[RCSE] Are you using long servo arms?

[GordySoar]

Number one killer of servo motors and gear sets is long servo arms. In all my experience there has only been one case where more than the second hole on an arm has been 'needed' and that's on the Pike's elevator. It has a long belcrank in the back and a short arm won't give enough travel down for landing comp.   Long servo arms zoom up the current at the motor brushes (whiskers of metal far thinner than any wire in the entire plane!) Reduce holding torque by half or more. Acts as a longer crow bar against the gear teeth, and give more rattle impact (gear teeth chattering, peening the metal of the teeth and increase gear lash)   NEVER use a long servo arm to reach out of a deep servo well, instead build a 'deck' to raise the servo so that it is flush with the linkage exit skin of the wing.   Use Transmitter travel adjust and servo arm location to get the flap travel you think you need. The danger of a servo whose motor brushes fuse to their commutator is a system meltdown...as in the short draws the voltage down causing a crash before the brushes melt and break the short....this is usually broken by the impact, and often the servo will work again.  One of benefits of and reasons for the Volz carbon brushed motors is that they can't weld themselves to the commutator.. In any case