Hitec 5995tg Robot Servo Fix - Help save your robot servo from overheating

[jlmotox]

how hot is too hot for servos?

my 5995 gets around 90-100deg after a good 15min run...using a nice laser temp gun pointed around the case but it is the hottest where he showed his failed. my 5645 gets hot too...never really noticed this in my other cars i've owned...but I never really paid attention to how hot my servos got before reading this thread either...lol. my thottle/brake servo in my truggy gets a ton of abuse and it's right next to a 200+ deg nitro engine...

 

[kevinlongisland]

Modern electronics can take allot of heat. I'd say 150-180 degrees Fahrenheit is probably within manufacturers tolerances for heat. This is just off the top of my head though.

My general rule of thumb is if I can hold my hand on it for more than 5 or 10 seconds, it's fine. Your robot servo is too hot when you can't hold your finger against the back case for more then a second.

 

[roborg5000]

Has Hitec fixed this problem yet? Or are they not considering it a problem?

 

[kevinlongisland]

Hitec no longer makes the 5995TG.

 

[Nova's Ark]

So what is the newest replacement and does it have the same issues?

I have four of the 5955TG I would like to protect. On my 2.2 clod, I can drive maybe 30 minutes before I have to park it to allow the steering servo to cool down. I also smoked one of my buddies 5955TG's in his super.

 

[kevinlongisland]

5980SG is the replacement servo. Although I've been having difficulty getting my 5980 to swing 180 degrees right out of the box. But it says it should. Don't know why it's not. I'm not sure if the new 5980 servo has the same issues as the 5995 or not.

The heat transfer paste will help to protect your 5995TG servos. And if you do fry one, you can just use some type of cleaner to get rid of the paste before you send it back to Hitec.

 

[roborg5000]

5980SG is the replacement servo. Although I've been having difficulty getting my 5980 to swing 180 degrees right out of the box. But it says it should. Don't know why it's not. I'm not sure if this new servo has the same issues or not.

The heat transfer paste will help to protect your 5995TG servos. And if you do fry one, you can just use some type of cleaner to get rid of the paste before you send it back to Hitec.

Thanks for the info Kevin "thumbsup" One of these 5995s sit at my LHS maybe I will steer clear and check out the 5980.

 

[Nova's Ark]

What about the 5955 TG's?

Hitec lists them as Digital Premium High Performance. Other web sites list them as robot servos and they come with the heat shrink case. Is this a mod that should be done with any high end, ultra torque servo? All the numbers and designations get confusing:roll:.

Thank you for your help by the way."thumbsup"

 

[kevinlongisland]

Because this mod does not damage the servo, you could do it to any servo you want. Personally, I would only do it to a servo that I know has problems with heat buildup on the circuit board.

 

[RydeFab]

has anyone tried this to any futaba servos? just wondering. if i can keep them cool in anyway (even if there's no record of any heating problems), i'd like to try the paste. i have some 5955's and 5995's that i'll probably try it out on.

thanks for the info "thumbsup".

 

[RydeFab]

out of curiosity, i was looking at the radio shack site. they have another product out called "CERAMIQUE", it's made by Artic Silver. they actually have 2 items on their site. both are thermal compounds.

are they the same thing like the one you're using?

 

[kevinlongisland]

You just have to make sure that whatever thermal compound you use is an insulator and does not conduct electricity. I would try to find the exact one shown in the picture just to be on the safe side.

 

[RydeFab]

You just have to make sure that whatever thermal compound you use is an insulator and does not conduct electricity. I would try to find the exact one shown in the picture just to be on the safe side.

thanks alot, i'll try and find it locally................if not, i guess i'll be ordering online. thanks again "thumbsup".

 

[sid lives]

I have been running my hitec 5995's for 2 years with the thermal paste with lots of miles put on them. In this time I had 1 burn up so I cleaned it off returned it and they sent me a free 5955 (Hitec is awesome!). This last week I lost power to my other 5995 and sent it back to get diagnosed. I recieved a call today asking what was the white stuff in it. I explained to the Hitec service guy that it was a non conductive thermal compound. He told me this product is not meant to be used on the amplifier and in my case it shorted it out. He said he cleaned it out and it is now working normal. He told me some people use this on the motor but not to put it on the circuit board. I have run my servos with it for along time before I had a problem but to tell you the truth I never noticed a temperture drop. Bottom line Hitec knows their servos better than anybody so my paste is coming off.

 

[letus]

The thermal paste is designed to fill tiny airspaces between two relatively flat surfaces. I.e.: A flat heatsink and a flat chip package. It is not really up to the task of gap filling to that magnatude. I wouldn't expect this to work at all in terms of cutting down on the chip temp. You still need a really good mechanical interface to remove the heat.

 

[APESHAT]

A few guys locally run the newer HSR-5990tg, and I have witnessed those babies get hot enough to burn you! More often they shut down when under a load and wont resume unless the truck is turned off/on?
1 time we even got a nice puff of white smoke before it quit, but they have'nt melted down like Kevin's photos. . .(yet)

 

[Culetto]

A few guys locally run the newer HSR-5990tg, and I have witnessed those babies get hot enough to burn you! More often they shut down when under a load and wont resume unless the truck is turned off/on?
1 time we even got a nice puff of white smoke before it quit, but they have'nt melted down like Kevin's photos. . .(yet)

I melted a 5990 at our last comp in that same place on 7v. Its in for repair right now. It was only 65 degrees that day so i doubt that was it. Until they make a finned aluminum backplate im going to guess this will keep happening occasionally.