Have you ever been bashing in a parking lot and “SPLASH!!!”, you just found the only water hole in a 5 mile radius? Yes we have too, if you aren’t prepared it could be an expensive mistake.

The Xpert RC crew has just announced their new line-up of waterproof servos. There are three different models to work in everything from 1/10th to 1/5th scale and they were designed to be completely submerged in water (IP67 rated). Hardened steel gears make them tough, while advanced firmware gives precise control with no buzzing noises.

The WR-4401-LV is rated at 280.93 oz-in of torque and .077 sec/60 for speed (at 6.6 volts). The WR-6601-HV busts out 360.88 oz-in and .118 sec/60 (at 8.4 volts), while the WR-7701-HV is rated for 485.8 oz-in at .126 sec/60 (8.4 volts). All the WR line servos are street priced at $99, get complete details At This Link over on Xpert’s official website.

Click Right Here for more Xpert news on BigSquidRC.

Are you on a tight rc budget? No problem with the new RC Gear Shop from Tower Hobbies. The RC Gear Shop has a new line of affordable servos for the budget minded hobbyist. Made by WinKing, RC Gear Shop has a wide variety of servos to fit many popular applications-

RGZM0101 – Standard Ball Bearing Servo – $5.49
RGZM0102 – High-Torque Standard BB Servo – $5.99
RGZM0200 – Micro Servo – $2.99
RGZM0201 – High-Speed Micro Servo – $2.49
RGZM0202 – Micro Metal-Gear Servo – $5.29
RGZM0203 – Micro Servo Aluminum Case – $5.79
RGZM0204 – Micro Metal-Gear BB Servo – $6.79
RGZM0300 – Standard BB Metal-Gear Servo – $8.79

These are in stock right now and you can hit up THIS LINK for full details over on the official Tower Hobby website.

You never know what you are going to get with a BSRC TGIF Mystery Link.

“RC for 4yr old

Dear Cubby,

Ok, so I’ve had about a dozen or so R/C cars over the years dating back to 1985 (Tyco Turbo Hopper/Tamiya Lunchbox/RC10GT/OFNA 1/8 Buggy, etc). My latests is and Emaxx from 2008 that gets occasional use (considering brushless/lipo upgrade).

My son will be turning 4 in November and he as well as I am interested in getting him into RC. I tried using training mode on the Emaxx (7cells), and it’s definitely too fast for him. Ideally I’d like something that he could use both indoor/outdoor (indoor keeps him out of my wife’s hair for a bit). For indoors, I’d like something slow so he’s not damaging the walls/furniture or hurting his younger siblings. For outdoors, some more speed is ok. I’m close to settling on a Losi 1/24 Trail Trekker due to its crawling/climbing capability and slow speed.

Thoughts? Could I get a 2WD Slash, gear it down, and maybe even run a 4 or 5 cell battery to slow it down for indoor use, or is it still going to be too big/too fast? Do you think the 1/24 Trekker will hold him off until he’s about 6 and then get him a something along the lines of a Slash? I take it the Dromida 1/18’s are too fast for indoor? Would you have any concern for parts availbility if I picked up a Trail Trekker (looks like it was released several years ago).

Thanks,
Dennis K.”

Cubby- Yo hey Dennis, thanks for writing in.

I have seen some 4 year olds that can really wheel an rc, but they were the exception. I know from being to so many different bashes and being around so many young kids (including 3 of my own) that most 4 year olds just aren’t ready for hobby grade rc. Ya, I know you are a stoked Dad who wants to hook your child up, but at 4 they are more interested in being chased or simply pushing the truck around than driving it.

However… if I were to recommend something, it wouldn’t be the Slash. The Dromidas are fairly slow and can be driven straight into walls without much breakage (plus they can work indoors or out). The Losi 1/24th crawler might good because it is geared so low, but then it might be so slow that it won’t hold the short attention span of a 4 year old.

