ke5in

Are there any common rules-of-thumb when deciding which servo to use?

Sure if you have a micro plane you would probably want a micro servo because of weight. Something like that is clear but as a newbie what should I be thinking about when choosing a servo. I’ve decided to pick-up the Thunder Tiger Windstar. It’s a glider so weight could be a consideration, however, since it is not a competition sailplane I doubt I have to worry much about getting the lightest servo. How should I evaluate the speed and torque of a servo in relation a plane?

Thanks for any advise,
-Kevin

Giant Scale

I choose servos based on the type of application and cost. For a standard sport plane I usually will choose a ball bearing servo that puts out 40-50 oz of torque. The hitec 425bb is a good example of a general purpose servo for about 15 bucks. It will work on most surfaces for most planes. Lately if I am trying to save some weight I will use micro servos on the throttle. Hitec 85 is an example of a light yet powerful micro servo. As your planes get bigger the demands on the servo increase. You many want a coreless motors, metal geared or digital servo's. So as the plane gets larger or your flying style becomes more aggressive you want servo's with more torque and probably more speed. I like the value, warranty and large selection of hitec servo's. I pretty much use them exclusively now, they tend to offer the most bang for the buck. I think that Futaba and JR both make fine servo's but they are pricey. For your glider the standard servo's will work, but you may also want to consider a mini servo like the hitec 225mg which produces alot of torque in a small package

ke5in

Giant Scale,

Good info, Thanks!