rcalbuquerque

My Feedback: (171)

Good news bad news....I removed two hitec 5945 servos from my never flown BVM F16 and installed them in a mint World Models Giant P51 Mustang/Moki 2.10 that I took to a scale meet in NM.Well on take off the right aileron servo locked full down and as she lifted off the run way it banked left hard I tried to counter but no help tried rudder no help...she flew over my motor home and crashed at a concrete factory near by.I had defended Hitec before and you guys here at rcu warned me about them and now I learned a expensive lesson.I stand corrected

wojtek

My Feedback: (73)

Every time I get comfortable with Hitec servos again, there comes a thread like this which raises my level of paranoia once again about using Hitec servos...

what was the date stamp on the servo ? were you running at 4.8 or 6v ? also curious if you were able to test/check the servo out after recovering the plane ... I had the digital minis from Hitec do the same on me, but this was only if they were on a y cable or a y-reverser ... i swapped these (after 3 failures ) with the non digital equivalents and had no more problems ...

i like the 5945s and 5645s a lot, and use them extensively ... i just bought 2 5945s for my ailevators on a Skymaster grippen, and also have 6 in a Rookie, as well as several others throughout other planes and helis . ... so far, I have not had a problem with these, and have to say, the gear trains are super tight, and servos are strong ...



Wojtek

B58

My Feedback: (43)

Sunday at our field in Alamogordo, NM one of the guys was flying a large, 38% I think plane. The 5945 on rudder went hard over and locked up. he had dual servos ganged, but the good one could not overpower the locked up servo. Result, wrecked the fus. He did a great job of getting wings level before it hit, so engine, radio, wings, etc are ok. I have a bunch of 5645's, and now I am concerned.

rcalbuquerque

My Feedback: (171)

Wojtek
I like these servos a lot and have them in several planes both 5945 and 5625 ...the plane that crashed was on 6 volts with a 6 volt regulator. I put a lot of work in the rigging and made sure everything was perfect.I had full confidence in these servos up untill now.I have built and flown over 15 planes with Futaba servos and JR servos and have only lost 2 planes to servo failures.A Hitec 605 failed on the rudder on a much enjoyed and very fast Jett 50 powered Patriot and now the 5945 on my mustang.I was told by the local hobby shop owner that these 5945 were the best bang for the buck well my plane went bang all right.

rcalbuquerque

My Feedback: (171)

Wojtec
I felt the same way as you with every confidence in these servos infact I would allways defend them when anyone would bash them cause I never had a problem with the digitals.After recovering the plane {which I managed to cut throttle and was lucky to crash in some soft dirt}everything was working fine except for the one servo that was locked up so tight that even with great force the arm could not be moved at all .I had a Moki 2.10 that was just starting to really run nice after a few hours break in I hope its all right.Some times even when you do every thing right you still get kicked in the nuts

rcalbuquerque

My Feedback: (171)

servo date oct 2001,....no y conector just straight into the reciever

Shaun Evans

Bummer.

Makes you wonder....

rcalbuquerque

My Feedback: (171)

Makes me very nervous since I have a Dave Patrics Ultimate thats loaded with these servos.It is just dialed in the way I want it now oh well what can you do just hope for the best maybe it was just bad luck.I am now afraid to run these in one of my jets

wojtek

My Feedback: (73)

heres a cher-er-uper .... Hitec makes a lot of the servos for JR ....


man, we always have to worry about something .... batteries, servos, radois locking out, air bubbles in the lines, gremlins, etc .... i guess its part of the hobby ....

rcalbuquerque, thanks for the reply on the questions i had ..... by the way, i think the 2001 date on the servos means it has a known software issue (unless you had it updated) .. i will have to go back and check since what date Hitec had resolved some of the software issues with their digitals ..




Wojtek

basimpsn

My Feedback: (5)

I use Hitec 645 and 225mg on my MB339 and f-18 without any problem for years. I stay away from digital servo fearing they will burn out easier because of there hi speed correction. I still can't tell the difference between the Digital and non digital servo in flight.

If Hitec was to cost the same as JR or more i would still use Hitec servo. I had JR servo fail when I belly land my jet never with HITEC.

Gary Szetlak

My Feedback: (13)

I've had this issue as well. Last year one 5945 on the wing of a rookie went hard over, after about a second it recovered. This year the left tail surface of my Skymaster F-15 locked the same way. I corrected with opposite aileron and of course the plane started heading down. I cut power and was just reaching for the ECU cutoff when the left tail released. Needless to say I landed and put it away for the weekend. Since then I have installed 8411's. The fix I read was to put the offending servo on the Hitec programmer and cycle it for 20 mins. to me thats not a fix. Even though they are cheap and usually work fine, they are not worth a plane or risk of injury. We have a friend that has had them quit on his 3d giant scale planes no warning just stopped working. Hitec has always replaced them for free but then he has never lost a plane.
Wojtec which servos do Hitec make for JR? I've never heard that before.

wojtek

My Feedback: (73)

im not sure which ones, but Hitec rep himself somewhere here on RCU acknowledged this .... its somewhere here on RCU ... by the way, Hitec owns multiplex now, so maybe things will get better for the hitec line, as i have always heard nothitng but good things about the multiplex line ...