If anything, I can say from first hand experience, that if you hold off for a couple years your child will be much more capable of appreciating a hobby grade rc vehicle. Good luck, and let us know what you get.

Hey guys,
Cory from Florida here. I love keeping up with BSRC. The cub report and everybody’s scalin for the weekend are my favorites but I also really find the shootouts super helpful. I recently used your quad shootout to help pick my sons Ares Ethos…..and it was spot on!!!

Anyways, I had a thought. I have never seen a servo Shootout! ! What would be better than pitting the uber high dollar boys (savox, hitec, futaba) against the budget ones ( tower, solar, ect…) Having two classes would keep it more apples to apples….like ones for a SC truck/offroad racing and ones for crawlers/scalers. Areas like strength, speed, weight, durability and of course price are all really important us.
Thanks for keepin it real,
Cory

Cubby- Hi there Cory, thanks for the email. We are always glad to hear when people are digging the articles and shootouts. We get stoked when we hear someone made a purchase based on something we said, and they are completely happy about it! It reassures us that we are doing something right around here!

A servo shootout huh? As you may or may not of guessed, this topic has been the subject of many discussions around here, and it’s been on the table as something we have wanted to do for a while. Like all of our shootouts, we want to make sure we have the correct tests, equipment, and knowledge to be able to bring accurate results in a format that will benefit the readers. So I can say we have a plan, and there will be one in the future, I can not give you a estimate on when to expect it. Right now we have a pretty good backlog of stuff on the burners, but rest assured it’s not that far down the list.

That’s it for this week ya bunch of lunatics. Got something to say? Got a question to ask? Hit me up at Cubby at BigSquidRC dot com. If (and I highly doubt it will) your letter hits the big time you’ll get a free sticker pack, if I name yours as “Letter of the Month” we’ll send ya a free BSRC t-shirt.

YOUR Cub Reporter

Hello, and welcome to the very first BigSquid Tech Talk! Often I get RC people coming to me asking why their servos burn out, don’t perform well, or has a strange hum when doing nothing while powered on. Honestly, it comes down to the simple question: What is the difference between analog and digital servos and what does that mean for my RC vehicle/aircraft? See the facts and the comparisons between the two servo types after the jump…

The difference between analog and digital servos is in the response it has from an input, which then has specific implications for your RC. An analog servo responds to an input in a single short burst which sets the servo horn position, and then shuts off the motor at that position. This happens approximately 50 times per second, and is standard for all analog servos. These short bursts do not product that much torque and usually is not representative of the statistics written on the box of your analog servo. Also, analog servos sometimes burn out with digital radio systems, but only  when the radio settings send data to the servos at rates higher than 50 times per second. Due to the motor shutting down between pulses, there also is slop in the servo horn when you try to move it physically: it will give a little before the servo responds and attempts to hold position. Analog servos are still good for airplanes, as it deals with many external forces in the wind and the minor slop will provide some stability. Also, analog servos are good for single position uses, like aircraft flaps, doors, or other simple tasks.

Digital Servos on the other hand, use micro processors to interpret input data and send precise signals to the servo motor to provide exact position data. Digital servos can receive up to 300 data pulses per second, and the motor never quits. That hum you hear? That is nothing more than the servo responding to minor resistance being applied to the servo horn from some source. If you try to put external pressure on the horn, the servo is alive and kicking and you will find no slop in there! Digital servos also can have their end points adjusted with help of the radio, as well as provide large amounts of torque in a small package. The only drawback to digital servos is the constant computing and motor work within the servo is much more of a power drain compared to analog servos, so in the case of nitro/gas RC receiver packs will encounter shorter lifespans before replacement or recharge.

Have a question in RC Tech? Shoot me an email to kevin (at) bigsquidrc (dot) com and it may end up on Tech Talk (but no matter what you will get an answer). Until next time, Bash BigSquid Style!

