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The Best DLG Servo Running At 3.7v (1S LiPo)

The Best DLG Servo runnig at 3.7v

What makes a micro servo to become the best DLG servo?

Weight, max. dimensions, torque, speed, reliability, price…?

I bet everyone has their own take on it and there is a bunch of choices in the various price range.

But is there the single best servo for a DLG?

A rule of thumb for full-size F3K models is definitely KST X08 V5 and Dymond D47 for 1-meter DLGs.

But are there any alternatives?

Especially, when D47 is going out of stock everywhere…

Let’s find out…

This article is work-in-progress and we constantly update it. If that’s the second time you seeing it in the last few months, the chances are we have added some new chapters here. Check them out!

TLDR: The Best Micro Servo Tests Summary Links


Looking For The Best Micro Servo

As mentioned above, the best micro servo choice for 1.5-meter F3K gliders are KST X08 as well as MKS DS65K / DS75K. Their price tag starts drifting around $50, give or take.

Well, this price can be considered for competition planes, when you need that reliability and precision to equip a pricey model and crash the scores.

But what if you are looking for a weekend flyer?

Do you really need to through that much money into servos?

What you’d consider the best micro servo in different circumstances?

Or if you are flying a 1-meter DLG where the price of the servos mentioned above may exceed the value of the entire model?

There are some great alternatives on the market, but usually, you have to crawl RC Groups threads to figure out what to use for your particular DLG setup.

That’s why in this article, I’ve decided to put all these together, doing the dirty work for you.

Learn the data, watch the test videos and you’ll be informed to identify the best micro servo that will fit your needs.

Digital vs Analog Servo

We would not explain the difference between the two, you can find a tone of information on this topic around the web.

Just a quick recap.

Digital servos are more accurate, usually, more expensive, and drain more mAh from your battery.

Analog servos are less precise compared to digitals but also make the work done in a great way. They are usually cheaper and more energy-efficient.

Considering that we are talking DLGs – RC gliders, that have to be light and feature the best aerodynamic characteristics, most pilots care a lot about the size of the batteries inside.

So, why do most DLG pilots use Digital servos while building their gliders, say KST X08?

Precision And Energy Efficiency

Because they are very light, strong, and precise and a 300mAh or 450mah 1S LiPo battery will drive 4 of these throughout a whole round in a competition.

Such batteries are already very light and there is no need to give up the performance of a digital servo for the better energy efficiency of an analog one.

For a new round, they swap it for a fresh, fully charged one and continue.

So for the competition flying, yeah, go digital.

On the opposite, analog servos are simply cheaper.

If you are building a 1-meter balsa DLG from a $90 KIT, that’s insane to invest $120+ into a reliable metal gear digital servo…

Would you agree?

So you can go with some budget analog servos that will bring you an enormous amount of hours in the air with your favorite glider.

But here things are becoming more complicated…

The Price

Above I mentioned that analog servos are usually cheaper than digital servos…

Now, let’s look at a pair of Emax ES9051 [Digilal] and Hitec HS-40 [Analog].

The average price of an Emax is $5 while the average price of a Hitec is $12.

Ha?

Why is this happening?

These two are being built by different vendors which creates room for such anomalies.

If we’d look at a servo lineup of a single vendor, the analog servos are usually the cheapest option you can get.

Glider Build Quality

The build quality of the entire model, not the servo itself, can influence the model’s performance massively.

A purely built control horn or servo linkage along with the sloppy pushrods can ruin all the benefits of the most accurate and durable servos.

This is the main reason why RC models and RC Gliders, in particular, can provide an unbeatable performance with the basic budget servos. If they were built nicely, using the right RC tool kit, and are in the hands of an experienced pilot.

So, getting back to the DLG servo choices.

Both digital and analog servos will perform great if the build quality of the model matches the high quality of the radio gear used in it.

Micro Servo Test At 3.7v

For your convenience, we’ve put together some tests to help you find the best micro servo you can use in a DLG.

A lot of pilots nowadays go with the 1S LiPo for their DLG setup and have questions if a particular servo will work on 3.7v.

While manufacturers often don’t specify if the servo is working on a single LiPo cell, we’ll test it out even if it’s not confirmed.

In addition, you’ll find the total height with the servo horn, as sometimes this data is missing in the product descriptions.

For example, the total servo height is critical when choosing equipment for a glider like the Hawk.

