Best steering servos and radio options for vintage RC10.

[kink]

I have a really old 27Mhz Sanwa Dash R2 stick tranmitter which I have used forever. It is very simple and comfy. Not sure I want to change it really! I hate the complexity of modern computer radios. I should still have an old mini receiver for it made by Futaba. It was tested as working a year ago so should be fine. However...

I need to decide which steering servo to put in my RC10. It wont be raced but I do like things well made. So metal gears and bearings would be a bonus. I have no idea what type to get. I know there are digital as well as the older style. Are both types compatible with my old radio?


What would you do?

[Lonestar]

Man... there are HUNDRED of goods servos and radios out there, vintage or modern... you need to narrow down the requirements a bit... it's like saying "I want to buy a (Full size) vehicle, what do you recommend?"

Paul

[Coelacanth]

I've been trying to source a good, inexpensive servo too. It's not an easy search, I actually added http://www.servodatabase.com to my bookmarks, I use it often to make comparisons. You compare the speed of the servos we used back in the day to modern ones, and they're soooo slow. The problem with the lower-end modern servos is they may lack the longevity and many have imprecise centering. If anyone can recommend a servo that's ball-bearing, metal gear & preferably digital, that hopefully is less tall than the Futaba S48/S148/S3003 that were oh-so-common 20+ years ago, please share a link. When you factor in that you want something with more than 7 or 8 kg-cm of torque and speed rating of less than .20 sec/60*, it's not such an easy thing to find.

[Lonestar]

I've been trying to source a good, inexpensive servo too. It's not an easy search, I actually added http://www.servodatabase.com to my bookmarks, I use it often to make comparisons. You compare the speed of the servos we used back in the day to modern ones, and they're soooo slow. The problem with the lower-end modern servos is they may lack the longevity and many have imprecise centering. If anyone can recommend a servo that's ball-bearing, metal gear & preferably digital, that hopefully is less tall than the Futaba S48/S148/S3003 that were oh-so-common 20+ years ago, please share a link. When you factor in that you want something with more than 7 or 8 kg-cm of torque and speed rating of less than .20 sec/60*, it's not such an easy thing to find.

honestly, you guys need to do a bit more research by yourselves, go to a couple of manufacturer's pages like Sanwa, KO, Futaba, Hitec, Savox, download their product list, and you can find ANY servo you want (as long as you can pay for it). Amainhobbie's website will also have pretty much all that info

any modern mid-to-high range "low profile" servo will deliver the performance you are after. Try for instance a savox 1251, it's about 7kg.cm, 0.1s-ish/60deg, metal geared, digital, and $50. Sanwa and futaba have comparable products, a bit more expensive though but still affordable.

Paul

[Coelacanth]

LOL I figured my post pretty much indicated I did a LOT of research. You have any idea how many hours I spent comparing various servos down to the tiniest spec? Anyone can say "do your research", but posting a link is a lot more helpful. That's the point of a discussion forum, is it not? I don't want to Google and trial-and-error it, we're looking for personal experiences and recommendations.

Thanks for the servo suggestion, though. If it was $30 or so, I'd be all over it.

[Lonestar]

LOL I figured my post pretty much indicated I did a LOT of research. You have any idea how many hours I spent comparing various servos down to the tiniest spec? Anyone can say "do your research", but posting a link is a lot more helpful. That's the point of a discussion forum, is it not? I don't want to Google and trial-and-error it, we're looking for personal experiences and recommendations.

Thanks for the servo suggestion, though. If it was $30 or so, I'd be all over it.

so you've done your research, and you didn't find what you wanted in your budget... I don't have a magic wand you want lo-pro, 8kg, MG, it'll be more or less $50 new unless you want to buy a chinese product that doesn't deliver on its label promises.... $20 extra vs. your budget is peanuts compared vs the cost of any of your shiny projects

regarding personal experiences and recommendations, especially on electronics : you will find as many as there are hobbyists, and except on the top-of-the-line gear (and even then) people mostly disagree and only believe in the brands they support in the first place (think chevy vs. ford).

additionnally: Some people have a knack for blowing up $200 speedos, while other will run circles around you with a $9.99 chinese no-name servo....

to give you a few examples: I personnally can't stand the castle sidewinder, but a lot of people love it. Some people want to run a brushed MVP for bashing no matter how many experienced racers tell them they are the worst possible choice. Some people don't trust hobbywing products even though there are thousands of modellers racing succesfully with them, including two former world champs (Andy Moore and Atsushi Hara). I personnally hate blue and pink alloy-decked cars, some others love it... there's no point arguing about some things.

Anyways, back to your servo question = there are litterally HUNDREDS of good-quality servos on the market, new gen stuff to 10yo models still on sale - $50 is what will buy you the servo you described, and the entry one is savox 1251mg. for $30 you won't get what you want, at least not new

hope this helps!

