Steering randomly twitches?

[SummitCrazed!]

Whenever there is no steering input form the transmitter, my steering twitches back and forth very rapidly. It doesn't always do it, maybe 50% of the time, and it doesn't go the full travel of the servo, a few centimeters in each direction. Looks like it is twitching? I can't tell if it is doing it while moving, I don't think is does, cause once trimmed in, it will do a straight line.

Anybody have a guess as to what would cause that?

Also, if I put it on it's roof, and take it up to full throttle, it starts to vibrate violently. Is that normal?

One last thing, no matter how fast, or slow it's moving, when it is going backwards, the throttle input acts like a brake, until it stops, then I pull the throttle again, and it takes off? Is that some kind of a fail safe? Why can't I go from moving backwards, to moving forward without first coming to a complete stop?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Nate.

[tonymac]

Yes. It is radio interference. Happens all the time. The braking is to save your gears. If you were to go from forward to reverse without slowing down you will be online shopping for new parts or on your way to the Hobby shop.

[SummitCrazed!]

Radio interference? From the truck? Or from an out side source? Cause I would put it on it's roof, and turn the transmitter off, and nothing would happen?

Yes, I know about the braking from forward to reverse, but mine also does it from reverse to forward?

Thank you very much for the response,

Nate.

[tonymac]

Hey Nate, it works the same for reverse and forward. The computer has to know there is a complete stop before it allows the reverse/forward to engage.

Ok, upon reading through your initial post I am left without an answer lol. Lets hope the experts chime in here soon. I am interested in the answer also.

GL

Tonymac

[SummitCrazed!]

Ok, just making sure, cause with my Summit, it goes right from reverse, to full throttle forward without any pause.

Thanks again, I don't expect anyone to have an answer on the steering thing, it is just weird. Hopefully it will go away next time out.

Nate.

[milkman]

mine does it too...but as soon as I give input it stops....

weird... kinda thought maybe the steering servo is bad?? Oh well...When it breaks.. I will Fix!!

Man I love this thing even though it has the "twitches"

[SummitCrazed!]

Hmm, wonder what it could be?

[SummitCrazed!]

Ok, one last bump, and then I will let this topic die. Anyone have an idea as to why the steering would twitch like that? And I figured out why it was vibrating, the previous owner must of had fun in the mud, the tires where FILLED with muddy water. Hope that doesn't have anything to do with the steering problem.

Thanks,

Nate.

[skellyo]

My steering does the same thing at times. It'll just twitch back and forth rapidly. It's definitely not interference. I believe it's the servo itself. A quick steering input in either direction and it starts behaving again.

[binaryd]

Whenever there is no steering input form the transmitter, my steering twitches back and forth very rapidly. It doesn't always do it, maybe 50% of the time, and it doesn't go the full travel of the servo, a few centimeters in each direction. Looks like it is twitching? I can't tell if it is doing it while moving, I don't think is does, cause once trimmed in, it will do a straight line.

This is typical radio interference between your AM reciever and transmitter. Alot of things depend on how the signals get to the reciever from the transmitter like, outside area electrical line interferance, cell phone interferance, areas your running in may have equipment thats causes interferance, transmitter batterys may be low, RC truck reciever may have low battery(same battery as the one your truck) and may other things cause interferance.

Anybody have a guess as to what would cause that?

Also, if I put it on it's roof, and take it up to full throttle, it starts to vibrate violently. Is that normal?

Mini tires are not balanced well and will cause a bit of vibration, even worse if you have gotten water into them.

One last thing, no matter how fast, or slow it's moving, when it is going backwards, the throttle input acts like a brake, until it stops, then I pull the throttle again, and it takes off? Is that some kind of a fail safe? Why can't I go from moving backwards, to moving forward without first coming to a complete stop?

Yes this is normal. Non-sensored brushless motors like ours need to be in stopped postion to determine there direction, thats why at very low speeds there cogging. So if you were going fast in reverse the motor needs to be stopped for the esc to deterime the reverse direction, also if it went right into forward or right into reverse from forward at speed you would strip or snap something everytime.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Nate.

...........................

[binaryd]

My steering does the same thing at times. It'll just twitch back and forth rapidly. It's definitely not interference. I believe it's the servo itself. A quick steering input in either direction and it starts behaving again.

Digital Servos like ours are prone to interferance because they are digital and running AM radio's which dont supply enough data to the servo's to hold the proper postion, thats why even slight interferance causes twiching. Either these trucks should have came with standard analog high torque servos or a 2.4g radio system.

[tonymac]

There it is....

Thanks Bin

[SummitCrazed!]

Awesome, thanks binaryd, you du man!!! Lol, I guess I will just have to live with it then. I think I will call him "Twitch." Lol!

[J.A.T.O.3.3]

Mine does the "twitch"too and I am running a Spektrum radio .

[danielhr77]

My servo twiching problems started when I switched from the old 2015 receiver to the new 2216 mini receiver. I have this problem on all my VXL trucks and I haven't found a solution (and I tried everything).

[SummitCrazed!]

Wow, even with new radios, it still twitches? That's very odd. Maybe I will try a new servo some day, but as of right now, I can deal with it.

[J.A.T.O.3.3]

It doesnt seem too hurt the servo and mine still works great , I did switch too an Hitec HS5085 digital MG servo and its much better now , just as fast as the stocker but it has more torque and doesnt twitch at all .

[REVO7]

I'm running a Futaba with a Spektrum System and no problems. Try to just take the servo horn off the servo and see if the servo still twitches, if it does then it's the servo, if it doesn't, then try to re-center your servo and re-install the servo horn.

[Cainam]

If the twitching is a random back and forth that does not stay on center, that is radio interference. I think the type of twitching that the Traxxas servo does is a very rapid bounce to the right and left, but staying centered is caused by the servo itself. Turn everything on (including the radio,) and flip the truck over. Give the steering linkage a flick with your finger, and it will probably start to twitch. The servo sees that it isn't on center, so it corrects, but slop in the servo makes it OVER correct, making it off center the other direction, so it corrects, etc. . .

[SummitCrazed!]

No, mine stays in the center like you explained. I thought it might be that, but then thought that a big company like Traxxas wouldn't overlook something as simple as over correcting repeatedly. Would they?

Nate.

[Nitro Chicken]

This is a fairly common trait of digital servos. When there is no load on the servo it tends to "seek" center.

[SummitCrazed!]

Ok, thanks. Will just have to live it it then.

[Wrathchild]

If the twitching is a random back and forth that does not stay on center, that is radio interference. I think the type of twitching that the Traxxas servo does is a very rapid bounce to the right and left, but staying centered is caused by the servo itself. Turn everything on (including the radio,) and flip the truck over. Give the steering linkage a flick with your finger, and it will probably start to twitch. The servo sees that it isn't on center, so it corrects, but slop in the servo makes it OVER correct, making it off center the other direction, so it corrects, etc. . .

This is correct - it's not interference. It happens a bit with digital servos, as Nitro Chicken said it's trying to find center and bouncing past it, then tries to correct in the other direction, bouncing past it again, repeatedly. It won't affect your performance, with any load on the tires it goes away.

[bolibruch1]

I have figured out why mine was twitching it was because there was a missing tooth right in the middle of the gear in the servo. So the servo couldn't center and so hence it would start to twitch....... I moved the gear around and now it seems to be doing ok until I get a new one.

[Cainam]

I have figured out why mine was twitching it was because there was a missing tooth right in the middle of the gear in the servo. So the servo couldn't center and so hence it would start to twitch....... I moved the gear around and now it seems to be doing ok until I get a new one.

Yea, missing pieces don't help much. . .