So, let’s check some data.


Dymond D47 [Analog]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 4/5
Weight: 4.7g
Thickness: 8mm
Gear Type: Plastic
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm:
 23mm
Average Price: $22
8.4v Capable: No
Detailed Dymond D47 data

Dymond D47 total height with the servo arm

D47 is probably the only servo out there that is widely used with both 1- and 1.5-meter (for tail controls) DLGs and has brilliant reviews all over the place.

We decided to start with it to set up the baseline of the great in all senses DLG servo.

It has a lot of substitutes which may be named as follows:

  • HEPF D47
  • Ripmax SD100
  • Robbe FS31 Pico
  • Modell-Expert X-31
  • Exact 4.7
  • Topmodel 1118
  • X-Micro
  • Midget 4.7

Pilots like its precision, high quality of materials, durability, and relatively low price point considering its readability, so a lot of 1-meter models use a set of four D47 servos to control all the surfaces.

For the full-size F3K models, these servos are often used to control tail surfaces.

They have a low height with the servo horn installed, making them a great addition to the Elf and Hawk as they easily fit in the fuse.

These servos have great centering and work smoothly powered with a 1S LiPo bat.

P.S. One of the latest additions to the KST servo lineup can be another Dymond D47 alternative, as it has the same outer dimensions, but better specs. Check the KST A08 test below.

AGF RC A06CLS V2 [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 7g
Thickness: 8mm
Gear Type: Metal (Titanium)
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 28mm
Average Price: $62 USD
8.4v Capable: Yes

AGFRC A06CLS V2 Servo Height
AGF RC A06CLS V2 total height with the servo arm

Now, I’d like to introduce a newcomer, sort of…

AGF RC is a known brand in the RC Car market, but not that well known within the flying community.

And tbh, I feel that the last is missing out…

The reason is the A06CLS servo.

It is a small, powerful, high-precision servo with outstanding specs.

It is also programmable with the provided software (for Windows OS only) and packed in an aluminum casing.

The manufacturer, also mentions titanium gear packed inside the casing, and given the torque this little beast generates I will easily believe in it.

The servo will work great at 3.7v, fast and very precise, with perfect centering.

In addition, you can configure the servo neutral position, rotation direction, angles, overload protection, and other settings with an AGF-SPV3 USB programming card.

So, great little servo, that is worth each penny paid for it.

KST X08 V5.0 [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 4/5
Weight: 8g
Thickness: 8mm
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 27mm
Average Price: $45
8.4v Capable: Yes

KST X08 V5.0 total height with the servo arm

Given the popularity they have in the DLG community worldwide, KST servos should exist here as well.

It supports a high voltage of 2S LiPo directly, so seems to be slightly slow on 1S LiPo, however, it centers precisely no matter what.

Thanks to its performance on single-cell LiPo this one is usually used for the full-size (1.5-meter wingspan) DLG models actuating all 4 control surfaces.

Great choice if you are up to paying the price as it is totally worth every penny.

KST X08 V6 [Digital]

Luckily, servo development goes on, and as soon as KST released an updated V6 version of their servo, we can’t stand but give it a shot.

The results, of course, are in the video below.

Check it out!

KST A08 V6 [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 7g
Thickness: 8mm
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 23mm
Average Price: $45 USD
8.4v Capable: Yes

KST A08 V6
KST A08 V6.0 total height with the servo arm

A08 is one of the latest additions to the KST servo lineup.

And, what a good addition I have to say!

Looking at the dimensions of this little servo, you can notice, that they are just the same as the famous Dymond D47.

On the opposite, it features metal gear and casing, it is digital vs analog for Dymond, provides higher torque, and is heavier than D47.

Well, it’s twice the price, but if you are ready to pay for it, you won’t be disappointed.

In addition, KST A08 is programmable with a dedicated KST tool. This can make your model setup easier when everything is assembled and may be hard to reach.

Literally, KST A08 provides a performance of KST X08, packed in the size of Dymond D47.

So, if you are looking for a Dymond D47 alternative, check KST A08.

And for reference, watch the following video to see how it performs at 3.7v.

Spoiler – it’s great!

CHAServo LV06 [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 5.8g
Thickness: 6mm
Gear Type: Hardened Steel
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 22mm
Average Price: $53
8.4v Capable: No
Detailed CHAServo LV06 Data

Chaservo LV06
CHAServo LV06 total height with the servo arm

CHAServo is a relatively new manufacturer in the hobby market. However, it looks like right from the start, they managed to provide a great quality product for competition flying.