Paul

[kink]

Thanks guys. At least I now have some numbers to use as a guideline. I will looks to see what Savok, Futaba etc offer. I will keep an eye ont he specs you mentioned

[85Edinger]

I have a Hitec 7965mg in my Rc10. No complaints, but it's $65.
I'm getting a Solar D771 to put in my Rustler. I've heard good things about it, I'll post some updates once I've gotten my hands on it.

[dldiaz]

There are reports of Savox servos with very high amp draw, causing the receiver to momentarily shut down - a friend of mine had to use TWO capacitors to resolve this problem (one capacitor helped, but the receiver still shut down sometimes).
I actually have the low-profile model 1251MG, as mentioned in a post above, but I have not used it yet.

I have had good luck with the low-profile servo from Hitec, HS-77BB, available for less than $25, shipped.
It's not a powerhouse, but plenty for a vintage buggy.

[Stumpy]

Unless you are using a radio that has "end point adjustments", FORGET about using digital servos.. Having the steering linkages hit maximum travel, (or the end stops) before the servo does will burn out the servo..

Also, Kink if you are still using the old black Sanwa receiver that came with that old Dash radio, just be aware that the positive and negative wires are reversed in the servo plug (like KO) when compared to Futaba, JR, Hitec and most modern radios..

For inexpensive, analog servos with metal gears and dual BB, IMO you cant go past the Hitec HS 625/645MG servos.. http://www.hitecrcd.com/products/servos/analog/premium-sport/index.html
They are not the fastest servos available, but I have used the HS-645MG servos in my rock crawlers for years with no problems, and my HS-625MG has seen regular use in my race Tamiya Mini and B3/B4 Buggy's and performed well.. These servos are available from Tower hobbies for $31.50 each.. Love them or hate them, the choice is yours..

I am now using a Futaba S9551 and S9452 servos in my TC and Truck and I could not go back to anything slower now... BUT, at $85 each, they are probably out of your budget..

Just keep in mind that unless your ESC has a 6Volt/3Amp BEC, you are not going to get the most from any servo... If you have an ESC with a 5V/1A BEC, then fitting an external 6 Volt, 5A - 10Amp BEC may be a smart option if you plan to get the maximum performance from a (digital) servo..

Mark..

[85Edinger]

Any servo can burn out if you don't set the endpoints.

[Coelacanth]

Any servo can burn out if you don't set the endpoints.

Indeed, any motor that's blocked in such a way can burn out. If I remember right, the O.P. and I both have FlySky GT3B's; those have endpoint adjustments and I've needed to use them for the Optima's steering linkage because they only require about 66% to 75% of servo throw in either direction. More than that and the servo is blocked from turning.

[artfull dodger]

My RC10 still sports its original Futaba FP-S14b steering servo. The original owner raced the buggy back in the late 80's. Then it sat in slumber in his attic till a few weeks ago when he gave it to me. I bought a new Onyx 5000mah battery and away she went. When I raced around the same time has he did, I ran all Futaba gear. I dont think metal gears are really needed in a steering servo in a RC10 buggy. Those narrow fronts dont create much stress IMHO. The Futaba gear seems to be some of the easiest to find on the used market. My buddy ran all Novak gear back in the day, Novak servos seem to be hard to find and expensive when you do find them as collectors want them for restorations. I vote for a Futaba servo of some kind. Mike

[JK Racing]

If anyone can recommend a servo that's ball-bearing, metal gear & preferably digital, that hopefully is less tall than the Futaba S48/S148/S3003 that were oh-so-common 20+ years ago, please share a link. When you factor in that you want something with more than 7 or 8 kg-cm of torque and speed rating of less than .20 sec/60*, it's not such an easy thing to find.

If it was $30 or so, I'd be all over it.

I have this one in my crawler, love it in there

http://www.hobbypeople.net/index.php/ls-50d-bb-mg-high-torque-servo-digital.html

I just picked up this one for my new 2wd buggy, let you know after I hit the track, it may end up in my crawler and put the servo above in my buggy, depending upon my "feeling" with this one.

http://www.hobbypeople.net/index.php/hobby-people-hp-d66mhv-power-ht-7-4v-mg-bb-digital-servo.html

[Coelacanth]

I have this one in my crawler, love it in there

http://www.hobbypeople.net/index.php/ls-50d-bb-mg-high-torque-servo-digital.html

I just picked up this one for my new 2wd buggy, let you know after I hit the track, it may end up in my crawler and put the servo above in my buggy, depending upon my "feeling" with this one.

http://www.hobbypeople.net/index.php/hobby-people-hp-d66mhv-power-ht-7-4v-mg-bb-digital-servo.html

Those units both have nice specs, right in the ranges I'm looking for, and the price is right, too. Let me know how that second one works out. Thanks!