This DS160CLHV is one of 4 ProModeler mini-size digital servo alternatives. Sharing the same hybrid construction as the DS110CLHV, this one is rated at 160oz-in instead of 110oz-in. Featuring the same look due to hybrid (plastic/aluminum) construction, the 160 and 110 have coreless motors. Costlier alternatives in the mini-class include the 160BLHV and 205BLHV.
More expensive due to an all-aluminum case, these also have brushless motors and an up-rated gear train. Anyway, outputting 160 oz-in and transiting in 0.06 sec/60°, many pilots view this DS160CLHV as our best compromise of all possible features in the mini-class. Perhaps you will also.
Note; minis like this are ideal for 60" span 3D planes from the likes of Extreme Flight. They're also good in 80N jets and EDFs, old school 60-size pattern planes, pylon racers, 1/12th scale racers, plus 500-class helicopters.
Don't let its mini size fool you because this digital servo packs a punch. After all, 160 oz is the same as 10 lbs . . . or more than the models themselves may weigh! This means you can use them in a 89" P-51 Mustang if you're savvy enough to realize size isn't everything. Of course, a serious pilot's overriding concerns revolve around how well it centers and what it weighs, right? With respect to centering, due to our using a genuine Japanese Nobel potentiometer (the best money can buy) along with MIL-SPEC components, you get the best centering in the industry. And since the case is made of CNC-machined aircraft aluminum plus impact
resistant engineering polymer (reinforced with bronze bushings at the steel gear shafts pockets), you get lust-worthy light weight plus slop-free performance that endures season after season.
Better components. Better servos. The formula is simple. Decisions regarding what go into ProModeler servos aren't made in accounting to optimize price and profit, but in engineering. The reasonable price comes about because of a better business model that eschews the old way of doing things (importer + distributor + hobby dealers). Why? it's because they all get a cut at your expense. With us you're smartly cutting out the middlemen by dealing direct so you save money while getting a better servo!
Note: operating voltage is 4.8-8.4V, but optimal performance is obtained with a 2S LiPo instead of a BEC. This is because LiPos deliver the required current without voltage spikes, noise, or otherwise adversely affecting the delicate avionics (25C or better is recommended). After all, synthetic orange
colored Tang may have gone to the moon, but it doesn't compare to freshly squeezed orange juice. Same thing when it comes to feeding your avionics!
Other Resources
For detailed specifications and dimension drawings, select the Specs tab above. Also, there's an even-handed look at the competition in the Comparison tab. Meanwhile, TL;DR is chock full of nitty-gritty details so if you love delving deeply into stuff some find too tedious to read, don't overlook this tab.
Note; when the trade off between reduced torque for greater speed is attractive, eyeball our DS110CLHV because it's basically the same servo (but with different gearing). Outputting 110 oz-in at an über speedy 0.035sec/60° this servo is actually fast enough for tail rotor use - just be sure to verify your gyro supports a servo with a 1520μs neutral (most do). Anyway, aggressive 3D pilots really favor this servo.
Finally, if the thought of mini-size servos - but with brushless instead of coreless motors - are your cup of tea, our DS160BLHV and DS085BLHV (760μs) are the very top-of-the food chain. Thing is, they go for nearly 100 bucks a pop so they're not for everybody. However, with an all-aluminum case plus a brushless motor, these are our take-no-prisoners approach to a mini-size servo for those who want the very best . . . and damn the expense! You know who you are.
Note:
These are mini-size servos with very small gears and operating them manually via the servo horn may damage them. This damage is not covered by warranty. Please do not treat these like a standard size servos. You've been warned. Also, operating voltage is 4.8-8.4V, but optimal performance is obtained with a 2S LiPo instead of a BEC. This is because LiPos deliver the required current without voltage spikes, noise, or otherwise adversely affecting the delicate avionics (15C or better is recommended). After all, synthetic orange colored Tang may have gone to the moon, but it doesn't compare to freshly squeezed orange juice. Same thing when it comes to feeding your avionics!
Servos are not designed for people to zing-zing them back and forth using a servo arm. Doing this may damage the gear train. Reason being, the transmission is comprised of gears designed to take the force of a weak motor, multiply it many times until we get to the final drive ratio. Way it works is individual gears are designed so that a small pinion drives a larger bull. This happens in a ratio ranging from 1:3 to 1:6 through a series of combo gears to reach the final ratio, which can vary from 1:150 to over 1:500.
Thus, grabbing the servo arm and moving it back and forth isn't just driving it backwards at 3:1 or 6:1, but far worse because you're really driving the servo motor through the entire transmission's gear ratio, which for the DS160CLHV is 290:1. Means the risk is you're going to break something if you persist!
Note1; that you do it all the time with other servos is your business, but you shouldn't. Anyway, with our servos it becomes our business 'if' you ask for warranty. Reason being, once we see the teeth have been damaged (and we will), then because the servo cannot drive the gears enough to drive damage them, this means the damage came from an external force input, e.g. you grabbing the servo arm and moving it back and forth. Since we're not stupid, it's not a warranty issue.
Note2: gently moving them, e.g. returning a control surface back to center, or when folding a helicopter's main rotor blades into the holder won't damage anything.
Bottom line? If you like to zing-zing the servo back and forth using the servo arm, don't. Stop driving servos backwards, they're not meant to be driven externally! Not ours not anybody's.
TL;DRmeans too long; didn't read. This is the section of the product page where we show what goes into ProModeler servos. You can the big picture by eyeballing the photos, or get down in the weeds regarding the nitty-gritty by delving deep to read every word - your choice. We offer this to inform you regarding what makes ProModeler servos better for your application and to help you decide what's really important.
