Product Spotlight – Xpert RC Brushless SN-3301 Servo

Viper RC Solutions are best known for their electronic speed controls, but now they have gotten into the servo game with a line-up called Xpert RC. We have beeen using and abusing an Xpert SN-3301 servo for a few weeks now, here is what we found out.

The Xpert SN-3301 is rated at .052 sec/60 degree at 6 volts, which is among the fastest you will find. It isn’t a slouch at torque either, being rated at 14.3 kg-cm at 6 volts (about 198 oz/in). Also, it utilizes a brushless motor instead of a coreless to help it draw less power. We have seen the SN-3301 listed at different pricing, but it looks like it has settled in at just over $100.

We mounted up the Xpert into our Pro-Line PRO-2 short course truck for testing. We used a TrakPower 2S Lipo, a Castle Creations brushless system for power (with BEC set at 6 volts), and a Futaba 4PK Super R to control the show. Once we had the Xpert bolted up we did a few full swipes of the front wheels with the truck in the air to get a feel for how fast the servo was, and it was impressive, it was “Holy Cow!” fast.

While driving the Xpert kept on impressing. We ended up giving it the nickname “Ninja” because of how fast it could throw the front wheels around. If you crave speed, the 3301 will not disappoint, it’s the kind of servo you want when you have to make split second course corrections. For example, like when a turn marshal unexpectedly puts an errant foot out on the track, or when you see your buddy’s truck is headed full tilt right at yours when doing speed runs in the parking lot.

Our 2wd Pro-Line short course truck didn’t present the heaviest of loads for a servo to push around, but the 200 oz that the Xpert packs was more than enough. Even in high speed corners on high bite surfaces the Xpert kept the front wheels of the PRO-2 locked exactly where we had them pointed.

So how smooth across the arc was the brushless powered Xpert? It was not the smoothest we’ve ever driven, but it wasn’t bad either. We didn’t notice any notchiness across the arc and when compared to low end servos it was buttery smooth.

A few other things we noticed –

* The Xpert was louder than most servos. It wasn’t so loud that you can hear it while driving, but in the pits you can definitely hear it humming.

* We had browned out the BEC on this truck with another servo, but experienced no issue with the Xpert.

* The Xpert uses a popular spline size (a 25) and uses a common 2mm metric screw to secure the horn.

Overall, the combination of Ninja speed, plenty of torque, and smooth movement left us very impressed with how it drove. If you are looking for a truly high performance servo to replace your stock RTR unit, the Xpert is a huge improvement that is instantly noticeable.

To get more information on the Xpert SN-3301 simply click This Link. To get more Viper RC news check out This Link on BigSquidRC.