A question raised by an Aussie DF65 owner.
Anyone else having trouble with the rudder servo`s on there 65`s, We have now gone through 3 in around 3-4months. Using genuine replacement servo`s and battery 6.6v Life batteries as sold by Hobby Warehouse. Have contacted Hobby Warehouse about the problem but not much joy just the standard response, have let Joysway know. What is a good replacement as Hobby Warehouse have no current stock and it seems no idea when they will be available again.
Some suggestions from current owners.
John’s answer.
My 2013 V1 rudder servo is still going in what is now the club “Try sailing” boat. I upgraded to a V4 last year and the rudder servo cooked after about four hours sailing. I discovered that the rod from the servo arm to the tiller arm was binding on one of the radio tray supports. This is a known problem with the V4 (and I assume the V5 as nothing has been modified) and one of the solutions is to put a Z bend in the rod to clear the support. I tried this but found that the rod was then too short to connect with the tiller arm. What I did was to file a semi-circle in the support to allow the (new) rod to clear it. I replaced the servo with a Turnigy TSS-10MG from Hobby King and it has been going now for about 15 months without a problem.
Peter’s answer
I melted the inside of mine. When I installed a new one I had a good look at things and found the push-rod to be fouling on the servo bracket and screw housing when turning the rudder
Kyle’s answer.
I have a V4 and no issues to date, however, I was made aware of some issues before it hitting the water and carried out a bit of preventative maintenance.
Some of the rudder posts were not completely clean inside and had a little bit of swarf in them still. With that in there, the rudder bound up a little and put unwanted stress on the servo, which is not very strong. I ran a drill bit by hand through the post to make sure it was completely clear, and then also made sure the rudder linkage from the servo to the rudder moved completely free, which also avoided friction/binding issues. I also put some Inox grease on the rudder stalk (or whatever you call it) to keep salt etc out of the area.
It has run faultlessly for me, however, I do carry a spare with me in case due to the known weakness of the servo. It is OK within the rules to purchase any servo for the rudder, with the only stipulation being that it must fit into the original servo hole without any modification.
Paul’s answer.
I have had a range of boats from V1 to V5 and I have had no problems with rudder servos melting or dying. What is obvious from the above answers is that a little care and maintenance prior to your first sail is required.
By now all of you should have a small squeeze bottle of Corrosion X in you tool box.
Take your servos apart and spray a liberal amount inside the casing. Spray your receiver and battery connectors.
Take the rubber bellow of the tiller shaft and check the movement to make sure no part of the shaft is binding against the tray, mounting screw or exit hole. If you find any friction in the shaft, just bent the shaft to avoid the contact point.
Grab yourself a 3.1 mm drill and make sure the rudder shaft is free from debris.
Replacement servos.
Class rules allow the replacement of the rudder servo with and third party type once it fits into the cut out of the tray.
There are a number of plastic and metal gear servos that fit.
Included in these are the follow Turnigy TSS-10MG, HXT-900, Corona DS-928 BB, Corona DS-928HV, Hitec HS-55 or Hitec HS-5055MG.
These are just a few that will fit.
There is a big difference in price between the cheapest HXT-900 and the HS-5055MG.
I carry a number of HS-55s in my tool box.
Remember to remove the stickers, it’s a tight fit in some of the earlier trays.
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