Servo Upgrade Question!

[mcap]

I see the first thing typically done is to replace the steering servo. I am looking to upgrade my Defender's servo and wondering what some good options are for waterproof and not needing to wire in a BEC. I am running stock electronics and 2S lipo. I found a Novak Glitch Buster in a bag of parts, would that be beneficial to use?

Any guidance would be great. I've been out of the hobby a number of years and just bought a couple TRX4 to use with my 2 youngest daughters. Thanks!

 

[Dirt Runner]

Welcome back to the hobby. The power hd 20 or 23kg servos are a good bang for the buck and they are water proof.

Hitec servo savox are very good to. I have a savox 1210sg water proof servo which works great. I had a glitch buster when I had the 2s but I didn't see any difference with or without it.

Im currently running 3s with abec mainly to gret the 7.4 voltage to ther servo

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[mcap]

Hey! Thanks for the help and guidance around the BEC, much appreciated! I will look into those servos now. Hoping I can get away with just replacing the steering servo vs the other ones that do 2 spd and diff locking.

 

[OSRC]

I've had good luck with the "25kg" servos out there, I think powerHD is the same. Not a top level servo by any means, but for the price it's decent. Never had one fail yet.

The stock ESC doesn't help, it has a low amp rating for the steering. You'll notice a difference just swapping out the servo, but adding a BEC or upgrading to a better ESC will also help the steering as its providing more juice.

I've yet to have a shift servo fail. I've had a spare on hand for 2 years now and have never needed it across 5 TRX platforms.

 

[mcap]

I've had good luck with the "25kg" servos out there, I think powerHD is the same. Not a top level servo by any means, but for the price it's decent. Never had one fail yet.

The stock ESC doesn't help, it has a low amp rating for the steering. You'll notice a difference just swapping out the servo, but adding a BEC or upgrading to a better ESC will also help the steering as its providing more juice.

I've yet to have a shift servo fail. I've had a spare on hand for 2 years now and have never needed it across 5 TRX platforms.

Thats great information, thanks! What are you using as a new ESC that you'd recommend?

 

[Shinook]

Just be aware, the Savox servos are very loud. I ended up removing mine from my VS4-10 and will likely remove the one in my TRX4 soon, putting them in something else where the noise isn't as much of an issue.

 

[subaru73]

I just replaced the one in my sport with a power hd wp-23kg. a good servo that does not cost a lot . I also added a aluinium servo horn to get away from the plastic one. The hobby site I used is Atees.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

If you stick with the stock XL5 ESC you will need to buy the BEC from Traxxas. If not, you'll never get great performance from any servo. It just can't put out the power required to drive a powerful servo.

I switched to the HobbyWing WP 1080 because it has a much better internal BEC than the XL5. The 1080 also has much more adjustability and is just a better ESC overall.


What's your budget though? Servos can range from $20 to $250.

Just be aware, the Savox servos are very loud. I ended up removing mine from my VS4-10 and will likely remove the one in my TRX4 soon, putting them in something else where the noise isn't as much of an issue.

I thought Savox servos were loud so I replaced one with a Hitec and OMG. That thing is about twice as loud and twice as obnoxious as any Savox I've ever owned! :shock:

 

[Shinook]

I thought Savox servos were loud so I replaced one with a Hitec and OMG. That thing is about twice as loud and twice as obnoxious as any Savox I've ever owned! :shock:

Good to know, I was considering one of those as a replacement for my TRX4, so I'll rule that out.

Since putting the Reefs on, I've heard of some others having issues with them, so I'm hesitant to suggest them, but it has been super quiet for me. We'll see how it lasts in the long term.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Good to know, I was considering one of those as a replacement for my TRX4, so I'll rule that out.

Since putting the Reefs on, I've heard of some others having issues with them, so I'm hesitant to suggest them, but it has been super quiet for me. We'll see how it lasts in the long term.

I've never tried Reefs nor do I plan to. It's one of those Facebook hashtag brands. There's enough reputable servos out there with similar prices.

