001 Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 I have been going through a box of old servos and checking their operation. When I started testing the Futaba standard size servos I had 4 x S128's which came with a complete Challenger set from about 1985. They have had a lot of continuous use up to about 2 years ago when I took three of them out my crashed Super 60. They all seem to work perfectly, a bit slimy but useable. I then tried a small selection of later Futaba servos. S148's I can't remember their history, but the 3001 and 3003's are probably 5-6 years old. What was interesting was that the 128's made in Japan 25+ years ago were very smooth and quiet in operation, you can hardly feel the gears meshing. The 148's slightly rougher, but the 3001 & 3003's sound and feel really rough, you can almost count the gear teeth as they go round. Obviously manufactured down to a price. When the 128's were new I know that even a basic radio was a big investment so they were in real terms an expensive component. Now we buy different servos to fit various demands and they are classed as a disposable item. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Ah, its not just me then that thinks modern "budget servos" sound like a "bag of hammers"! BEB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Whiskey Posted January 26, 2011 Share Posted January 26, 2011 Probably a case of mass production, in the early versions, I bet they were more 'hand made' or more so than they are now at least ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heaton Craggs Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I still have about 6 Futaba 128 servos - 3 in a pod & boom trainer and 3 in a DB Autogyro! Both models still fly occasionally and, as Chris notes, these old servos are smooth and quiet and mine don't glitch like my 148's. Just a shot in the dark - but has anyone converted an old Futaba 'M' series TX to 2.4Ghz - is it possible? I ask, because I was recently given this old set - it's 72Mhz - came from a gent. who lived in Hong Kong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GONZO Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Futaba M series had (IIRC) a pulse centre of 1.35 (been 1.5 on current servos for some time) and probably a variable frame rate. This later point could be important as I believe the 2.4 'hack' modules do not like variable frame rates. BUT, hopefully someone can shed more light on this for you. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martyn K Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 I'll bet the originals were made in Japan, the later ones were made in China. Martyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Privett Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Posted by GONZO on 04/12/2012 10:17:24: Futaba M series had (IIRC) a pulse centre of 1.35 (been 1.5 on current servos for some time) I had 1.3ms in mind, but it could easily have been 1.35. Certainly it was different to the current 1.5ms standard as I used my old FD16M servos with a "modern" 35MHz Challenger radio and had to recentre them by rotating the pots. (The output arm was a square peg rather than a splined shaft so the servo arm could only be rotated in 90 degree increments!) On the question of modern servo comparisons, I thought the 3001 was just a ball-raced 148 (but otherwise identical) and the 3003 an 'economy version' of the 148. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GONZO Posted December 4, 2012 Share Posted December 4, 2012 Could be wrong but isn't the 3003 the non ballraced version of the 3004. The 3004 is slightly faster and more powerful than the 3001. My prefered standard analog Futaba servos 3004, 3010, 9001. No order of preference, just use the most suitable for the job in hand. Still got some working 16's and 17's myself and some even older Remcon servos that require a center taped supply. **LINK** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Cotsford Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I thought the difference between 300x and 148 was that one was direct drive to the feedback pot, the other indirect? from the Steve Webb models site: Futaba S3003 Popular standard size economy servo ideal for all standard applications. The same physical size as a Futaba 148, but direct drive as opposed to indirect drive. This makes this a very economic servo and even better value here on ServoShop! Price Match is available, but we think you will find our prices the best around - When it comes to servos! 3004 is the ballrace version, 3001 a ballraced 148? Edited By Bob Cotsford on 05/12/2012 11:34:17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I have some very old Futaba servos which were "Made in Japan"....some merely old Futaba servos that were "Made in Taiwan" & some quite new Futaba servos that were "Made in China"..... Even the Japanese are seduced by the lower manufacturing costs & higher profits that buying from China can create.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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