Steering problems

I am having some difficulties with my hellfire and can not figure out the source of this plaque. My steering servo is not turning the wheels all the way. It has been sitting for a few months and I just got it up and running and it will not turn the wheels all the way to either direction. It has a worse turning radius than my savage. The only difference is I am using 4 AA batts for my rx pack until my new rx rechargeable pack gets here.

Could this be the problem? hmmm

[glassdoctor]

The rx pack shouldn't matter unless the batts are dead... the servo doesn't know/care what kind of battery it is and 4 AA alkalines have plenty of volts.

Sounds like a radio adjustment issue... check the dual-rate or end point adjustment. Whatever your radio calls it... that sets the max throw of the servo.

[Serum]

The simple AA cells don't deliver the juice needed to turn the big wheels entirely.

They can't deliver any current, their voltage will drop when you start steering. I don't know if you have got a volt measuring thingy, but you can always observe what these cells do.

4 rechargeable cells will only give you 4.8V, so you might as well get 5 cells (rechargeable)

I was using a 5 cell rechargeable pack but I can't find the charger so I was using that for the time being and couldn't figure it out as to why. I will check both of those things tonight when I get off work.

Thanks guys

[neweuser]

Do you use the same radio for your savage? My guess would be the radio adjustments. Could be the batteries, but if they are new, then i would think not. Pick the front end up and then turn it...

[Serum]

It must be the batts, the 4AA's are worthless.. They have got nothing to do with RC..

[neweuser]

Interesting, I used to use AA's with no probs. The only problem I had with them was the fact they did not last long.

[Serum]

If you measure their voltage under load, they would make you cry..

If you use a power servo, they will drop very fast in voltage

[glassdoctor]

I'm assuming the problem is not the batts/voltage because he didn't say anything about it being slow, weak, etc... just that it's not truning as far... hitting max travel.

If the servo has the power to turn 75% throw then it should be able to hit 100% unless he's testing it under a heavy load (not moving etc...)

So I'm assuming something has changed in the radio settings...

AA's vary a lot by brand.. some (most?) are really worthless but I have read that some can crank out like 10-15 amps...

[neweuser]

Originally Posted by Serum

If you measure their voltage under load, they would make you cry..

If you use a power servo, they will drop very fast in voltage

I'm not disagreeing with you, they do suck, it just didn't seem to be the problem is all. I gotta say this though..."I LOVE MY UBEC"!:018:

They are energizer AA. I have used them (these are brand new) in my savage and it has worked fine. My hellfire does have a ?blue bird? servo in it so this could be because the servo draws too much power that the batts can't supply. If I hold it up in the air it will turn the wheels all the way, not at all while still (understandable) and barely while driving.

[squeeforever]

Do you have another servo you can try to see if its the servo, radio, RX, etc?

[glassdoctor]

Ok... not the radio :)

If the batteries work fine in the Savage then they shouldn't be that bad in the Hellfire. You say it barely turns when the truck is moving? Sounds like a bad servo than a battery issue.

As suggested, just swap out one component at a time to trace the problem.

[neweuser]

I would take Serums suggestion on the batts in this case as well as the servo...

All better I must have turned the dial that limits the servo's movement on accident. But it's all good now cause I have my rechargeable rx pack now too.

Thanks for all the help guys.