LV06 is a sub-micro size servo, which weighs just under 6 grams. At the same time, it’s capable of providing a torque that some bigger in size servos can’t reach…

All this performance is enclosed into a shiny aluminum casing that also ensures a secure mounting of the servo into your RC glider.

LV stands for Low Voltage, meaning that this servo is designed to run on the single-cell lipo at it’s best. Worth mentioning that the High Voltage (HV06) servo of the exact same size is also provided by CHAServo.

The general feeling is that the servo is undoubtedly smaller than a previous “size champion” KST X06 and will be a great option for any DLG glider.

And last, but not least, it is provided with standard mounting tabs, and wing-mounting tabs, as well as without those, and can be programmed, similar to KST ones.

CHAServo DS06 [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 6g
Thickness: 7.4mm
Gear Type: Hardened Steel
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 23mm
Average Price: $33
8.4v Capable: Yes
Detailed CHAServo DS06 Data

Chaservo DS06
CHAServo DS06 total height with the servo arm

Above we just described a high-end of the Chaservo lineup. Now, let’s check what it has to offer for the larger audience.

CHAServo DS06 is probably a great example.

This servo, unlike the previous one, is working in a wide voltage range which makes it applicable to more types of gliders and radio gear combinations.

The servo offers a lower price point as well as the plastic casing, which is a little thicker, compared to LV06.

Different textures on the outside don’t mean that the internals are too different – it’s still a metal gear, coreless motor, and bearings. As a result, the performance of this servo is outstanding.

The servo has good centering and speed which improves with higher voltage though.

However, the size of it is still very tiny which will make it a perfect fit for any DLG or other small glider on the market.

DS06 comes with standard mounting tabs only, unlike LV06 and HV06 which have different mounting versions.

However, there are wing mounting adapters in the package, and since the case is plastic, you can easily cut the tabs if you won’t need those.

Hitec HS-40 [Analog]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 4.8g
Thickness: 8.6mm
Gear Type: Plastic
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 24mm
Average Price: $12
8.4v Capable: No

Hitec HS-40 total height with the servo arm

HS-40 is another small analog servo that has similar specs to the previously mentioned D47.

The exterior is a little different, but the overall height with the servo horn is only 1mm bigger than for the D47.

I stumbled upon Hitec HS-40 while assembling VM’s Elf.

D47 are the recommended ones for this model, but they were out of stock in my local shops and I needed a substitute.

Hitec ended up being a great replacement and fit under a tiny Elf’s nose with ease.

Later I used 4 of these in Hawk DLG as well, and they perform brilliantly. You can notice that one of the ailerons is a little slow while switching between the flight modes, but considering the price of these servos, you can get away with it.

In addition, it centers great and is a fraction faster on 1S LiPo than D47.

FrSky D5701 [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 6.5g
Thickness: 6mm *(7mm measured at the motor)
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 24mm
Average Price: $42
8.4v Capable: No* (H5701 is)

FrSky D5701 total height with the control arm

FrSky D5701 is totally different. 

At first glance, it’s a high-precision digital micro servo featuring metal gear and casing. 

But that’s not all! 

Unlike all other servos in this research, it is programmable. 

It is very small, weighs only 6.5g, and is very close by dimensions to KST X06 being slightly larger though.

Inside, it has a hall sensor instead of the potentiometer which you can find in most modern servos. 

Most probably it was one of the reasons for its extreme accuracy which we revealed during our test. 

But in addition, you can program various parameters of your FrSky D5701 and run it through S.BUS or F.BUS. 

How cool is that?

Turnigy TGY D56MG [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 3/5
Weight: 5.6g
Thickness: 8.2mm
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 29mm
Average Price: $6
8.4v Capable: Yes

Turnigy TGY D56MG total height with the control arm

Turnigy TGY D56MG is a great little digital servo with great centering and semi-metal gear.

It’s a little taller than the other 2 above and that’s why it may not fit the fuse of 1-meter DLG models.

However, some people managed to use them with the partially removed outer case on the 1-meter models as well.

I.e. you can take off the bottom part and shrink-wrap the servo before installing it.

They seem to be slightly slow on 1S LiPo as it’s a standard voltage version but still makes the job done.

