Today as i was flying testing some new settings on my engine, trying to tune it better, i evidently lost my aileron servo. I don't know at what point it gave out, but by the time i had the thing on the ground (in one piece) it didnt move at all. It still 'holds' at mid, cant manually force it to move and such. If i give it input, then try to turn it in the right direction it may realize its supposed to move and move to that new spot, but not always... or right away. All the gears are fine, wires are fine etc. At least as far as i can tell.

But, as these were just the servos that came with the TX (DS 537) i knew i should replace them eventually, i guess now i have enough reason to replace a few (collective, airleron and elevator come to mind). This is just a Hawk Pro .30 size bird, so i don't need insane power (and price) i just want something reliable and cost efficient. Having to replace a bunch of cheap servos probably costs more than a reliable one of similar performance. Anyone have specific servos in mind?

Also, any idea why it would fail like this? I haven't abused it or anything, just hovering mostly... maybe a few more rapid corrections and tests to see how the thing handles. I don't think it was binding, i set everything up so it shouldn't. I haven't crashed ever, or anything really jarring that would go to the servo. I don't know about vibration, but i'd expect the rest of the servos to be going bad then too, as they all are mounted with the same rubber things and have been flying as long.

Looking through different sites the vast amount of choices i have really is making picking one hard. With Futaba's site and Tower i looked throught heir recommended heli servos. At those prices for what looked like a good one i could get one servo, maybe two... I need three. I'd rather not spend more than $150 for the servos if possible.

I found these which looked interesting:
Hitec HS-5645MG High-Torque 2BB MG Servo
Futaba S3050 Servo Digital Standard High Torque BB MG

Checking the comparisons here it seems the Hitech one is recommended for all kinds of helis while the Futaba isn't. Would metal gears be a bad thing in a heli? More electrical noise or whatnot? Are these even good choices?

Any other place i should look for prices?

I am not a fan of Hitec for helicopters. Their pots dont like vibration.

I don't know the size of your heli.

Minimum for swash on a .60 size in my opinion is Futaba 9202, good price, great and reliable servo, just don't have tension on the wires at the servo, the grounds have a tendency to break from the vibration.

Jack

Gorgok,

Both servos will be fine for the 30 size Hawk Pro. But metal gears wear faster then nylon and are more expensive to replace. We have even switched out of metal in our big 90 sized helis.

A good inexpensive digital servo for 30/50 size helis, in the price range you are looking at is the S-3151 units.

Howcome the 3151 instead of the 3152? According to the Futaba chart they recommend the 3152, while the 3151 is only "compatible." The 3152 is a bit slower but much stronger, which makes the price confusing, as its cheaper than the 3151. I would have thought stronger servos are more expensive.

Or then the 9202s. They are strong, coreless, and recommended by Futaba as well. Tower has 3 for 144.47 deal, which basically is just what my budget would allow.

I can probably afford to spend a bit more on the servos, not much over 50 a piece though, so if there are other suggestions i'll look at them as well. Nobody has any JR servos to recommend? I'm not picky on brand. Price and performance and reliability is all im interested in.

Oh, it just occurred to me that i have one extra servo which i could use until i decide and buy a new set. Its a Hitec HS-525BB. According to this site its pretty much better than the one that broke. But its not digital, and of course its not the same as the others. Could i use it anyway? With the Hawk Pro .30 its not eCCPM, just mechanical mixing so i don't think mis-matched servos is a real problem. Of course i could put the Hitec for throttle and use the throttle as the Aileron so all the cyclic servos match.

Thanks for all the help.

No additional suggestions then? What about my last question about the spare Hitec HS-525BB i have. I can use it on any of the cyclic controls (collective, aileron or elevator) or as the throttle if its not good enough to replace the DS537. That would at least get me back in the air until another servo gives out or i recieve new ones.