Servo Upgrade

[Usman]

Alright, I think the time has come to upgrade my servos. I have a stock blade 4003d. What would be the best cyclic servos along with a tail servo to upgrade to?
Would the Hitec HS-65MG for the cyclics be alright? If so, what would a good tail servo to coin the setup be?
Thanks in advance the help.

[907Heli]

I've been looking at the align ds430m metal gear digital servos on ebay for 66 bucks. I say digital, because a lot of us are going to flybarless coversions and digital servos work better. The metal gear are and upgrade I did after stripping multiple sets of eflite gears. I personally went with T-pro mg90s servos which you can get dirt cheap. Like 4 for 25 bucks. They worked fine for me for a long time, and they're still doing alright. I used to recommend them highly for the price and durability and many other recommend them as well. However, as I'm going to flybarless and getting better at flying, wanting more precision, I find myself wishing I had a nice set of digital servos. For the price, the ds430m's are a good deal. I personally run an align tail servo I paid 50 bucks for, glad I did.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Pack-Align...item4627439635

[Bee_random]

The Hitec 65's are ok for an FB head, but digital servos is the way to go IMHO. This way when you see the light and go FBL, you're good to go. (FBL setups generally use digital servos)

Align servos have a reputation for being power hungry.

TGY306 servos from Hobbyking are very good, low cost, clones of the MKS servo. These will do both cyclic and tail. They're metal geared and very robust in a crash.

[Harbormaster]

Hey Usman -- ANYTHING will be big improvement from the stock servos, but like Bee says, definitely go with a digital servo. I have had Spektrum HS 3000 digital servos that I bought at the LHS on my 400 for years now and they have worked fine, though the specs say they are nothing special. www.servodatabase.com is a great tool for comparing different servo options.
Happy Flying!

[Rogue22]

Yes, as stated, digital is for sure the way to go. So many different directions you could go and like with so many things, it boils down to personal preference and the money you want to spend. For several years now, the Hitec 5065MG servos are available in a digital version. I bought mine over 3 years ago for my B400. Also for tail, I bought a Futaba 9257 And it works well with my 520 gyro. You will see a big difference when you leave the stock servos behind!

Steve

[Usman]

Thanks Steve. A good friend helped me out with a Hitec HS-65 servo for my blade4003D.
I also plan on upgrading to some Hitec 5065 servos for the cyclic, but id like to ask which other savox or hitec servos drop right in, and fit perfectly fine without no modification? Also, when upgrading to servos, should I consider installing/pluging a capacitor into a spare channel on my receiver to prevent problems?

[Usman]

Thank you everyone for their input. I will consider for the heck of it to get me a set of the ones beerandom to try out!
I think I'll stick with the Hitec 5065 or Savox SH0257MG servos for the cyclics and either a Hitec HSG-5084MG or Savox SH-0262MG servo for the tail. Any other suggestions for some drop in servos? I'm not even sure if those will be direct drop ins as I came across those choices for upgrading on the Blade 4503D.
Should I get a capacitor and use it in a spare channel when upgrading my servos to the ones mentioned above?
Or I might just try to use Hitec HS-65 servos for cyclic and the tail on my 400. Would this be a bad idea and would I need a capacitor/bec and an alternative ESC capable of performing better?
I want to also ask, would would be a good ESC to upgrade to when upgrading my servos? Any suggestions from hobbyking or any other place? The motor will be upgraded to a E-Flite-450
Thanks in advance and

Merry Christmas

[Harbormaster]

Hi Usman -- I don't think you should need a capacitor anywhere. For an ESC, I have had good luck with the Castle, but I'm sure HK has something that will do the job for less money. I think the stock ESC should do OK with new servos, though.

As for servos, just about any good servo should do, but I would definitely recommend digital. servodatabase.com gives the dimensions and even has a "compare" feature. I find it to be a really useful site.

Originally Posted by Usman

Thank you everyone for their input. I will consider for the heck of it to get me a set of the ones beerandom to try out!
I think I'll stick with the Hitec 5065 or Savox SH0257MG servos for the cyclics and either a Hitec HSG-5084MG or Savox SH-0262MG servo for the tail. Any other suggestions for some drop in servos? I'm not even sure if those will be direct drop ins as I came across those choices for upgrading on the Blade 4503D.
Should I get a capacitor and use it in a spare channel when upgrading my servos to the ones mentioned above?
Or I might just try to use Hitec HS-65 servos for cyclic and the tail on my 400. Would this be a bad idea and would I need a capacitor/bec and an alternative ESC capable of performing better?
I want to also ask, would would be a good ESC to upgrade to when upgrading my servos? Any suggestions from hobbyking or any other place? The motor will be upgraded to a E-Flite-450
Thanks in advance and

Merry Christmas

[Woody_99]

I upgraded the servos, and still using the stock ESC. Still have the stock motor too.
What I did add was a small BEC to the stock ESC,
Working great for several years now.

[Bee_random]

^^^ like Woody say

TURNIGY 3A UBEC w/ Noise Reduction

Spec.
Output: 5v/3A or 6v/3A (Selectable via jumper)
Noise: <50mVp-p(@2A/12v)
Input: 5.5v-23v (2-5S Lipo pack, 5-15cells NiMh)
Size: 41.6x16.6x7.0mm
Weight: 7.5g

[Usman]

Alright, thanks for the input. Now just for the heck of it, I wouldn't mind installing a bec. When I purchased a set of Savox servos I was given a free little racer's edge power capacitor so I might as well use it. Its model 2474 by racers edge. When selecting a power capacitor glitch buster which one do I know to get that will work the way I need it to with my ideal setup? Woody, when you selected yours, what did you keep in mind for the stock receiver/esc?
Thanks once again !

[Woody_99]

Hi,
If I understand your question, a BEC is a different item than a capacitor.
The BEC is used to supply the current/voltage required to run your receiver and servos. The CAP is to compensate for sags when hitting the throttle hard and putting a big load on the battery. That can help with brown outs, but not needed if you use a BEC.


You want to use a BEC, and wire it up to the flight battery. That way, you have plenty of current to run the servos and remove that load from the ESC.
A BEC with the ability to supply 3-5 amps will work great.

The ESC will run the motor, the BEC will power the electronics for flight control.

Hope this helps.

[Bee_random]

As above.

Also; remember to disable the (red wire) power supply from the ESC (internal BEC) to the receiver.

[Usman]

Thank you for the helpful information.
I will get this:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...Reduction.html
Since im still using the stock ESC for the time being and plan on running the stock receiver and the upgraded servos.
I'm sure it will come with a diagram, but I don't quite understand fully how it will hook up to my battery and electronics and what bee-random meant by
remembering to disable the (red wire) power supply from the ESC (internal BEC) to the receiver.
Happy New Year Everyone

[Woody_99]

On the lead that has the servo plug on it, you'll be supplying the power to the receiver and servos through it.
The ESC also has a BEC built in, and supplies power to the receiver and servos via its connection to the receiver.
Can't have both powering the receiver, so you will need to remove the red wire from the stock esc connection to the receiver.
Do a little search, and you can probably find a picture of what I'm trying to describe.

As for the power to the new BEC, I like to connect the wires directly to the battery terminals on the ESC. Requires some soldering to fairly big wires, but makes a clean install when you're done.

You'll probably find some alternative ways to connect in your search for pictures.

Happy New Year!