Emax ES9051 [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 4.1g
Thickness: 8mm
Gear Type: Plastic
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 28mm
Average Price: $5
8.4v Capable: No

EmaxES9051 total height with the control arm

Emax ES 9051 ended up being a great tiny servo, which is a little too tall for some 1-meter DLGs but still can be a great “driver”.

It has plastic gear, the same as HS-40 and D47 while being well cheaper.

The speed on a single LiPo cell is excellent, so is the centering.

As an example, take a look at how Emax ES9051 servos perform on a Malibu DLG, especially the precise movement from speed mode to cruise mode.

They are tiny enough to fit in the nose of a Hawk 1-meter DLG, however, only w/o the lower part of the plastic housing.

Turnigy MX-95E [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 4.1g
Thickness: 8mm
Gear Type: Plastic
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 28mm
Average Price: $5
8.4v Capable: No

Turnigy MX-95E Servo
Turnigy MX-95E total height with the control arm

As you may have noticed, a Turnigy MX-95E looks extremely familiar…

You are absolutely right – it’s just the same Emax ES9051 servo with a different sticker on the side.

The dimensions of the servos are completely identical, as well as the torque/speed data and the servo arms and bolts supplied.

Turnigy is a brand that is exclusively available from HobbyKing, and MX-95E is most probably made by Emax.

So, the servo is just as nice, quick, and accurate running in 3.7 Volts. as its twin which you can check in the video below.

Highly recommended, if you will manage to pack it inside your DLG.

PowerHD DSM44 [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 5.8g
Thickness: 8.7mm
Gear Type: Aluminum
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 28mm
Average Price: $10
8.4v Capable: No

PowerHD DSM44 total height with the control arm

Power HD is a brand with an established name in the RC industry with a huge fan base.

So it’s not a surprise, that they have some options to offer for DLG pilots as well.

PowerHD DSM44 is the smallest servo in the company’s digital servo range which weighs only about 6g.

Additionally, it features an aluminum gear and works in a standard voltage range making it compatible with 1S LiPo batteries directly.

Unfortunately, these can’t be used with 2S Lipo directly.

We tested it with our 1S LiPo setup and it turned out to be a great value for money – it is faster than KST X08 V5 while pulling around the same torque with great centering and having very similar dimensions.

While the average price is only a quarter of the KST, it will make it for a great budget servo even for 1.5-meter models.

KST X06 V5 [Digital]

Centering: 4/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 6.4g
Thickness: 7mm
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 21mm
Average Price: $45
8.4v Capable: Yes

KST X06 Height
KST X06 total height with the servo arm

KST X06 is a recently (2021) released micro servo by a well-known brand in the DLG space. And considering the success of the KST X08 servo, we were excited to test this little rookie.

It ended up being a great little servo for a DLG or any other small model where you need power and reliability packed into a compact size.

Thanks to its features it became a #1 servo recommendation for a DLG as the pod size is relatively small there. Ofc, it will make a great fit for Hawk DLG as well.

The speed of KST X06 was remarkable, considering that it was running on a single-cell LiPo during the test. Worth mentioning that it is capable of high voltage as well (8.4V).

In addition, it features an aluminum case and a coreless motor for the best reliability scores.

Considering that we used an enlarged ~12cm arm, it revealed an occasional double-centering of the testing unit. However, the other servos we tested the other day were centering great.

Overall, we highly recommend KST X06 servos for DLGs of any size.

Also, if you’d like to get a Hawk DLG or Falcon F5K built up with these servos, just drop us a line!

KST X06 V6 [Digital]

X06 became a very popular choice for F3K, 1-meter DLGs, eDLG, and F5K gliders, so KST improved it recently and released V6.

The servo became noticeably better, “lost” its double centering, and… well, just check the video to see all the improvements.

Hextronik HXT900 [Analog]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 4/5
Weight: 9.8g
Thickness: 12mm
Gear Type: Plastic
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 32mm
Average Price: $4
8.4v Capable: No

Hextronik HXT900 total height with the servo arm

When I decided to include the test of the HXT900 servo in this research, I realized how many times I used it for building my models taking its accuracy and reliability as an axiom.

HXT900 has proved itself to be a golden standard of a budget micro servo and continues to be so in recent years.

The manufacturer and I strongly encourage you to get them from HobbyKing only, which doesn’t specify that this servo runs on 3.7V.

However, it does.