Rage RC from Hobby & Recreation Products has made some waves with their new servo line-up. How is that? Well, their most expensive servo comes in at a measly $12. How do the Rage RC servos perform? Do they blow their guts out if you tap a curb? Are they worth the cash? Here is what we’ve learned from using the Rage servos for the last two months.

* We received 3 test samples, one of each servo in the line-up. We tested all three in a wide variety of 1/10th scale vehicles. They were installed in vehicles ranging from a Durango DEX210 buggy to the Tower Hobbies Cutback to a Pro-Line PRO-MT.

* Out of the 3 servos, two worked flawlessly. The unit we had an issue with, the RGRS142-16-6VM (142 oz, .16, $12), worked ok, but would tend to glitch when continually turned to the left.

* We put the most testing time in with the RGRS104-16-6VM ($12). This was a metal gear 104 oz at .16 servo. When installed in our PRO-MT it had more than enough power and speed to get the job done. We’ve bashed the 104 relentlessly and it still works as well as the day we received it. Also of note, after replacing several RTR servos with the Rage, all our testers felt the it was faster and stronger than the servos it replaced.

* The cheapest of the bunch is the plastic geared RGRS084-16-6VP. It is priced at $7 and is rated for 83 oz at .16 speed. In tested it worked fine for us, but we did end up blowing out the gears after a couple of hard bashing sessions.

Overall- the Rage servos were not the fastest, or smoothest, or most powerful servos we’ve ever tested, but they did an solid job for their price point. We are definitely going to keep a few in our pit box as back up servos. If you are looking for an affordable RTR replacement servo, or just want to get a few spares on the cheap, we can recommend the Rage RC servos to you.

Want more information on all the Rage RC servos? This is the Link to their official webpage.

Want to read more reviews? Find them Right Here on BigSquidRC.

People still want fast servos with a a lot of torque, however, now days waterproofing is nearly a “must have” feature as well. Some of the latest high-end waterproof servos to hit the market come from Xpert RC. We been beating on one of the WR-4401 (.08 speed and 255 oz-in at 6v) waterproof servos for over a month. What did we find out?

* We found the brushless motor used in the Xpert to give exceptionally smooth performance. Whether quickly rotating from side to side, or slowly sweeping, the Xpert was one of the smoothest servos that we’ve tested.

* No, we didn’t drop the Xpert to the bottom of a swimming pool to check its waterproofing, but we did hit numerous mud-holes and subjected it to a lot of snow. So far we have seen no ill effects to the servo.

* We installed the Xpert in our review Pro-Line PRO-MT 2wd monster truck. The WR-4401 was super fast and had torque to spare in that application.

* The Xpert uses a 25 tooth servo horn and a 2.0mm bolt to secure it on. Both of these are very easy to find in a pinch.

* Metal gears are standard and we found the Xpert could take a good hard beating without stripping out its gears. We purposely tightened up the servo saver on our PRO-MT and started slapping pipes with no ill effect to the Xpert.

Overall, we are big fans of the Xpert WR-4401. The Xpert gave us top notch performance and is easily one of the top 5 best servos we’ve ever tested. If you are looking for a high performance waterproof servo we can highly recommend the WR-4401 to you. The Xpert is street priced at $99 and Here Is The Link to its product page over on the Xpert website.

Like reading our reviews? Find more at This Link on BigSquidRC.

It has been a decade since brushless motors took over our rc cars and trucks. Now, brushless is taking over even further, they are being used in servos. When used in a servo they are said to be smoother, more efficient, and more powerful than other styles of motors.

Futaba sent us one of their brushless powered BLS571SV servos for review a couple of months ago. Since then we’ve been driving it like we stole it. What have we found out?

* The BLS571SV is a “low-profile” size servo. That particular form factor comes in handy for tight installs like touring car, 12th scale pan cars, and in 10th scale buggies. We installed out test unit in a Durango DEX210V2. It was a perfect fit, very easy to install, and left our chassis with plenty of spare room for other electronics.

