tsmall

I am new to RC flying. I have a Parkzone Corsair and T-28. I would like to start buying ARF's and putting my own electronics in. I know how to pick the right motor, ESC, battery etc...But I am lost when it comes to understanding how to select the correct servos.

I do not have a particular plane in mind. I am looking at planes with a wingspan of less than 5 feet. I just need to understand what I am looking for in servo selection.

also, the prices range from $3.00to over $60. Idon't want to be afraid of crashinga plane with really expensive servos, so can I get away with some less expensive servos?\

Thanks

chocorrol

I believe most manufacturers will recomend the proper servo for each plane on the manual, but you can use the standard size servos for almost any 40-60 plane in the market. any servo from $10 to $20  will do the job unless you need high torque servos that would cost arround $20 to $40.

armody

My Feedback: (10)

You may check out some of the very low prices servos here and good working. I bought 4 of them. Here's the link

http://www.hobbypartz.com/standardservos.html

You may find some good stuff there.

Mody

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

If you're shopping for a currently available ARF, selecting the right servos is usually as easy as looking up the manual at the manufacturer's web site and reading what they recommend in the owner's manual.

You can also check the forums and user reviews here at RC Universe and look for comments and/or recommended setups from other pilots who've flown the ARF you're considering.

For what it's worth, my default standard sport servo is usually the Hitec HS-311. I've flown servos from JR, Futaba, Airtronics, and Hitec and I like them all. The HS-311 has proven very reliable and offers good performance. It's also available from Tower Hobbies for $7.99 or less, so buying them a dozen at a time isn't a wallet-breaker.

Good luck and good shopping!

PatrickCurry

My Feedback: (20)

I agree with the guys, I would put in whatever the manufacturer recommends in their manual.  They've designed the plane to work a certain way and they know if you need high torque or something in particular, or if you can get away with "standard" servos.  I use mostly the type of servos found on that link posted by Mody.  I've used the SG5010 standard servos, the SG90's in small foamies and I recently tried the MG90's in a .15 size combat SPAD airplane and they've all worked great.  I've used TONS of the 5010's and 90's and only had one 5010 go out on me so far.  It was an elevator servo that didn't respond to a pre-flight check AFTER I HAD ALREADY FLOWN THE PLANE THAT DAY!  Talk about lucky!    But in fairness I fly that plane a LOT and the servo probably had a pretty long life before it quit.  <div>
</div><div>Once you settle on whatever types you like, you'll probably want to settle on that as a standard for all your planes because if not, you'll forever be running into control horns not fitting, having to shave off the little key tab on Futaba (or whatever brand it is that has that) type leads, remembering which colors are what, etc.  To me it's a lot easier going with the same ones all the time.... not necessarily the same brand for ALL your needs, but the same brand for all your standard size servos, the same brand for all your micro servos, the same brand for your high torque servos.... you know what I mean.  Good luck with it!</div>

opjose

I'm also a fan of those cheap SG5010's... I buy them in lots of 30-40.

I've never had one fail, and I've only ever encountered 1-2 DOA servos over a couple of hundred...

They've fared well on my Giant U-Can-Do with it's huge control surfaces... and also on my wood 50CC planes.

For my Composite-Arf planes I've gone with HD brand servos instead.

flyingaardvark

My philosophy is to steer clear of no name servos. There's just no way to tell if they're gonna fail. My personal favorites are hitec or corona which isn't as well known.

I use coronas for micro and mini because they're unusually strong for their size. For standard size I would take hitec any day of the week.

One note on hitec; stay away from the hs-55. their price is alluring but the performance and durability is extremely lacking.

Hope this helps

blueapplepaste

My Feedback: (5)

I've had great success with the HXT900 micro servos and MG90 micro servos as well. They are super cheap, and I've never gotten a DOA or had one fail. They have a solid track record. Though I only use these little servos on park flyers and foamies.

I agree about no-name servos for larger planes and more expensive planes.

opjose

Yup the SG5010's, the HK Metal Gear and the HXT900's & MG90's are all manufactured by Hextronics ( aka Tower Pro ).

I've had great success with all of them.

You can't beat the price too!

They outperform the more expensive Futaba and Tower Hobby Servos too, and produce MUCH more torque at a fraction of the price.

noveldoc

My Feedback: (2)

The Tower Hobby basic servos work fine and they often have sales on Futabas.

Tom