And considering that the size of the modern DLG parts has shrunk significantly, it will not make a fit with some of them.

However, if you are building some balsa DLG using the old plans or just handed an oldie by your clubmate… In any case, if you have room to fit this servo, it won’t be a waste of money.

The worth thing that can happen with it is stripped gear which you can source online and often from your local hobby stores.

Regardless of the above, just check how fast it moves and how accurate the centering is in the video below.

JX DPI DHV56MG [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 3/5
Weight: 5.6g
Thickness: 8.2mm
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 29mm
Average Price: $8
8.4v Capable: Yes

JX DHV56MG total height with the servo arm

Does JX DHV56MG look familiar to you?

Well, if you paid enough attention, you might have noticed that it looks very similar to Turnigy D56MG.

And it is true, indeed.

From the outside, the difference is only in the stickers…

Both have plastic housing, metal gear, and ~20cm lead. Both feature digital chips inside.

So everything we said about Turnigy D56MG applies to this servo as well.

Since it is High-Voltage capable, its speed at 3.7V isn’t that great. On the other side, the centering is great!

So, considering the size and the reasonable price of this little beast, it can be a great option for your future RC Glider.

Simply watch the video below.

JX DPI HV0903MG [Digital]

Centering: 4/5
Speed: 4/5
Weight: 9.4g
Thickness: 8mm
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 30mm
Average Price: $11
8.4v Capable: Yes

JX DPI HV0903MG total height with the servo arm

JX DPI HV0903MG is one of the numerous clones of the industry standard for modern DLGs – KST X08.

Both of these are digital, feature metal gears, are High-Voltage capable, and have an identical footprint.

However, JX DPI HV0903MG is taller.

The servo horn is identical to the one on KST X08 and can be swapped both ways.

But, the performance of JX at 1S LiPo is not great. It suffers from slight double centering and can’t provide a good speed.

Check it yourself in the video below:

GDW DS1906-B [Digital]

Centering: 4/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 9g
Thickness: 8mm
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 28mm
Average Price: $25
8.4v Capable: Yes
Detailed GDW DS1906-B data

GDW DS1906-B total height with the servo arm

GSW DS1906 is probably one of the closest clones of KST X08.

The size and design of the outer casing are very close to the performance and the other minor details.

This servo features a metal housing and gears, as well as a digital chip inside – the same as the KST.

Our testing revealed that the performance is also very close – KST X08 V5 centers a little better than GDW, but the speed is spot on.

And considering the price that is just half of KST, this can be a great alternative for a budget build.

Blue Bird BMS-101HV [Digital]

Centering: 5/5
Speed: 5/5
Weight: 4.4g
Thickness: 7.6mm
Gear Type: Metal
Total Height w/ a Servo Arm: 21mm
Average Price: $19
8.4v Capable: Yes
Detailed BMS-101HV Data

Blue Bird BMS-101HV height with servo horn
Blue Bird BMS-101HV height with the servo arm

Blue Bird is an old dog on the RC servo market as well as the servo we have on the review.

However, in 2021, there were a lot of controversial reviews and messages on various sources that BMS 101 servos are double-centering.

There was a problem, since many 1-meter Hawk DLGs, we built at the factory use these exact servos.

So, it was important for us as well, to give it proper testing.

The unit we have is BMS-101HV which suppose to work at both 1S and 2S LiPo voltage directly.

Overall, it proves the fact that for the price, BMS-101HV is a great choice.

The only alternative in this size is KST X06 with a literally doubled price tag.

So, in case you have the option to replace a faulty servo, if you happen to get one, we would highly recommend these servos.

Especially for 1S setups…

Upcoming Tests

So far it is the last test…

But there will be more 🙂

Here is a list of other servos which seem to work great on DLG models but we haven’t run any tests with them.

  • Blue Arrow D03013
  • Emax ES9052MD
  • Emax ES9250MD
  • Turnigy TGY D56LV
  • Blue Bird BMS A10
  • Kingmax C410
  • Dualsky DS169

Did we miss anything? If you have some other suggestions, please, leave them in the comments below.

14 thoughts on “The Best DLG Servo Running At 3.7v (1S LiPo)

  1. I recently bought a set of four Hitec HS-40, and I observe double centering in all of them. One of them is also not working at all with a 1S Lipo.

    1. That sounds super unusual.

      Before a month ago we had zero issues with these servos, as we use them for our 1-meter Receiver-Ready builds.

