Futaba S3004 For Quattro TT-02

[Rally!]

Hi.

Hope this isn't a silly question but, I bought a Futaba S3004 servo for my Quattro build. Will it work okay, or is it too 'weak'? 

Thanks.

[Finnsllc]

3004s are decent. for the price i cant beat them. i have many installed in my cars. you will be fine. @Rally!

[Rally!]

Just now, Finnsllc said:

3004s are decent. for the price i cant beat them. i have many installed in my cars. you will be fine. @Rally!

@Finnsllc Okay, sounds good. Thanks for the response.

I figured it would be good enough. 

[Jonathon Gillham]

50 minutes ago, Rally! said:

@Finnsllc Okay, sounds good. Thanks for the response.

I figured it would be good enough. 

It will definitely be good enough. Futaba quality is also very good and they will probably never fail (can be broken when used out of spec, but won't just fail). I have had a Futaba S3003 break within minutes when trying to jump.

However, I now use servos that cost about the same as the Futaba and are probably lesser quality, but they are metal geared with much better specs. They have lasted a few years without any failures. 

Specifically the JX 4409MG and SPT4412LV servos, or Trackstar TSD99X which are more expensive but I think are better. The first 2 are around the USD17 mark from Banggood, the Trackstar about USD30 from Hobbyking.

All claim about .1 secs and 10kg. Whether thats accurate doesn't really matter as they are definitely better than .18sec and 3kg. Also the metal gears make them very durable. I find the .18sec painfully slow now.

I've tried very cheap (MG995 for USD5) and they failed after a while and took ESCs with them.

So yes, the S3004 will work fine and last years, but check out other options as you may find better (for you) for the same money.

[Rally!]

@Jonathon Gillham Thanks.

[OoALEJOoO]

My experience with Futaba in general is excellent. I've had several S3004 with great results on rally cars. One advantage is that they are very light (37g). The only time I've broken a S3004 was when using it on a DT-03 for a lot of jumps and paired to a high-torque servo saver, big mistake and my fault!

Having said that, I concur with @Jonathon Gillham in that I have recently started buying other cheaper servo brands to try them out. Their specs seem to be over-reported but can still be better than Futaba for the price. Reliability wise, I haven't had them long enough to say for sure but after a 6 months with some of them, they are holding ok:

• Power HD 3001HB, 4.4Kgcm, 0.12sec/60deg @ 6V. This would be a bit stronger, but a lot faster than the S3004. In practice it seems only a bit faster and about the same strength.
• JX 5508MG, 8.2Kgcm, 0.07sec/60deg @ 6V. Markedly faster and stronger than the S3004. Allows pairing with a high-torque servo saver. My current go-to servo for touring & rally cars.
• JX DC6015, 13.4Kgcm, 0.10sec/60deg @ 6V. Much stronger and and the 5508 and just a tad slower (about same speed as 3001HB). Also great with high-torque SS. My current go-to servo for buggies.
• Edit: JX 4409MG, 9.1Kgcm, 0.11sec/60deg @ 6V. Low profile servo. Note the length of its gear is lower than the other servos, you will need some mods to fit into the TT02 (use the TT01 arm that does come with the TT02 P-parts).

I would say go with Futaba if you have the budget. Otherwise, for more conscious spending, cheaper servos are ok for casual racing/bashing.

[Rally!]

3 minutes ago, OoALEJOoO said:

My experience with Futaba in general is excellent. I've had several S3004 with great results on rally cars. One advantage is that they are very light (37g). The only time I've broken a S3004 was when using it on a DT-03 for a lot of jumps and paired to a high-torque servo saver, big mistake and my fault!

Having said that, I concur with @Jonathon Gillham in that I have recently started buying other cheaper servo brands to try them out. Their specs seem to be over-reported but can still be better than Futaba for the price. Reliability wise, I haven't had them long enough to say for sure but after a 6 months with some of them, they are holding ok:

• Power HD 3001HB, 4.4Kgcm, 0.12sec/60deg @ 6V. This would be a bit stronger, but a lot faster than the S3004. In practice it seems only a bit faster and about the same strength.
• JX 5508MG, 8.2Kgcm, 0.07sec/60deg @ 6V. Markedly faster and stronger than the S3004. Allows pairing with a high-torque servo saver. My current go-to servo for touring & rally cars.
• JX DC6015, 13.4Kgcm, 0.10sec/60deg @ 6V. Much stronger and and the 5508 and just a tad slower (about same speed as 3001HB). Also great with high-torque SS. My current go-to servo for buggies.

I would say go with Futaba if you have the budget. Otherwise, for more conscious spending, cheaper servos are ok for casual racing/bashing.

 

 

@OoALEJOoO Thanks. Yeah, I'm going to stick with my S3004 for now. I won't be doing any big jumps or running it on really rough roads. I'm trying to keep the surfaces to 'scale' with the car, if you know what I mean.

So having a too high torque servo saver can potentially damage a servo? I did not know that. Thanks.

[OoALEJOoO]

The right servo saver needs to be matched to the right servo. A too stiff saver will put too much stress on a weaker servo, that was the problem I had with the S3004.

As a rule of thumb, you want the servo to be strong enough to twist the servo saver, this way the stiffest member is not the saver. If the servo cannot do this, it means the bumps might be taken by the servo's gears full force.

The toughest servos can go even without a servo-saver, i.e. a servo horn that has zero compliance (truly stiff).

[Rally!]

1 hour ago, OoALEJOoO said:

The right servo saver needs to be matched to the right servo. A too stiff saver will put too much stress on a weaker servo, that was the problem I had with the S3004.

As a rule of thumb, you want the servo to be strong enough to twist the servo saver, this way the stiffest member is not the saver. If the servo cannot do this, it means the bumps might be taken by the servo's gears full force.

The toughest servos can go even without a servo-saver, i.e. a servo horn that has zero compliance (truly stiff).

Okay. I think I understand. I'm guessing the TT-02's stock servo saver is a relatively good match for the S3004? 

@OoALEJOoOThanks for all your help. Really appreciated.

[OoALEJOoO]

Yes, the regular servo savers included in stock Tamiya kits, which have a plastic flexible "C" element are suitable for a low-torque servo such as the S3004.

Once/if you upgrade to a stronger servo, then the standard saver is too soft. You won't get the benefit of the stronger servo since the saver will be twisting prematurely on higher torque demands.

[Rally!]

7 hours ago, OoALEJOoO said:

Yes, the regular servo savers included in stock Tamiya kits, which have a plastic flexible "C" element are suitable for a low-torque servo such as the S3004.

Once/if you upgrade to a stronger servo, then the standard saver is too soft. You won't get the benefit of the stronger servo since the saver will be twisting prematurely on higher torque demands.

Got it. Thanks, again!