Originally Posted by
MNF1SAND
building a 12r5, need opinions on best steering servo. Price is not an issue.
I'm not familiar with the 12R5 (yet...got one coming to play around with) so I don't know if it has a mount that limits servo choices or not. For example the CRC's are pretty much set up for the JR 3550/3650 (or they used to be), the DB12R is set up for the Futaba 9602/9650 or the KO PDS949, etc. The challenge is the different servos often have the output shaft in different positions relative to the sides of the servo.
I heartily recommend digital servos in this day and age. Especially if you're not suffering from budget limitations. The positive centering makes them worth their weight in gold for 1/12.
My own limited experience? I feel like the PDS949 is the most responsive and best feeling servo I've used. Unfortunately it's also the most expensive. It also seems (again, to me) to be the strongest/most accurately centering servo I've used. It is digital.
The Futaba 9650 is probably the best value in 1/12 steering servos. I believe it also specs out a touch faster than the PDS949 though I find myself dialing a bit of speed out of both. Works very well, I'm running them in both my DB12R's. Were available for $50 new for a while, I think they may be $60 now. It is also digital.
The JR Z3650 I've used the least though it seems to be a worthy (digital) successor to the former "gold standard of 1/12" the Z3550. Reasonably tough, reasonably fast, reasonably priced. Replacement parts (gear sets and cases) are probably the easiest of all to come by and half the price of either the KO or Futaba. If you're a gram counter I also believe the Z3650 is the lightest of the digital servos.
hth,
Scottrik
Oh--if anybody knows if/what servos the 12R5 is limited to please let me know. SS