      One of the most recent batches did fail on us, identified during assembly, so the customer got the properly working one anyway…

      Have you contacted the dealer that you have purchsed from with a claim?

      It sounds like this is a case for a refund or replacement.

  2. I see that you had selected the HV version of the Bluebird BMS 101. The DMG version is probably more suitable at 3.7V. I have used both versions, the DMG on 1S and the HV on 2S. The behavior looks similar to your test. On the centering issues, I have received a couple samples that did have double centering much worse than your test illustrated.

    Another candidate servo for small DLG’s would be the Blue Arrow D03013. Digital, metal gear. I have used these with good results in small electric sport planes. I have some that I am intending to try in a Aviation Toys CXRES Mini.

    1. Thanks for your comment, Ken!

      I’ve got my hands on the BMS 101 HV version only yet but planning to get the DMG for a test as well. So the test was intended to represent that the HV version can also work at 3.7v with no issues.

      Ofc, thanks for the suggestion of the Blue Arrow D03013 – it’s probably at the top of my list of the next candidates for a test. I’ve heard a lot of good reviews about it.

  3. It would be nice if you could add to the test the temperature change accuracy. Some servos (notably the D47) drift notably with temperature change. You could simply test this by warming / cooling the servo during the test using a heat gun and freezing spray (you can even use a spray can of lighter fluid held upside down). Some servos remain absolutely stable, others fare not so well.

    1. Yeah, absolutely, the thermal drift is a known problem with a lot of servos on the market.

      We might consider performing these tests in the future and will share the results afterward.

  4. i cant find any articles on the hawk DLG build. can you please send a link?

    1. Hi Palle,

      Sorry, the Hawk build guide is still under development, please, stay tuned and I’ll share a link here when it’s ready.

      Best,
      Gene
      Founder at FlightPoint

  5. Wow – I was excited to see your results, but really sad to find your ratings are so poorly done. For example the centering of the D47 is not very good. I’d rate it about 3 out of 5. The Blue Bird BMS-101 family might actually be a 2 out of 5 for centering. Both of these servos really depend on the build quality of the given servo. And I think you will find that both of these servos will degrade very quickly with use, especially the Blue Birds thanks to a rather horrible design they used.

    The D47 “similar” servos are not made by the same places, and do not have the same quality control. Yes, they all look the same, but QC makes a huge difference in over all quality. Dymond probably has the best QC of the look a likes for that style.

    My other complaint would be the lack of testing on these servos. No measured speed tests? No measured torque tests? Taking the manufacturers claimed numbers is nearly 100% wrong. The good brands will publish close to real numbers and the bad brands will publish whatever they think they need to state to make sales.

    And finally I would suggest you put a load on the servo that is in line with the intended use (don’t forget air loads on flight surfaces) and then run them back and forth for a few hours and retest that centering. Use a little mirror on the servo, and a fine point laser reflected a couple of feet away from the servo to get a better idea of gear lash and centering play. Put a light load on the horn and see if it still holds center or not. Now try it in the other direction.

    May be interesting to measure the amp draw too. See if those analogs are really saving any juice or not. No idea, I’d imagine the digitals suck a little more as they are doing more work to hold the commanded position, where an analog just sits there and waits to make corrections back to center after it has been moved.

    1. Hi Skippy,

      Thanks for your comment, now let me respond to some of your statements.

      There are a lot of servos that either aren’t advertised to work at 3.7V or just don’t center well out of the box. So the first idea behind this test was to get an understanding of these instances for each item.

      We run the initial tests here, not the durability tests by any means.

      When the test was started, we run them with spring load but noticed that there is no difference in how the servo centers, with or without load. So, we decided to simplify our tests moving forward.

      I agree that the current draw would be interesting, so we will see if we can adjust the tests to show these figures as well.

      Gene
      Founder at FlightPoint

  6. Great work! Looking forward to your test of the Blue Arrow D03013. I have used these on a small electric sport flyer with great results. I’m intending to try them on a CXRES Mini as well.

    1. Hi Ken,

      Thanks for your feedback!

      Will get my hands on it as soon as possible.

      Best,
      Gene

  7. Wow! Thank you so much for doing all this work and summarizing this data. – Simon

    1. Thanks, Simon!

      All for the pilots to have some good source of data)

      Cheers,
      Evgen

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