8.4.4 Not Meant for Continuous Use

Most R/C servos are designed for steering, flapper control and other intermittent tasks. Although an R/C servo needs to exert a large amount of torque to actuate something, it needs relatively little torque to hold position due to friction and the high gear ratio.

When R/C servos are modified for full rotation, they often have to operate continuously. This is not a problem when the continuous motion does not require much torque. For example, desktop robots or robots designed to run on smooth and level surfaces require little torque to maintain a fixed speed.

However, for robots that run on rough surfaces or push a high load (such as sumo-type competition robots), R/C servos may overheat and burn off winding insulation. This causes shorts in the motor, which can potentially blow components on the control circuit board.