Servo Life Expectancy HS645MG

Help & Support Robot Parts
1

Hi Guys,

Ok I realize this question has been posted around on this forum before but any and all information, new or old, big or small will be useful.

I’m currently working for a company that does interactive technology and installations.
We have just got a commission with our local council to build an installation in the Bristol Library as part of their 400 Year Anniversary.
For this we are building interactive walls covered in 400 animatronic books.

We are intending to use a Hitec HS645MG to animate each book. Those good at maths will work out that that means we are using 400 servos… :smiley:
So because we are using about 20x the number of servos in a hexapod or humanoid, we are obviously rather concerned with reliability.

As many have before, having failed at getting information from Hitec I come here seeking you guidance.

So in your experience :

How long should they last (time/cycles) ?
If they break, what are the common issues (pot/motor/gears/electronics) ?
If they wear out, what are the common symptoms (torque/speed/accuracy/repeat-ability) ?
Is there a chance of the servo not working out of the box ( 1in10 / 1in50 ) ?

As I’ve said, any and all information, new or old, big or small will be extremely useful.

Many Thanks,

Rob

2

We can say that they are not concealing information but rather there are so many factors which affect the life span of a servo, measuring using one test will not be the same in someone else’s situation. It would be nice if they could devise a uniform test (which would ideally be followed by all servo companies) such as lifting a specific load through an angle. However, it’s evident that servos come in different sizes, speeds and torques, so it would not be fair to place the same load on another servo if it’s intended to carry less and move at a higher (rotational) speed.

When we purchased Lynxmotion we inherited many prototype and sample robots. None of the motors had failed under the load that had been placed on them. However, a heavier load would strain the motor and reduce the lifespan - but by how much? Hard to know.

If the load is too high, the gears will strip. If they simply die, it’s usually the electronics or the motor which has died.

Sometimes the servo will move more slowly and be able to provide less torque. Most of the time it simply stops working entirely.

Hitec was chosen because of its high quality and reliability. The defect rate is very low and it’s incredibly rare that we hear of a servo not working out of the box.