R/C Tech Forums - Servo questions and recommendations

R/C Tech Forums (https://www.rctech.net/forum/)

- Radio and Electronics (https://www.rctech.net/forum/radio-electronics-137/)

- - Servo questions and recommendations (https://www.rctech.net/forum/radio-electronics/1048397-servo-questions-recommendations.html)

Servo questions and recommendations

I’ll be building a 1/8 scale nitro buggy here shortly and am newer to the scene. Had some questions I guess and or recommendations as to what you guys would suggest for servos and receiver battery. I haven’t picked out a rx/tx yet but am still trying to make the knowledgeable pick.

I have been looking at Spektrum 7954 and the Protek 130T. Seems like torque and specs would fall into the 1/8 scale class. I have a budget of around 80-90 bucks per servo. And looking at running a 6.6/7.4v receiver battery if 7.4(hv) can be used. I see a lot of people saying to not use the same throttle/steering servos, but as someone who is new to this, is it that big of a deal/difference to narrow down a better throttle servo. I have somewhat stayed away from searching the Savox servos just due to the fact that I read a bunch of things on them and using spectrum RC. Again, I am newer to the scene and you guys may have some better/updated info. Thanks for reading

If it’s any importance, I have narrowed my kit/roller down to the mbx7r, the 8ight 4.0, and the HB d817 v2 has been catching my eyer

If you ask 10 people which servo to get you'll get 10 answers, people are just going to recommend what they run and won't necessarily have tried every alternative (either at all, or long enough to see wear and premature failure issues). Savox have high current draw so they can cause issues with some ESC BECs, but in nitro if running a dedicated 7.4V pack it's probably not an issue. With that said, more efficient servo = less recharging too, so it's probably safe to skip them if you're already so-inclined.

Using the same servos is usually so people can carry a single spare, most good servos these days are pretty durable though so I think it's fine to choose different ones. Given a budget restriction I'd be inclined to bias that budget towards the steering servo a little.

Just keep in mind that claimed specs are just that - arbitrary manufacturer claims, and brands like Protek / Tekin / others sometimes use "dynamic torque" ratings which are inflated and not actually comparable to traditional stall torque measurements. The servo market has exploded in the last decade and unfortunately there are little to no objective 3rd party measurements of claims. This means that when someone says "get a minimum of xx kg for steering" - it depends what their brand/s of reference for that value is.

I'm personally a fan of Futaba and Sanwa servos, definitely more expensive for the good ones, but genuine and honest claimed ratings + very long term reliability / durability / efficiency.
You'll get a million other recommendations though so button up for doing a bit more research. Longevity is an important factor when dropping even $90 on something, IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeyMB (Post 15495813)

i had the protek 130t blew the gears out and there prone to the shakes just order the tekin 300t

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottZ (Post 15496231)

i had the protek 130t blew the gears out and there prone to the shakes just order the tekin 300t

So per definition all Protek 130t are crap?

But to the topicstarter I would advise 2 the same servo's so you can get a 3rd as spare.

Appreciate the response and I figured I’d get a ton of different responses. But I wasnt against that. I will do a bit more research myself but I some of these spektrum and hitec servos

I always thought the reason for 2 different servos was budget - you can run a cheaper throttle servo if you want to and spend a bit more on the steering servo right? I just assumed this, I haven't actually asked the question before.

I also haven't seen someone ruin a decent servo in their 8th car, so surely rather than buying 3 servos buying 2 better ones would be the way to go?

Anyway, for what its worth, in my experience its worth going for the name brands. I've tried a few cheaper ones and the specs aren't ever as good as they claim them to be. I have Trackstar in my onroad cars and they are fine but I wouldn't buy them for race cars again, but they are fine for mucking around. I like Savox as a good value for money option and have never had the brownout issue that many people have. I run the 1251 and 1258 in my 10th cars (although wouldn't get the 1251 again, the 1258 is a much better option) and Futaba in my HB D817 which are amazing but then they are expensive too. Most people I know run Sanwa, Futaba or Savox. Many have tried other cheaper brands but always end up at those 3.

My Highest servos are great in my nitro buggy. I've got an AGF A80BHSW in my ebuggy which has proven to be very reliable and strong with no jittering or slop. It never sounds like it's working hard at all.