What steering servo for TT02

[Scottrc]

I’ve got a TT02 I use for indoor carpet racing and thinking of upgrading my cheap steering servo for something better, as the servo on my basher has broken so swapping it over. 
Any recommendations for a decent priced servo? Looking to spend up to £30ish. What are the advantages of the more expensive servos and will I notice a difference? 
thanks

[sosidge]

Look for something with speed around 0.1s for 60deg. Torque won't be an issue. I'm not sure what is available for £30 but PowerHD are a good budget brand.

Faster servo will keep up with your hand movements, making the car much more responsive.

[Scottrc]

Thanks. Would something like this be any good? I’ve heard Savox are a good brand. 

[sosidge]

Savox are popular, I don't think they are that good personally as their early ones caused problems with excess power use.

That is basically a standard servo, not much of an upgrade, you should look for something that is sold as a higher performance servo. A typical Savox race servo is in the region of £50-£60.

[OoALEJOoO]

My recent go-to low cost servos have been (both around ~14 USD):

• JX 5508MG: 8.2 Kg-cm, 0.07 sec/60deg, 55.6g.
• JX 4409MG: 9.2 Kg-cm, 0.11 sec/60deg, 44.5g, low-profile.

To get the most out of a servo upgrade, I would recommend pairing with a high-torque servo saver. Either Tamiya's or 3Racing would do. In case you go with 3Racing (very attractive pricing), you will need to add a 3mm (0.02-0.03mm thick) shim below the screw plate, otherwise there is too much friction between saver halves causing the saver to not immediately return to center after a bump.

Other recommended budget servos:

• JX 6208MG
• Power HD 6001MG
• Power HD 9001MG

[Scottrc]

15 minutes ago, OoALEJOoO said:

My recent go-to low cost servos have been (both around ~14 USD):

• JX 5508MG: 8.2 Kg-cm, 0.07 sec/60deg, 55.6g.
• JX 4409MG: 9.2 Kg-cm, 0.11 sec/60deg, 44.5g, low-profile.

To get the most out of a servo upgrade, I would recommend pairing with a high-torque servo saver. Either Tamiya's or 3Racing would do. In case you go with 3Racing (very attractive pricing), you will need to add a 3mm (0.02-0.03mm thick) shim below the screw plate, otherwise there is too much friction between saver halves causing the saver to not immediately return to center after a bump.

Other recommended budget servos:

• JX 6208MG
• Power HD 6001MG
• Power HD 9001MG

Thanks for that I will take a look. I’ve already got the Tamiya high torque servo saver fitted so that will save me a few quid 👍🏻

[Jonathon Gillham]

If you want Savox look at the 1258TG, its fast and strong. I run them in all my offroad race buggies and they have lasted many seasons without issue.

The Trackstar TSD99X is a good servo too. I have run those for years in my onroad cars and they work well. I actually switched one out for the PowerHD B7 to see if I could tell the difference and I couldn't.

The JX4409MG mentioned above works well too, as does the SPT4412LV. I have a number of these and can't complain given the price. I buy these from Banggood though and shipping times can be an issue

Check the voltage of your BEC though, as many servos are rated to 6v but modern ESC will output 7.4v so you could run into problems.

[sosidge]

54 minutes ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

Check the voltage of your BEC though, as many servos are rated to 6v but modern ESC will output 7.4v so you could run into problems.

I don't know of any ESCs that output 7.4V unless you specifically program them to. 5/6V remains the standard.

[SupraChrgd82]

I’ll vouch for Savox. One of several benefits of an upgraded servo is the ability to purchase and replace components inside the servo. The servo will no longer be a disposable item.

Look for one that operates at <=6.0v, not a high voltage (7.2v).  I also suggest you use a glitch buster capacitor in the RX 3rd channel slot to guarantee zero brown-outs.

What servo arm/saver will be used in the TT-02?

You’ll note a marked improvement in steering response and steering speed by using an upgraded servo.

[Scottrc]

4 hours ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

If you want Savox look at the 1258TG, its fast and strong. I run them in all my offroad race buggies and they have lasted many seasons without issue.

The Trackstar TSD99X is a good servo too. I have run those for years in my onroad cars and they work well. I actually switched one out for the PowerHD B7 to see if I could tell the difference and I couldn't.

The JX4409MG mentioned above works well too, as does the SPT4412LV. I have a number of these and can't complain given the price. I buy these from Banggood though and shipping times can be an issue

Check the voltage of your BEC though, as many servos are rated to 6v but modern ESC will output 7.4v so you could run into problems.

Thanks I will take a look at those. Doesn’t have to be a savox it’s just the brand I’ve seen a few people use and I’m a novice so have no idea! 
Not sure what my output voltage of the BEC is but I’m using the TBLE-02 that came in the kit. 

[Scottrc]

3 hours ago, SupraChrgd82 said:

I’ll vouch for Savox. One of several benefits of an upgraded servo is the ability to purchase and replace components inside the servo. The servo will no longer be a disposable item.

