

*KO Propo PDS-2344FET 180/.13 = 93.90 Dinball
*KO Propo PDS-2364ICS 180/.13 = 113.90 Dinball
*KO Propo PDS-2366ICS 180/.13 = 115.90 Dinball

*Digital
Upside: Better centering and better holding strength, due to higher refresh rate, generates max torque closer to neutral position.
Downside: higher current draw, need to set endpoints to avoid damage, usually more expensive.

I ended up with the KO PDS-2344FET. It was the only one that my LHS had that met the above requirements. I got it for 118.00 (109.99 before tax) at my LHS (I don't trust Dinball) because I didn't want to miss driving this weekend.

I used to be the first to say why waste 100+ on a servo. After hooking one up, my question was answered. The servo is so damn strong that it moves as quickly when mounted in my 1/8th buggy sitting on the ground as it does when you hold it in your hand. I can't believe it. That and it re-centers itself perfectly. None of that wandering crap that I got from my previous 3 cheapies (Hitec 645, JR 590MG, Blue Bird 660).

RE: ravager soervo replacment
 

You don't need anything like those high end $80+ servos. They really are useless... they don't help you drive and faster and my analog futaba servos have deffinatly had double $35 worth of time on them and they are working even better then they did new. Those two futaba servos will fit directly into your reciever so just bolt them in the servo tray and go. Just remember Ch1 is always steering and Ch2 is throttle on the reciever. If you get it backwards then just switch them.

The only reciever I don't think they fit into are the JRs but you just need to trim off a few sections of the plug and it works fine like I did with mine.

Edit: Of course those high dollar servos are nice because they have so much torque and they are very fast to give you direct control from your radio. But again they are extremly unessisary and a waste of money... I've slightly driven faster lap times with my buggy and the analog servos then a serious racer who has finished high up in a few big A-Main races using digital servos. Bottom line is they will not make you a better driver and again they will not let you run faster lap times.

RE: ravager soervo replacment
 

You haven't tried one then. I used to say exactly the same thing until last week when I decided to give a high end servo a try. I will never go back to a cheap one again. It is like a totally different car now, quicker steering response, more on power steering (since the servo has the torque to do it, and the digital refresh rate to hold itself there), and more precise centering (no wandering down the straightaway). They are worth every penny.

RE: ravager soervo replacment
 

Sorry but I haven't had any of the problems that you mentioned above with my S3305. I can hold a perfectly straight line down any straight away and I've accuratly squeezed through some extremly tight areas to get by some people. Not saying I wouldn't get a digital servo because I'd love to have the torque and speed myself just for the comfort of it but unless you have the money to blow theres no reason what so ever to spend so much on servos. I'd rather use the money to help buy an engine or tires.

RE: ravager soervo replacment
 

Also, i need a failsafe and i was looking at some cheap failsafes like the futuba and duratrax one and they say the you cant use certain batteries like alkalines or NiCd batteries with them. Is this true? ALso, with the Ofna failsafe, it does list any batteries that you shouldn't use with it so should i go with that? Because i normally use NiMh AA bateries but i recently got some alkalines... Also, will the S3305 break if i end up cartwheeling my ravager again? AND finally, will Duratrax LR3 T-Maxx glow plugs work on the ravager? Right now im using a glow plug from my bro's tool box and it owrks fine ( its a t-Maxx glow plug cause thats his only car). And thanks ahead of time.

EDIT: Another question, will the S3010 servo give me more braking power or is it probally a problem with the cars brakes? Becaue right now, the brakes work only when im going fast and i can hold the brake totally donw when its going pretty slow (less then 10 MPH) and it barely does nothing.

RE: ravager soervo replacment
 

The reason why they don't recommend using AA batteries for fail safes is because you don't get as much voltage out of them as you do with a 5 cell battery pack. A 5 cell battery pack will also give you more power to the servos increasing the torque and speed of the servo. The ofna micro failsafe is pretty good.

For the brakes the stock ravager servo has almost no torque at all :). The S3010 will deffinatly give you more brakes but sense the ravager has quad brakes instead of only two brakes like most buggies you might want an S3305 to get that extra torque to pull those brakes. Also I have yet to see anyone strip out a Futaba S3305 servo and some of them have taken a beating around here. Its deffinatly one of the most reliable and toughest servos on the market.