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Old 05-03-2022, 09:09 AM
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Default top shelf servos

Do most servos use potentiometers?
This sales pitch from Tekin is interesting.

https://www.teamtekin.com/servos.html

Our servos use Digital Magnetic Position Encoding (DPE) rather than a standard
potentiometer, which gives Tekin servos industry leading accuracy, linearity and consistency.

Precise linear movement through the entire motion range with less than .2 degrees
of deviation from start point to end point make Tekin the superior performance product.

Low deviation DPE technology translates to pinpoint accuracy not found in other
potentiometer servos, which tend to wander and center poorly and get worse as they age.
Tekin is built to last at peak performance.

Potentiometer servos can be up to seven degrees non-linear from
end point to end point, creating a disconnected feel from your transmitter.

Tekin servos eliminate this disconnect, giving you a linear feel
and more precise control over your servo movement and position.

Potentiometer performance drifts due to many variables; heat, age, component quality, etc.
DPE is a rock-solid, repeatable and consistent technology bringing an unmatched consistency to Tekin servos.
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Old 05-03-2022, 06:57 PM
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Never used Tekin servos so I can’t talk about them. What I can say, though, is that I tried many different brands over the years and I did see/felt differences between brands.

My favourite has been KO Propo. For some reason, the feel of their servos has always been my favorite. They are sturdy and are very accurate, plus you can modify the settings if you want to.

Next would be Highest servos. Had one in my Awesomatix touring car. Worked flawlessly didn’t develop slop over time, very solid servo.

Next would be Sanwa servos. They weren’t bad, but they developed slop very fast and felt strange, like awkward while driving.

Finally, Savox servos… had a few of them. They are fine at first but they fail quickly and developed lots of slop. I have been disappointed by savox servos every time I used one.

Haven’t tried Futaba servos recently, so I can’t really give you a current opinion. 15 years ago, when I had a couple of them, they worked good. Quite sturdy, but then again, it was long ago and I can’t speak for recent servos.

hope this helps,

Martin Paradis
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Old 05-03-2022, 08:37 PM
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I used KO many years ago. I liked it.

How do they compare, latency wise, to Futaba and Sanwa?

Again the sales pitch is interesting.

By combining this servo with EX-NEXT's XT mode, KO Propo
achieved an unprecedented ultra-fast response as if you were in the drivers seat.


servo will function with standard transmitters as well.
However, the communication processing time between the receiver and the servo is compressed to 1/4.
This compressed communication will lead to a different feel when compared to serial input.
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Old 05-04-2022, 09:35 AM
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Originally Posted by oldfool
I used KO many years ago. I liked it.

How do they compare, latency wise, to Futaba and Sanwa?

Again the sales pitch is interesting.
Can’t say I felt any difference latency wise when I switched from Sanwa back to KO. Both, when using the fastest communication protocol available, are extremely responsive and I’m probably not a good driver enough to feel the difference in latency, if it exists. In my opinion, KO servos are the better choice, but I’m sure many on this forum will say otherwise. I’ve never had a KO servo fail on me, while I had a Sanwa servo chip a gear within a few hours of use.

Martin Paradis
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Old 05-04-2022, 09:51 AM
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Originally Posted by rhodopsine
In my opinion, KO servos are the better choice, but I’m sure many on this forum will say otherwise. I’ve never had a KO servo fail on me, while I had a Sanwa servo chip a gear within a few hours of use.
I'm not saying otherwise, but I don't think that this one experience is enough to make any judgement on this issue at all . I've been mainly using Sanwa servos for years and never had any problems with them (in fact, I'm quite happy with them). Does that make them better or worse than other manufacturers? No.
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Old 05-04-2022, 06:41 PM
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Originally Posted by DirkW
I'm not saying otherwise, but I don't think that this one experience is enough to make any judgement on this issue at all . I've been mainly using Sanwa servos for years and never had any problems with them (in fact, I'm quite happy with them). Does that make them better or worse than other manufacturers? No.
like I said, that is my opinion and is based on my experience. I’m not saying that Sanwa gear or any other is bad, just that in my experience, I have been more satisfied with KO than with any other.
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Old 05-04-2022, 08:05 PM
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Technology kinda looking like a Hall effect sensor and a crank position timing wheel on a car engine. Seems like a good idea.

if it centers the servo more consistently I am in!

I am not sure if there are negatives to having no stops on a servo and just relying on holding power.
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Old 05-10-2022, 06:24 AM
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Originally Posted by oldfool
Do most servos use potentiometers?

https://www.teamtekin.com/servos.html
No one knows.

Is Tekin the only servos without potentiometers?
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Old 05-10-2022, 09:44 AM
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Originally Posted by oldfool
No one knows.

Is Tekin the only servos without potentiometers?
No,it is more common now and even cheap servos such as AGF Rc has it
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Old 05-10-2022, 01:03 PM
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So Tekin is trying to make us thing they're the only one? When all or most of the top servos
use Digital Magnetic Position Encoding (DPE) rather than a standard potentiometer?
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Old 05-10-2022, 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by oldfool
So Tekin is trying to make us thing they're the only one? When all or most of the top servos
use Digital Magnetic Position Encoding (DPE) rather than a standard potentiometer?
Marketing hyping a product? You don't say...
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Old 05-10-2022, 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted by oldfool
So Tekin is trying to make us thing they're the only one? When all or most of the top servos
use Digital Magnetic Position Encoding (DPE) rather than a standard potentiometer?
Many top end servos still use potentiometers, and many of these I would purchase before I would purchase a servo from Tekin
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Old 05-10-2022, 10:50 PM
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My top shelf servo

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Old 05-10-2022, 10:55 PM
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Originally Posted by oldfool
No one knows.

Is Tekin the only servos without potentiometers?
Within the RC there is almost no true/honest advertising.

The thechnology of an magnetic potentiometer is old, here an article of 7 years ago
https://www.electronicdesign.com/tec...potentiometers
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Old 05-17-2022, 11:02 AM
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We do not claim to be the first or only servo using digital magnetic encoders for position. The rest of the world outside of RC has been using them for a long time and our market had not gone there due to cost and complexity. Servos really had not changed in decades and we were one of the first to use them and I think one of the very very few adding the higher level control technology around it to really make it work well. Its an esc and a motor which we happen to know something about from over 35yrs of making them and constantly improving them. Just changing from a potentiometer to a magnetic encoder is not the whole story... Most servos are dumb and just go left and right regardless of how they measure position.

Gears and tolerances is also part of the art. Our servos literally coast when you push the arm with your finger. Check out my FB page for a video posted back on Nov 3, 2021.

Programmability is also important, Not just a few basic settings but really being able to dial in a servo for feel and response, and some error codes for diagnosing problems when they do happen.

Response as in radio input to servo reaction is severely overrated. Most would be faster and more consistent with a less twitchy response and slower speeds in general. Little known secret some talented people turn down the radio signal rate to its slower setting in onroad to avoid scrub wiggle in straight line.

What really matters is the servo goes to where the radio wheel is and does not overshoot, panic, and start the other way. Feels 'connected' and less counter steer iis the most common comment we here from people.

You can often tell how dumb a servo is by the amp draw and many are silly high with abrupt spikes.
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