Look for one that operates at <=6.0v, not a high voltage (7.2v).  I also suggest you use a glitch buster capacitor in the RX 3rd channel slot to guarantee zero brown-outs.

What servo arm/saver will be used in the TT-02?

You’ll note a marked improvement in steering response and steering speed by using an upgraded servo.

That would be handy if I can change parts instead of throwing it in the bin. Was going to get a capacitor for my other car so will get a pair and fit one to the TT02 👍🏻.

Using the Tamiya high torque servo saver. Thanks 

[SupraChrgd82]

2 hours ago, Scottrc said:

Not sure what my output voltage of the BEC is but I’m using the TBLE-02 that came in the kit. 

The reasoning behind the <6v servo; Savox also makes high voltage only servos.  If you mistakenly purchase one it will be obsurdly slow, as in 10-15 seconds to full travel.  
 

Note that in your screenshot above it gives a “Speed 60* @ 6.0v” rating.  The high voltage servo description will only have  “Speed 60* @ 7.4v”.  (I made this mistake some time ago)

[alvinlwh]

On 6/4/2022 at 10:16 PM, Scottrc said:

Not sure what my output voltage of the BEC is but I’m using the TBLE-02 that came in the kit. 

Be careful, or at least be aware that the BEC of the TBLE is a joke. It only outputs 1.5A and will cause no end of problems if used with anything other than a basic servo. I tested a 9kg JX Servo and it draws 3A at no load, not connected to anything. So imagine what A it will draw when under load. A ball park figure I saw in a robotic forum is 1A per 3 - 4kg, so bear that in mind when buying a servo. 

[Willy iine]

 

On 6/4/2022 at 6:39 AM, OoALEJOoO said:

My recent go-to low cost servos have been (both around ~14 USD):

• JX 5508MG: 8.2 Kg-cm, 0.07 sec/60deg, 55.6g.
• JX 4409MG: 9.2 Kg-cm, 0.11 sec/60deg, 44.5g, low-profile.

 

Thanks man.  I placed orders one of each to try them out!   

I basically only run 1251 an 1252MG on my faster cars (SAVOX), but sometimes I don't need anything spectacular (not that the 1251/1252 are) and the specs you show are attractive.  And it only costed like $31 total for both!  That's still less than half the price of one 1251/1252.  

 

[OoALEJOoO]

7 hours ago, Willy iine said:

Thanks man.  I placed orders one of each to try them out!   

I basically only run 1251 an 1252MG on my faster cars (SAVOX), but sometimes I don't need anything spectacular (not that the 1251/1252 are) and the specs you show are attractive.  And it only costed like $31 total for both!  That's still less than half the price of one 1251/1252.  

Online/youtube reviews seem positive. Let me know your thoughts when you get them. Personally I have never owned a high-end servo, it would be great to hear first-hand account on how they stand-up against more expensive options.

[Jonathon Gillham]

On 6/7/2022 at 12:51 PM, OoALEJOoO said:

Online/youtube reviews seem positive. Let me know your thoughts when you get them. Personally I have never owned a high-end servo, it would be great to hear first-hand account on how they stand-up against more expensive options.

Those work fine, i use them in a number of cars and would happily use them in vintage racing as well. I don't believe their claimed specs, but even if they're out by 20% its still a far better option than a Futaba S3003. My high end servos do somehow feel nicer, more precise or something? Its hard to say as you aren't in the car to really know, but the Futaba 9373SV in my nitro buggy feels completely different.

On 6/7/2022 at 4:50 AM, Willy iine said:

 

Thanks man.  I placed orders one of each to try them out!   

I basically only run 1251 an 1252MG on my faster cars (SAVOX), but sometimes I don't need anything spectacular (not that the 1251/1252 are) and the specs you show are attractive.  And it only costed like $31 total for both!  That's still less than half the price of one 1251/1252.  

 

I doubt you'll go back, they work well. I don't notice much difference between them and the 1251MG, but I suspect a few decent knocks and the cheaper servos will break. Those savox servos are basically indestructible. I had one in my sons 4wd race buggy that got about the hardest life a servo can get and its still going fine after many years. And i bought that secondhand!

[OoALEJOoO]

1 hour ago, Jonathon Gillham said:

Those work fine, i use them in a number of cars and would happily use them in vintage racing as well. I don't believe their claimed specs, but even if they're out by 20% its still a far better option than a Futaba S3003. My high end servos do somehow feel nicer, more precise or something? Its hard to say as you aren't in the car to really know, but the Futaba 9373SV in my nitro buggy feels completely different.

Great to hear. I own a Futaba S3010HT (6.5 kg-cm, 0.16 sec/60deg) and S3004 (4.1 kg-cm, 0.19 sec/60deg), the JX 5508MG (8.2 Kg-cm, 0.07 sec/60deg) is significantly faster when actuating them side-by-side. The fact that the JX has metal gear should also make it more durable.

The JX DC6015 (13.4 kg-cm, 0.10 sec/60deg) is also noticeably faster than the Futabas and a good option for trail cars.