* The 571 is loaded with features. It has Futaba’s S.Bus2 programming capability (which we did not play with), it can handle high voltage (up to 8.4 volts), and of course is powered by a brushless motor. Its specifications at 6 volts are- .10 sec/60° for speed and 130.6 oz/in for torque. The 571 uses a 25 tooth horn and is street priced at $159.

* We had a half dozen seasoned hobbyists get in some wheel time with the Futaba then asked them their thoughts. To a man, every tester felt that the 571 was one of the smoothest servos they had ever driven. There simply was no lurching, no shaking, and no skipping around, just buttery smooth movement. And it didn’t matter if it was a small degree of input, or a full sweep, each and every movement with the Futaba was among the smoothest we’ve ever tested.

* In an age where a “digital” servo can be louder than the running gear on a car, the Futaba was refreshingly quiet.

* The 571 had more than ample torque for our Durango buggy. Regardless of speed or conditions, the Futaba held the front wheels exactly where we had them pointed.

* We didn’t use a servo saver on our test buggy and the Futaba lived without issue. No, we didn’t endlessly plow into the pipes in an attempt to blow it out, but we had more than our fair share of hard pipe slaps with no ill effects to the servo.

The Futaba BLS571SV is a high-end servo that definitely gave top shelf performance, everyone that drove the 571 immediately fell in love with how smooth and accurate it was. We can very highly recommend it to you, for more information on other brushless servos in the Futaba line-up simply Click Here.

Click Here to read more product reviews on BigSquidRC.

This time of year in the Midwest can be a mess, if it’s not raining every other day, it is snowing. As you already know as a hobbyist, water can be bad news for electronics.

Recently the BigSquidRC Bash Crew got the opportunity to test one of the latest waterproof servos on the market, the Xpert WR-6601 HV. While its waterproofing is a huge factor for us in the Midwest, it also comes with other important features like a brushless motor to make it smoother and more efficient, metal gears to make it tough, and an aluminum case to help dissipate heat. After a few weeks of use what did we learn about the WR-6601 in the real world?

* The first vehicle we installed it in was a Thunder Tiger MT-4 G3 monster truck. The 6601 is a high torque servo (257 oz/in at 6 volts), so we thought the big Thunder Tiger would make a good test for its power. After a bunch of driving we found the 6601 had plenty of torque, even for the big 8th scale MT-4 G3. At a dead stop it could easily swing the tires, while in high speed corners it could keep the tires pointed exactly where we wanted them to be.

* We found the Xpert to not be as noisy as other digital servos on the market. Some servos sound like they are constantly fighting themselves and can make quite the buzzing noise, but the Xpert was not that way. It did make some noise, but not to any extreme.

* The 6601 was exceptionally smooth like a good high-end servo should be. As we would slowly sweep the front wheels there was no lurching or hesitation, just buttery smooth movement.

* We didn’t experience any “brown out” problems while using the Xpert. Some servos on the market are extremely power hungry, causing the BEC on some ECSs to get overly hot and stop working. We did not experience that problem from the Xpert.

* During our testing period our area received a lot of rain and some snow. Our 6601 was exposed to a lot of water and works fine today.

* The second vehicle we installed the 6601 in was an ARRMA Kraton. The 6601 is rated at a transit speed of .15 at 6 volts, which isn’t blazing fast but felt plenty of fast while driving. Our mid-level and novice drivers never felt its speed held them back. Our pro level drivers wished for a bit quicker speed, but once they got used to the feel they didn’t have any complaints.

* Both of our test vehicles had built in servo savers, thus saving the servo from a lot of abuse. Nonetheless, we bashed and smashed the Xpert as much as we could and didn’t blow any gears out of it.

Overall – we were very impressed with both the performance and durability of the WR-6601 and can highly recommend it to you. It hits the streets at a $99 price point and has a part number of #WR-6601-HV. To get more details simply hit up This Link over on Xpert’s official website.

Like reading reviews? Find more at This Link on BigSquidRC.