If you’re an RC car enthusiast, RC Helicopter pilot, RC Jet airplanes hobbyist, and industrial robots player, you are familiar with the word servo. However, for some new businessmen who want to become RC Toys supplies in this Radio Control Hobby industry, what they need to know the first thing is how to choose the correct servos and locate the most suitable digital servo manufacturing factories.
For choosing the correct RC servos, generally, your need to study these important servo features: Size, Torque, Speed, Voltage, Gears, Servo Case, Motor, Waterproof, and Output Shaft. For finding out a suitable RC servo factory or wholesaler, you need to consider digital servo manufacturing factories in China which has the most complete industrial supply chain, selecting the factory that can offer reliable quality digital servo products and good service, and also comes with affordable price, with the strong production capacity, can support OEM projects, such as GDW RC digital servos manufacturer who’s behind some popular RC hobby brands.
Size. The servo mounting dimensions will determine the size of the servo that you choose. Also note that some have different depths, which can cause issues in models with limited mounting space. Fortunately, almost all manufacturers use the same standard set of servo sizes, ranging from sub-micro servo, small, standard servo and large servos.
Servo Torque And Speed. Torque (usually measured in oz-in or in kg-cm) refers to the amount of force the servo can apply to a lever. It refers to the muscle or strength it takes to rotate the machine. In general, the bigger and heavier the model, the higher torque your servo should provide. Airplane control surface area and servo arm length are also factors. Speed (normally in seconds per 60°) refers to how fast the servo turns 60 degrees in standard rotation mode. A fast or slow servo will alter the ‘feel’ of your model. Fast is good, but using a servo that is too fast can cause a twitchy feel. Don’t overdo it. Anything faster than 0.12 s/60° is considered very fast.
Voltage. Torque increases and speed increases as voltage rises. High voltage servos have been developed to operate on a 2s LiPo.
Gear Box. Shock load resistance is impacted directly by the material the gears are made from. This ranges from plastic to titanium. If weight or price is a concern, then plastic gears are a good choice for “low impact” applications. Generally used for applications in model airplanes such as ailerons. Brass gears are stronger than plastic but also suffer greatly when faced with shock loads in FTC like intake wrists and deposit buckets. It’s found on slightly higher end servos. The most commonly things that threaten a servo longevity is the gears stripping inside the servo. Gears stripped is one of the most complaints for some RC servos best sellers on Amazon. Gear stripping is a very common problem which occurs when the torque needed to actuate a component exceeds that of the servo’s maximum torque. Steel gears are very durable and you’ll have a tough time stripping these. Most GDW servos were constructed with steel gear sets, such as GDW IPX896, DS590MG, GDW BLS992, BLS995, RS4010, RS4016, DS1906A, DS1906B, DS1901C, GDW G92, and G95.etc. Titanium is where you get into really high end, virtually unbreakable servos. GDW DS190X gears are made of steel, with a titanium surface treatment. A servo saver for any high impact application is recommended, regardless of gear material choice.
Motor. DC motors are best suited to less demanding applications, and are the least expensive. Coreless motors offer better power and reliability, and are able to change directions more quickly and precisely. Brushless motors produce ultimate power, quicker torque, faster response, greater efficiency and are the longest lasting.
Servo Case. Aluminium is used to improve heat dissipation from the motor and have better protection for internal components but this has a slightly higher weight.
Waterproof. I always take my supposedly waterproof resistant servos apart and to check and see. Please note that some servos claimed waterproof actually just “splashproof” because see that the circuit board is NOT waterproofed with a silicone modified coating which all name brand servos have. This is a prerequisite for any waterproofed spec’d servo IMHO. Water will migrate into the servo case, so this circuit board will corrode if you don’t use any readily available silicone modified coating on it while it is apart. While GDW IPX896 is truely IPX8 grade waterproof. Please watch the video on Youtube:
Output Shaft. The output shaft of the servo is commonly called the servo spline. Most servos have industry standard 25 tooth spline (also known as F3).
Almost all forms of the RC hobby rely on servos. Servo reliability is the most important thing in RC. You can spend a fortune on these aircraft and then have all go down in smoke because of the failure of one servo. When I was flying helicopters I had a few of GDW Servos and they are the best by far. They are not so crazy expensive as Futaba brushless servos but I have never had one fail and those brushless motors don’t have any brushes to ware out so theoretically they could last forever. They also have very high-end gears that in my experience never get sloppy. They have incredibly fast dynamic response – that’s the main reason helicopter guys use them. I don’t buy the most expensive but buy what I think is quality components. For RC hobby distributors, working with a trusted RC servo wholesaler or factory like GDW digital servo manufacturer who is a reliable alternative to other expensive servo is strongly recommended.
So, why not get in touch to get some samples to test and have a try ?