Wojtek

mr_matt

My Feedback: (10)

Even if Hitec makes the servos, JR might have imposed different material specs (or given Hitec the material), or imposed different QA requirements, could be a lot of things.

rcalbuquerque

My Feedback: (171)

reliability is everything....if there was/is a problem with these servos there should have been a recall notice

lov2flyrc

My Feedback: (24)

I believe the only servo made by Hitec for JR is the DS168 thin servo. The only hitec servos I use in my aircraft are the HS-81 and HS-55.....Never on a flight control.... Cant for the life of me figure out why anyone thinks the few $$ they save is worth the risk? [sm=confused.gif]

Helijet

I've got a 5645 on the canard, nose wheel steering and rudder on my Eurofighter. Have not got her ready for flight yet. Anyone know how these digis have held up?

Dean

seanreit

My Feedback: (60)

Dean,

They'll hold up just fine, until they don't. That's the problem. The hitec are a ticking time bomb and you never know who or when that they are going to hit.


Sean

Miguel Santana

My Feedback: (6)

I been using Hitec with no problem so far.
My only complain with them is that they seems to drain more amps than other brands....
Are you 100% sure the servo fail?
Miguel

rcalbuquerque

My Feedback: (171)

Migue
100% sure ...as I said I have been useing them with no problems until now.I have the servo in my hand and with full force can't move the arm.

famousdave

My Feedback: (61)

Its not really a money issue for me...

1> Matchboxes are expensive and add just one more complexity / opportunity for failure
2> JR 84XX and 86XX geartrain wear is about 2x what the hitec 59XX is (at least for me)
3> The Hitec programmer allows calibration and maintenance well beyond anything JR or FUT offer
4> The centering and hold precision of the 5945 is second to none

That said - its hard to overlook the 8611 servo, quite frankly, I think it is the best servo for R/C made to date. I use nearly all 5945 servos in my birds, but the 8611 is making its way in.... albeit slowly. Still not thrilled about the gear train wear with JR, but man are they strong!! If JR had a programmer like Hitec and rid us of the need for matchboxes, I'de be more apt to use 'em.

Additionally - Hitec sells about a 4:1 ratio to JR and Fut COMBINED does it surprise anyone that there are 4x the problems reported? Servos have a low failure rate, but put enough of them in circulation and even a low failure rate item will show significant numbers.

Fly what you are comfortable with or what your paranoia will allow you to tolerate. Personally, I have no issues with Hitec, they have been bullet proof for me. I use JR and Hitec interchangebly and I use a LOT of servos on my projects.

DP

lov2flyrc

My Feedback: (24)

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1056529/anchors_1056529/mpage_1/key_facet/anchor/tm.htm#1056529]Click Here[/link]

Lost on it's maiden flight to a Hitec Full Deflection Failure....... This is a common failure for Hitec servos.....Choose wisely

lov2flyrc

My Feedback: (24)

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1056529/anchors_1056529/mpage_1/key_facet/anchor/tm.htm#1056529]Click Here[/link]

Lost on it's maiden flight to a Hitec Full Deflection Failure....... This is a common failure for Hitec servos.....Choose wisely

basimpsn

My Feedback: (5)

WELL SAID DESERTPIG [sm=thumbup.gif][sm=thumbup.gif]

PJFaller

I would like to pose a question?

Any threads on RCU about JR or Futaba servos going hard over and creating crashes?

JR's have worked for me for years. I would never put a HITEC in any of my planes. I dont know anything about them and quite frankly dont want to know anything about them. Im not trying to bash HITEC but with all these threads popping up about this situation, Im not even going to venture into HITEC's to find out whether I like them or not. Its not worth it!!! JR's work for me they are reliable and no need to change. Some of you might swear by the HITEC like I do JR but you dont see JR threads like this very often if at all. Its like the guy who just a few months ago crashed a KngAir 300 in my backyard because of fuel starvation. The idiot just put enough gas on a 5 million dollar airplane to just make it to my backyard (I live in an airpark). 45 min flight from where he came from but had to buy fuel here because it was 25 cents a gallon cheaper. I dont get it you destroy a 5 million dollar airplane to save 100 bucks!!!! Same thought with the Turbine models. Why destroy a good airplane that you have spent all this time and effort in to save a couple hundred bucks on servos. Just my .02 cents take it for what its worth.

Pete

jetsetter

that particular servo date DOES have a program issue. It is a simple matter to either reprogram it with the Hitec programmer or send it back to Hitec and they will do it for you.