I agree with Richard R my only problem is getting EZ parts in U.K. is just about impossible.

Smart servos are not cheap ... the price is not related to the "Branding"

The Japanese Kondo (not available in the US or UK) aren't cheap too..

So if I'm going to pay i prefer to pay a little more and get the most well known/mature product. I don't have one but my first choice is Dynamixel and then Herculex.

The main reason is market availability, you can use them with ARC or other software solutions.

If EZ-Robots decides to develop and sell a smart servos, the following questions are important :

1. Is it Cheaper ?

If is significantly cheaper is a good opportunity for a DIY user although no market share outside EZR community.

2. Works better than other servos Dynamixel with ARC ?

2.1) If is not cheaper, what you can do with EZR smart servo you can't do it with others e.g. Dynamixel ? 2.2) Does the "feature" justifies the price and the difficulty to source the component ?

I really don't care as much about the price as I do complete integration into ARC... If ez robot designs and manufactures them then they will know how to write software to run them. Further ez robot can make their own version that doesn't have to be an industry "stardard" smart servo.... Daisy chaining would be nice to reduce servo wire mess... My wish list of features are as below

1. Daisy chaining (I2C?)
2. Positional Feedback
3. Stronger (possibly using 12v)
4. More accurate positioning

As I mentioned it doesn't have to be a copy of a Dynmixel servo just an upgraded servo from ez robot's current standard servos...

I recommend using dynamixel servos. There's plenty of servos from manufacturers.

We do have a new servo that's an upgrade to our existing one which starts shipping in February. It's the HDD (high definition digital).

I'll make a video that shows them. But they're nearly impossible to burn out. Because we developed a current limit and heat monitor. So they shut down rather than burning out.

But as far as larger servos and such, there's no plan at this time. There's so many servos available from manufacturers that dedicate their time to making amazing products.

*** i didn't see DJ's post ***

Your wish list is mine too and the order/priority too.

I would add another feature current/temperature limit to avoid servo damage.

I only mentioned the price and availability as key factors when you release a hardware product.

@DJ.... That's cool and I understand... Those HDD servos sound awesome... I will definitely looking to buy some of those for sure...

Looking forward to your video on them...

@ptp... I guess eventually it will be dynamixels for me then..

The reason I am asking is I am working on a two arm barista type robot (taking a break from inMoov for a while).... It uses modified inMoov gearboxes, vex, ez robot servos (gripper and wrist rotate) and a lot of custom 3d design pieces... The inMoov gearboxes give the arm enormous strength... I was thinking of smart servos for the gripper and wrist rotate for accuracy and gripping strength... It's still a work in progress so there is many more design adaptations I am sure to come... Here is a pic of the prototype using an iOTiny... eventually there will be two arms working together to serve drinks..... It's nicknamed the Bee... Well, that's what Sue calls it anyway

Scotch glass is empty...

@DJ... Blame the iOtiny.... has a mind of it's own you know....

nice!

neat one please!

does it move ? if you have a video

@ptp... yes it moves quite well LOL... I am just finalizing the gripper design so it doesn't spill drinks over everybody... I have only just begun to program the arm... You would not believe (even with the auto positioner) how difficult it is to create dynamic and accurate movements... When I get the other arm built I will do a demo video.... It will give me time to really program something really interesting... Anyway, Sue is itching to act in one of my videos again... stay tuned...

Here's an introduction to the new ez-robot servos. They're named HDD for Heavy Duty Digital. The servos come with perfect 90 degree alignment and therefore do not require servo calibration for revolution robots' U brackets. The servos also make absolutely no noise that a human can hear when holding position (except for dogs and animals). The servos also have a current and temperature limit which prevents them from being damaged and burning out. The servo will release if the tolerance is exceeded. The servos also use less current at stall, which means longer battery life. The servos are significantly faster. The servos are quieter during operation while moving. The servos do not generate much heat at all.

They begin shipping with all revolution robots in February 2017. So, you'll never have to see any servo issues on the forum starting next month. The current ez-robot servo (HD) is being discontinued and replaced with this new version (HDD)

Those look great. Will definitely be ordering a few.

Alan

You had me at no "buzz" Fantastic! I need 20 to start... Any idea of the price (like that matters... pfffft)?

Price won't be changing AFAIK. They will be a direct replacement for the current HD servos.

@DJ ... This is really great... One of my worries was wondering how to keep my gripper servos from burning out (as they have to hold a full wine glass or beer).... Talk about timing the new HDD solves this problem...

@DJ I am curious how did you/Jeremie solve the buzzing problem?... No one else has be able to (or unwilling) as far as I know... I wish I could buy a bunch of your servo control boards to put in the Hitec 805bbs because they buzz like a bee hive....

