i no these are programable but do i have to have a programmer to use them and if so will the item do that for me… 
HMIP-01 ]
tkx
This servo can be programmed using the DSP-01 Digital Servo Programmer / Tester/ As far as I know, this is the only programming that is possible for the HS-5645MG.
If you want to actually be able to program your servo and get feedback from it, you need a servo like the HSR-5498SG, which has the HMI protocol.
8-Dale
I thought regular analog servos already provided feedback, are the digital servos different? Do you guys mean the feedback for the servo during the “ALL=0” state? I’ve always wondered how other robot servos did that command, where you position the leg when the servos are essentially not commanded and read back the feedback value for a rapid gait captures…
Analog servos do not provide feedback, without being modified. Not all digital servos provide feedback either.
There is the Open Servo project, which replaces the electronics in a servo (analog OR digital) with different electronics. You can even have the modification done for the price of the board and a small fee per servo. The new electronics board provides a lot more functionality than you get with most servos now, including most digitial servos. The conversion is not for the person who is scared by the idea of dismantling a servo, soldering to parts of it, and reassembling it.
No, the feedback is either available from the servo or it isn’t available at all.
How are the servos essentially not commanded? I’m not sure you really understand servos and how they are controlled. For analog servos, they have to be sent commands every 20mS or so or they will lose their position. Digital servos can hold position without being sent commands like this.
8-Dale
What I mean is, when the “all=0” command is sent, it is obvious that the pulses stop since the servos go limp. During this, I am unable to query the analog servos with the “QP” command.
When the servos are “commanded,” meaning such commands like “#0 P1500” to send a 1500msec pulses to servo #0, then you can use the commands “QP” to get the position feedback for analog right? There’s a box in the lynxterm program “QP” that reports the query pulse. I’m assuming that it is converting the binary sent back into decimals…
If you are controlling servos using an SSC-32, the servos will not go limp after sending a command to them, because the SSC-32 refreshes them ever 20mS. If you are just controlling the servo(s) from a microcontroller like the Basic Atom, you will have to refresh the servos within your program loop if they are analog.
What you are seeing is what the SSC-32 itself returns to LynxTerm. The feedback the SSC-32 provides is only an estimation of where it thinks the servo is at the time the QP command is sent. To get real feedback from a servo you need a servo designed to provide direct feedback.
8-Dale
With the ssc-32, there is no information sent from the servo to the ssc-32. When you query a servo position, you are really asking the ssc-32 what was the last command either received by the ssc-32 to be sent to the servo, or the last command sent to the servo by the ssc-32 (you would need to study the ssc-32 programming to see which is the actual process). You can do a simple experiment by sending a position command to servo port which doesn’t have a servo attached, then query that servo’s current position.
but
i really need to know if they can be used without the programer… 
i want to replace my 645’s in the knee joint on my scout with something a little stronger…
i also have 2 servos i got from e-bay that were used and they dont act right on my servo centering unit i made…
are they shot or is it that hey were programed??
ideas?
tkx
I answered this in my first reply. 
You need the DSP-01 programmer if you want to use the full 180 degree range of motion or need to set other parameters for the HS-5645MG and some other Hitec digital servos. Otherwise you get just 140 degrees. This information is all in the product info page for the HS-5645MG.
8-Dale
Yes Linuxguy’s right. The servo programmer allows you to change the end stops to allow 180° range instead of the ~140° out of the box. It may not be required depending on your projects requirements.