Traxxas X-Maxx servo options.
02-18-2016, 08:00 AM
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Traxxas X-Maxx servo options.
I love my X-Maxx but i wish the servo was a little faster and stronger. Does anyone know of a better servo that fits the X-Maxx. Thanks.
02-18-2016, 03:54 PM
#2
As I'm sure you know the servo mounting is unique to the XMaxx. Without having a truck in front of me I won't venture to guess whether or not the truck can be modified to fit a normal servo.
But there are a few things you can do to increase the performance of the stock servo. First make sure the end points (EPA) are set correctly so that you're getting maximum steering throw. Prop the truck up so the front wheels are off the ground and adjust the EPA for maximum throw (left and right adjust separately) without the servo buzzing. Second, I've read the servo saver spring is on the soft side. This protects the servo but if it's too soft it won't allow as much steering throw under higher load conditions. From what I can see in the exploded views the servo saver isn't adjustable, I'm sure the aftermarket will fix that in time. But for now you can make the spring tighter by adding a spacer of some kind to increase spring preload and make the servo saver tighter.
And lastly you can increase the voltage to the servo. This will offer the most noticable improvement but requires some $ investment and should be done last. The stock esc does not have an adjustable bec so the voltage cannot be increased, I dont know what the stock voltage is but it's probably 5-6v. So to increase the voltage going to the servo you need either an esc with an adjustable bec (Tekin RX8 Gen2, Castle MMM2/MMX, etc) or an adjustable external Bec. My nephews LST with old tired servos was getting 5.1v from the esc and could barely turn the tires at all while on the ground. With an external bec I bumped the voltage up to 6.3v (just to be safe) and the difference was night and day. The servos could now turn the tires on the ground with some authority and exposed the servo savers as being too soft.
Now all servos can take some increased voltage. A servo that says "300oz@6v isn't rated for 6v maximum. It's just making 300oz at 6v but can take more voltage, because a 5cell NiMh receiver pack has a nominal voltage of 6v but is actually more like 7v fully charged. If a servo can take a fully charged receiver pack at 7v or more it can take the same supplied by an external bec. In my nephews LST I limited the voltage to 6.3v because it already offered a big improvement and I had to be concerned about the custom LED lights I made and didn't want to blow them out.
If you're going to go the external bec route I recommend using a Castle 10amp bec as its small, reliable, adjustable in .1v increments and costs under $20. You will have to remove the red wire from the esc's servo lead by lifting the tab on the connector and pulling the wire out. Then you can just fold the wire back and tape it to the rest of the servo lead. Red is positive, black is ground, white is the signal wire. If you don't take the red wire out it will interfere with the external bec and one will end up failing. Now you can plug the bec directly into the receiver or use a y-harness with the esc servo lead if there's no open spots on the receiver. Adjust the bec to the voltage you want and run it. I'd go with at least 6.3v but would stay 7.0v or less just to be safe.
But there are a few things you can do to increase the performance of the stock servo. First make sure the end points (EPA) are set correctly so that you're getting maximum steering throw. Prop the truck up so the front wheels are off the ground and adjust the EPA for maximum throw (left and right adjust separately) without the servo buzzing. Second, I've read the servo saver spring is on the soft side. This protects the servo but if it's too soft it won't allow as much steering throw under higher load conditions. From what I can see in the exploded views the servo saver isn't adjustable, I'm sure the aftermarket will fix that in time. But for now you can make the spring tighter by adding a spacer of some kind to increase spring preload and make the servo saver tighter.
And lastly you can increase the voltage to the servo. This will offer the most noticable improvement but requires some $ investment and should be done last. The stock esc does not have an adjustable bec so the voltage cannot be increased, I dont know what the stock voltage is but it's probably 5-6v. So to increase the voltage going to the servo you need either an esc with an adjustable bec (Tekin RX8 Gen2, Castle MMM2/MMX, etc) or an adjustable external Bec. My nephews LST with old tired servos was getting 5.1v from the esc and could barely turn the tires at all while on the ground. With an external bec I bumped the voltage up to 6.3v (just to be safe) and the difference was night and day. The servos could now turn the tires on the ground with some authority and exposed the servo savers as being too soft.
Now all servos can take some increased voltage. A servo that says "300oz@6v isn't rated for 6v maximum. It's just making 300oz at 6v but can take more voltage, because a 5cell NiMh receiver pack has a nominal voltage of 6v but is actually more like 7v fully charged. If a servo can take a fully charged receiver pack at 7v or more it can take the same supplied by an external bec. In my nephews LST I limited the voltage to 6.3v because it already offered a big improvement and I had to be concerned about the custom LED lights I made and didn't want to blow them out.
If you're going to go the external bec route I recommend using a Castle 10amp bec as its small, reliable, adjustable in .1v increments and costs under $20. You will have to remove the red wire from the esc's servo lead by lifting the tab on the connector and pulling the wire out. Then you can just fold the wire back and tape it to the rest of the servo lead. Red is positive, black is ground, white is the signal wire. If you don't take the red wire out it will interfere with the external bec and one will end up failing. Now you can plug the bec directly into the receiver or use a y-harness with the esc servo lead if there's no open spots on the receiver. Adjust the bec to the voltage you want and run it. I'd go with at least 6.3v but would stay 7.0v or less just to be safe.
Last edited by Maj_Overdrive; 02-18-2016 at 04:06 PM.
