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JR Servo Explained
A JR servo consists of a three-wire DC motor, a potentiometer, a gear train, an output shaft bearing and an integrated circuit. The three wires are dedicated to power supply, ground and a control line input. Generally, a servo is rated on torque and speed. Most JR servos models come in two types -- one dedicated to speed while sacrificing torque, and the other dedicated to torque while sacrificing speed. Before looking at specifications of a JR servo, it's important to decided which model type you need. Choose speed, for example, if you're building a remote-control car and if you want it to turn on a dime.
Categories for Specifications
JR servo specifications are typically broken down into size, weight, torque, speed, motor and gears. The size of any given JR servo is integral to its purpose. If the servo won't fit the device, it's useless to you. Before looking for a servo and comparing specs, it's important to know the size you require for your needs. This will significantly speed up the process of finding the right JR servo.
When considering the weight of a servo, think about how it will affect the performance of your device. Will added weight reduce speed? Motor specifications detail the motor type -- either 3-pole, 5-pole, cored or coreless. The number of poles a motor has determines how smoothly it performs -- the more poles, the smoother. A cored motor has an iron core in the armature that absorbs heat, whereas a coreless motor is without an iron core. As a result, coreless motors are the lightest type of motor, but tend to overheat quickly when operated too long. Gears are either constructed out of plastic or metal, the main difference being that plastic is much lighter but less durable.
Specification Charts
A wide array of JR servo specification charts are available online. These charts are great for quick simultaneous specification comparison. The charts are ideal if you already know which servo you need. The specs are clearly outlined and servos are organize by model and type, which makes it easy to compare similar models. See the Resource Section for links to several JR servo specification charts.
Specification Guides
Specification guides are extremely helpful when you haven't a clue which servo you need. These guides are organized by device type first, airplane, car, boat, for instance. Once you've selected the device you need to purchase a servo for, it's easy to find the right fit by choosing the specs you need based on the specification categories and answering a few simple questions when prompted. The servos are well organized and multiple fits appear at once, which makes comparing specs on the fly possible. See the Resource Section for JR servo specification guides.