Besides, tell me this Chinese servo, with the same ratings as the Reefs 555, doesn't look exactly the same...

 

[mcap]

Would I be better off with the Traxxas BEC or the one I solder in? Been a while since I’ve done all of this ��. If I get the Hobbywing ESC can I get away without running the BEC? As far as budget, I’d like to spend no more than 100, but sounds like you guys vouching for the less expensive PowerHD servos. I may be better off just giving one of those a go for my Defender and Blazer

 

[mcap]

Can I get some sort of adapter that will allow me to easily hook up a BEC without having to solder??

 

[Shinook]

I've never tried Reefs nor do I plan to. It's one of those Facebook hashtag brands. There's enough reputable servos out there with similar prices.

Besides, tell me this Chinese servo, with the same ratings as the Reefs 555, doesn't look exactly the same...

The packaging is even the same! What brand name was that one sold under?

I only heard of Reefs because of this board, which was what turned me on to them. After digging around a bit more, it seems their reputation is a bit more mixed than I had thought. We'll see how mine work out.

 

[Fricker08]

Can I get some sort of adapter that will allow me to easily hook up a BEC without having to solder??

Yes, the no brainer Bec from HeyOK will plug right in, no soldering. It's just a little bit more expensive than the castle, but you can adjust the voltage without a programming card. Or for $15 more you can get a hobbywing 1080. Problem is you'll need to do some soldering on that.

 

[mcap]

Yes, the no brainer Bec from HeyOK will plug right in, no soldering. It's just a little bit more expensive than the castle, but you can adjust the voltage without a programming card. Or for $15 more you can get a hobbywing 1080. Problem is you'll need to do some soldering on that.

Awesome I’ll have to google that one now. Thx!

 

[mcap]

If anyone has one to sell let me know ��

 

[dr frankenstyle]

heyok is on here pretty often. In fact Al just posted a new light controller down in the Vendors section. He's a great guy and easy to deal with. His stuff is top-notch. He can set it up however you want it too. "thumbsup" I'm running one of his remote winch/light controllers and a little voltage regulator (bec) for the headlights, and they've been flawless. I've even doused the remote twice. :roll: After it dries out it still works fine.



8) jim

 

[Topher Builds]

The traxxas bec is overpriced and not very good. I’d avoid it.

I have a heyok bec on two different rigs and it works well. One is normal plug and play like it comes, the other I soldered into the esc power plug. To set the voltage you’ll need a voltmeter.

 

[evan9hunter]

Looking at getting the parts together for my TRX-4 kit that I ordered today... Struggling a bit with the servo.

I'll be running the Hobbywing 1080 for an ESC. Considered a couple of the ##KG servos, as well as some stuff from Savox.

I was aiming for something waterproof, with enough umph to push 1.9s (Traxxas stock tires for now) on beadlocks, and the SSD portal weights. I was also hoping to avoid the BEC if possible.

Any thoughts? If a BEC is the requirement, I get it. I was just hoping to avoid it and get something capable enough until my budget let's me good a little bigger.

 

[Fricker08]

Looking at getting the parts together for my TRX-4 kit that I ordered today... Struggling a bit with the servo.

I'll be running the Hobbywing 1080 for an ESC. Considered a couple of the ##KG servos, as well as some stuff from Savox.

I was aiming for something waterproof, with enough umph to push 1.9s (Traxxas stock tires for now) on beadlocks, and the SSD portal weights. I was also hoping to avoid the BEC if possible.

Any thoughts? If a BEC is the requirement, I get it. I was just hoping to avoid it and get something capable enough until my budget let's me good a little bigger.

Savox 1210sg is a pretty decent servo. A lot of people say they are noisy, which they are. But they perform well for me. 5 rigs, that's all Iv'e ran.
With the 1080, you do not need to run an external bec. You can but it's not necessary

If you want to run your servo at 7.4V to get the most out of it, you'll need to make sure everything else is rated for it or run an external bec straight to the servo. But 6v will still give you a big upgrade with any servo over stock.
I'm running my 1080 at 7.4v but everything electronic I'm running is rated for 7.4v or higher