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A600: Servo selection
Servos
Like many other RC models (planes, boats, etc.) this kit does not include the radio
and servos. These are usually selected by the builder based on his own
preferences and budget. In the case of the A600, due to the tight dimensions
of the hull, there is little to chose from.
Rudder
The rudder servo is the most ordinary. Any standard size servo can be used. You'll
be making the mounting frame yourself, so you can customize it to match your servo.
These typically cost from $10-$20, see
Tower Hobbies.
Any hobby shop with RC gear will also carry standard servos.
Crewman winch
The A600 uses a standard sailboat winch in a novel way. Instead of hauling in
sails it is used to pull the ballast/crewman from side to side on the deck. All
the necessary bits (line, fittings, etc.) for this assembly except the winch
itself are included. While more expensive than an ordinary servo, the Hitec winch
model they selected for the prototype A600 is commonly available here in the US.
The crewman's winch recommendation is a Hitec HS-785HB, which sells for
$40 from Tower Hobbies. You may even find
it at a well-stocked hobby shop.
Sail winch
The sail winch is constructed from a special low profile, hi-torque servo: these
are called aileron servos because their low-profile lets them be mounted
inside the wings of larger model airplanes. I looked high and low and found
three possible candidates on this side of the Atlantic:
- Tower Hobbies TS-59 S2K ($24)
- Hobbico CS-59 ($25)
- Hitec HS-77 ($26)
Unfortunately, none of these has the torque of the Supertec model they used
in the prototype A600. These three all have from 62-77 oz.-in. of torque. The
Supertec S136L used in the protoype has a whopping 111 oz-in. of torque (if
my metric conversion is correct). I found the Supertec for £18 at
Galaxy Models in the UK, so I
ordered one from there. The total cost was £18, less their VAT tax, plus
£6 shipping, for a total of £21.31.
My order from Galaxy arrived very promptly and I felt like it was a good deal.
I don't know if you can get away with the lower
torque American servos or not. It wouldn't hurt to try if you have one laying
around. By the way, steer clear of "retract servos" which are not proportional. They're
made to be Up or Down, not in between.
You can see more about the application of these servos on my page about the
servo tray.
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