I am discussing the option of 'remaking' the boards and making them available as a fix it kit... Would you all be interested in that? If so, what would you pay? What seems reasonable to have a DIY servo repair kit?

 

Tom - Glad to hear that someone is considering this. I would if I had the skills/knowledge. Thinking out loud, you could either offer a DIY kit or you could offer a service where people send you the used servos and you overhaul them. When I opened mine, it was the potentiometer surface and wiper that had failed. The electric motor and gear train appeared to be ok.

What would I be willing to pay? I think a price of 50% of the cost of new is a standard price for an overhauled/refurbished item. If you are just offering a kit, maybe 25% of the cost of new?

Would I be interested? Yes.

 

the motors seem solid, it's the constant voltage and build-up on the contacts and board. Quite possibly new boards with a fresh coat would make all the difference. The challenge, I imagine would be getting the resistance just right. I'd think $50 a replacement board would be a win-win Are they the same board in all 5 servos?

 

I would definitely be interested in a replacement board. Would the metal tines that ride in the circular track on the circuit board also require replacement? Mine looked a bit scorched on one side and it appears that they overheated and cause the gouges in the circular track (I do not know how else to describe it).

 

Yes, we all seem to understand the failure mode... now the challenge is to find the fix, and make it economically feasible. The tools are getting better, and the parts are breaking more than they used to.. so eventually the lines will cross... ;-)

 

Tom,
A kit would be great. Even the suggestion of offering a refurb service would work well. If the kit would work in all 5 servos... all the better! I'll take a couple just to have them when I need them. They seem to fail when they're needed the most!!
I've cleaned three of them so far, finally replacing one. It's just a matter of time before the next one needs attention. On the other hand, if I have a kit, none of them will fail!

Gary

 

One of the issues is that the boards are not common... Each servo type has their own degrees of rotation etc... so we'd have to make a set of all 5... (which might be a good idea anyway...)

 

That would work for me. Its still potentialy more cost effective than buying new ones. Keep us in the loop as you move forward with this.
Gary

 

I think I fixed it thanks to the porsche964.co.uk-link! The hardest part was getting the servo out and back in due to the airco piping. I cleaned the connections with some WD40 and some cotton buds.

Tomorrow I'll test my DIY while driving...

Thanks, regards,

Bas