The servo control boards won't work in your servos because the POT and motor will be different. It's taken 2 years of r&d to get these servos ready for shipping. There's a bunch of ez-robot intellectual property and lots of magic regarding removing the noise. They are completely silent when holding position - it's going to blow your minds.

Oh, i should add that there is a reason for ezrobot investing development toward a new standard sized servo, opposed to the original discussion in this thread of creating a larger servo. The reason is due to Revolution robots, where 98% of ezrobot's revenue comes from, uses on average 16 servos per robot. With the number of revolution robots shipping ever year, that's a significant number of servos. So investing efforts into increasing quality and longevity of that product-line is important for a few reasons. Most importantly it'll remove any "my servo is broken" posts on the community forum, which isn't fun for anyone.

We resolved the battery issue with the new charger - and that used to be community posts. Now after 2 years of r&d, we're releasing the new servo which will resolve those issues.

All that's left is "how do i do things with my robot"... and that we have a solution for as well, which you will know about next week. It's taking a little longer than i planned, as ezrobot had to hire 2 new staff members for the project. I'll be able to tell you more details about the project next week

Amazing and cool.

Are you using Ultrasonic PWM to eliminate the switching-induced motor shaft whine?

Will these be as strong or stronger then the current EZ Robot HD servos? Could you share the specs? Speed, Torque, size.

Another quality product from you guys!

Much stronger. Product page will be updated when they're available

@DJ Good news indeed... So originally I wasn't actually suggesting ez robot create physically larger servos like the Hitec 805bb... I was thinking standard sized but smart servos that would fit into the current ez robot hardware (JD, SIx, Roli etc).... This way the smart servo would be a drop in replacement for the current ez robot HD servo... Anyway, I will take the new "no buzz" ez robot HDD servo. Thanks!

This is GREAT NEWS! I have a very demanding application on my Elvis hack robot for the mouth, and mouth upper lip. Even with many adjustments, reg. servos do not last long. I am having better luck using a HobbyKing digital HV coreless servo, but the new EZ Robot servo sounds even better! Will this include a new HD design for the smaller servos, like in JD's hands? Thank You EZ Robot!

We're working on the smaller servos next. It's different hardware, but that's the plan.

These new servo's sound great - can't wait to get some. So after the you develop the smaller servo's - why not something to replace the HS-805's? I know they don't fit in any of your EZ Robots but the market for a servo with these qualities, the size of the 805 is there. 1 InMoov = 14 HS-805 servo's and there are a few thousand InMoov's being built.

It's something to consider after additional market research. Unless we can sell 200,000+ servos per year, it isn't cost effective. Specifically when there are already so many competing products, such as the hs805

I would definitely replace all my HS805 on my Inmoov for these, if they would help with the dam buzzing!

I think there's a lot of folks on the Inmoov website that would be interested, I'm always seeing postings on the website of the HS805 and their equivalents being out of stock. Chris.

I understand what @DJ is saying... EZ Robot is going to need way more than the entire inMoov market in order to justify developing and selling a replacement for the large scale 805bb servo....

@dj, will these servos remain 7.4 volts and will torque remain the same or increase?

If I were EZ Robot I'd sell these to third party vendors, both robotic and hobby stores. You'd reach 200k of units very quickly! If only by the fact they are buzz-less digital.

@DJ Sures I like the new servo's already, will there be HDD cont.rotation servo's too? Higher power and faster for the adventure bot?

There are already HDD continuous rotation servos since beginning of December 2016. All continuous rotation servos shipped since 2016 are metal gear digital.

@DJ Sures tnx for the quick respons.

Love to see that HDD servos are going to be available soon. I love what you and the team have done and are doing. Keep up the great work.

Thank you everyone. These servos have been in development for 2 years. Every time I saw a post regarding servos burning out, it made me cringe. The team will be very happy to not have to deal with servo issues any longer

Hi DJ,

Are these HDD Servos available now? If I purchase some servos would I get the new HDD Servos?

Not yet likely. You will have to await for the announcement.

I was wondering if these servo's are the same footprint as HS servo's Do they come without the attachment?. I need 12 for my Max Robot. Each arm has 6 servo's.

Are they available to order now?

These are awesome servo's. They would make my Max much quieter and stronger.

@Ellis... For obvious reasons they will be identical physically... If they weren't they wouldn't fit into the ez bit brackets that all the revolution Robots currently use... As mentioned they are not in the store yet... All you have to do is check the online store from time to time to see when they appear.... They will be designated as HDD instead of HD (which are the ones currently available in the store). @DJ has stated you will be able to tell which one you are buying...

Thanks again Richard. You are always helpful.