Mechanical Details:
Comprised of 3 sections, the center-section of the servo is the foundation because it's where everything attaches. It's important to realize the difference between using an aluminum extrusion sandwiched between two plastic bits with 4-screws versus what we do, which is to fully CNC-machined the center-section from a solid billet of 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum. Basically, all ten (10) screws in our assembly thread into the aluminum instead of passing through it and thus, it's much more rigid. This is better. Also, because heat's the enemy of anything with electrons, note the cooling fins. Servos with extruded aluminum cases don't usually have cooling fins so bear this in mind as an easy way to identify the difference. These are important considerations if you're the type of pilot who flies hard because a stiffer assembly doesn't develop play and fins keep the motor cooler thereby extending its lifespan.
Next, in the interest of reduced weight, the upper and lower case components are injection molded of impact resistant nylon 6.6. It's not just 'plastic' but an engineering polymer like what's used in Glock handgun frames (and for the same reasons, e.g. it's tough and very durable). What makes it impact resistant are tiny fibers acting much like fiberglass cloth within the resin. At ProModeler we go one step further and further reinforced it with tiny bronze bushings. These are insert in pockets where the steel gear shafts fit so they won't go egg-shaped under stress resulting in a case that's both strong and light - and really, really durable.
Since it houses the gear train, the upper polymer case is referred to as the transmission section. It's secured to the center case with 6 screws because it delivers an 80% improvement in torsional rigidity as compared to ordinary servos with just 4 screws. Bear in mind this costs more and it's better, which is why our engineers (and folks who tend to buy the best of something and try to keep it in service forever), believe 6-screws for the upper case are a must have feature.
The mechanical assembly is water and dust resistant via captured o-rings (13 total). Captured means you can't see them once the assembly is bolted together (which also means it's harder to damage them in a crash). Riding on dual ball bearings, the output shaft of the all-metal gear train has 25T splines (making it Futaba-compatible). The lower case covers the electronics section. It's secured with an additional 4 screws (sealed with a tiny o-ring beneath each head) plus a large o-ring. An important detail we've touched on is that instead of using four (4) coarse-thread Phillips head screws, the servo is assembled with ten (10) fine thread machine screws. Moreover, there are hardened (grade 12.9) and have an Allen head (no more jabbing yourself when a a Phillips screwdriver slips off). We admit these are small touches, but since we set out to build the best servos instead of the cheapest, details like these are what separates the wheat from the chaff.
To recap, better mechanical design is what differentiates ProModeler servos. Mechanical superiority is achieved through close attention to the details. Things like 10-screws vs. 4, sealing the assembly with 13 O-rings instead of none, a CNC-machined center-section instead of cheaper aluminum extrusion, Allen-head versus Phillips head screw, and especially little touches like reinforcing the plastic case with bronze hard points instead of relying on plain plastic pockets where the steel gear shafts fit. One thing is certain, if you're a detail oriented modeler, these things count.
Electrical Details:
Electronic-wise, servos are pretty simple. While completely future-proofing your investment is an impossible standard, because radios are 1024 or 2048 systems, the 4096 (12-bit) core at the heart of the DS160CLHV servo offers plenty of headroom. Regarding the coreless motor, because it's lightly pressed into the aluminum center case to maximize contact area, you get the best possible heat transfer for superior cooling. Combined with cooling fins, this means the longest possible service life, which is a big deal amongst modelers in the know.
The vast majority of customers buying our products are sport modelers. Thing is, some of you may be using our servos for pylon racing or an EDF jet, which means our servos may be exposed to piston-powered propulsion (or electric motors) spinning over 30,000 RPM. These present the real possibility of destructive vibration. Here's the rub; we don't know whether you're using our product for a sport model . . . or to make a world record attempt. We're in this to make the best possible servo instead of the cheapest. This means we had to decide whether to build servos for the lowest common denominator, or to the highest possible standard. Do you take our meaning? The point is, we're really getting low in the weeds with the technical details of what goes into ProModeler servos. In part it's because we're proud of them, but in part it's because we want to inform you regarding the difference between us and the other guys.
Of course, we know everybody won't buy our servos. However, when armed with enough information, astute modelers tend to buy ProModeler servos. And those who go ahead with another product, well at least they can't argue ignorance regarding what they're not getting! Yes, it's convoluted logic, but the gist of what we're trying to do is show how we're about building the best - or nothing at all.
Here's an example. We use a conformal coating to protect the PCB (printed circuit board) against vibration because it flows (or conforms) to encase the delicate electronic components. Is reliability a big deal with you? We suspect the answer is yes and thus, if you can appreciate the fact monkey snot is hard to work with because it's sticky and time consuming to apply during the assembly process, then because time is money, the mere fact we use it instead of a little piece of foam to damp vibrations is tangible proof we really do go the extra mile. Ultimately, because aerospace electronics use this kind of protection, it's the gold standard at ProModeler . . . and if you're considering servos without it, tell us why. Anyway, consider yourself fully informed.
In summary, the presence of vibration protection in the form of a conformal coating is a pain in the hindquarters to apply but it's something we do because it's the best way to get the job done - not the cheapest. When considering how primary and secondary harmonics propagate throughout the model (and into servos despite the best efforts of rubber mounted mechanical isolation), you really want the delicate surface mount components fully protected by a conformal coating. By the way, when an EE (electronic engineer) calls to order servos, we often hear them mention liking the conformal coating (and stating this is reason enough to prefer our servos). Anyway, the reason you buy a ProModeler servo is because you're buying the peace of mind you get when you buy the very best. The fact it's not the most expensive means you're savvy enough to grok the difference between price and value.