Thanks to Stan Andrews and the Radio
Control Sport Flyers
Reprint from TPG Newsletter
The other day I was asked if there is any way to tell when
a servo is going bad. That's like asking your auto mechanic to tell you exactly when your
car will stop running. But, just like your car, servos about to fail will give you some
warning signs before deciding they've had enough. For example, you may notice slow
movement, increased current drain, black residue inside the case under the motor,
squealing, jittery movements or jumping during travel, or intermittent lack of response.
While none of these symptoms by themselves necessarily indicate a servo about to quit,
they do warrant a little extra attention to determine the exact nature of the problems and
their repair. The following are some things to check if any of the above symptoms are
occurring in your equipment:
|
Slowing
movement or
increased power drain |
Motor wearing out |
|
Black
residue inside of case |
Motor brushes worn |
|
Squealing |
Worn bushings or gears |
|
Jittering |
Pot worn at that point (could also be
improper dead band built into servo electronics or a servo incompatible with your
transmitter) |
|
Jumping
during travel |
Bad pot or worn gears |
|
Intermittent
movement |
Broken wire, short or bad solder joint in
wiring of components of amplifier. Bad connection in receiver block or in connectors. |
Good maintenance of your servo, care in
mounting and of exposed wiring and connectors will all help keep your servo from suddenly
quitting in mid-air. If you see any of the above symptoms, pull your servo out of the
plane and determine the cause. Get it fixed! They won't repair themselves. As I have said
before, the plane you save may be your own!
