How to: Steering servo troubleshooting

Your RC car isn't steering. Here's how to diagnose and troubleshoot the issue.

Steering servos in RC cars have a difficult life. They handle all of the vibrations and impacts from jumps and collisions because they are directly mounted to the front wheels. When that small gearbox reaches its limit, it will either strip or burn out. However!, let's perform some troubleshooting to determine which component has broken before you spend your hard-earned money on a replacement.

When an RC car doesn't react to steering input, there are two leading causes:

- The signal is not reaching the servo.

- Or it may be receiving the signal, but its regular operation is being hindered by physical damage.

The absence of steering in your remote-controlled vehicle does not necessarily indicate a problem.

First, make sure the servo is still correctly plugged into the receiver by checking all of the connections. The ESC connects to channel two of your receiver, while the steering servo plugs into channel one. One to turn, two to burn, keep in mind.

Verify that the connector is positioned correctly. Typically, the signal lead—which is usually white or yellow—will be on the left, followed by the positive and negative. Your receiver will display a little diagram illustrating proper polarity positioning. Additionally, make sure that the servo cables are free of visible physical damage, such as frayed or cut wires or wires that have been crimped at an odd angle.

Next, examine your hand controller's settings; a dial or switch with the designation D/R might be there. Please think of this as steering amount, but it actually stands for dual rate. This is helpful for reducing the servo's movement so that it doesn't have to work as hard to steer as the car can turn. The majority of servos have a 120-degree travel range, with 60 degrees of movement to the left and 60 degrees to the right. To get a full steering lock, your steering rack might need to be rotated 45 degrees. Here's when D/R is useful. By reducing the D/R, you can extend the steering servo's lifespan and save needless wear when it tries to move past the maximum steering angle.

Even while D/R has its uses, you won't have any steering at all if it's bumped or turned all the way down. This type of toggle switch is seen on some remote controls, whereas buttons or dials are found on others. The dial on the right of the FlySky GT-2, which is included with many cars, can be turned counterclockwise to enhance the amount of steering.

Your automobile will start steering again if you increase the steering dual rate.

In order to properly analyze the problem, we can try other things if there is still no left-right action.

First, does the servo show any indications of life at all? Does it move, but just slowly, only in one direction, or does it become trapped in one spot? This typically indicates that the servo's electronics need to be replaced since they are worn out or broken.

That is precisely what has occurred if you are receiving a response that seems normal but is all grinding sounds as if the gears have stripped. It's important to note that the manufacturer usually will not cover physical damage under warranty if the car's steering assembly and servo saver have been hit so hard that the servo's gears have been destroyed.

To help you fix it, the majority of RC firms supply replacement gear sets. Or use it as a chance to switch to a faster, more powerful servo.

No indications of life yet? There is still troubleshooting to be done, so don't worry.

The transmitter and receiver should be the cause rather than the servo. Either the remote control may be malfunctioning and not delivering a steering signal, or the receiver may be malfunctioning and not instructing the servo to move. There is a simple method to test this:

Recall that we stated at the beginning of the video that the ESC should always be connected to channel 2, and the steering should always be connected to channel 1. We will switch those around.

This will cause the throttle to move with the wheel and the steering to move with the trigger on a fully functional car.

If you have the throttle on the wheel but no steering response from the trigger after doing this, the servo has burned out and needs to be replaced.

The alternative, less likely scenario is that you have no throttle with the wheel, but the servo suddenly comes to life with the trigger.

Before purchasing a new receiver or transmitter, read the handbook for your transmitter to see if there are any other settings, including D/R and endpoints, that could impact the steering signal output.

You should be able to identify any steering issues with your own or your friends' vehicles using your newly acquired diagnostic skills.

I appreciate you taking the time to read, and I hope this blog helps you troubleshoot. "Goodbye till our next meeting!