Official Novak Crawler Products Thread

[concretejungle]

OK, i'm going to jump on here as a new user and new to RC crawling and electric motors.....

Did my research before buying, ended up going with the Novak products. Loved them at first.... Then i started to have a few issues. Mostly cogging and then some glitching out.

To Novak: from a total newbie, if anyone in this business could truly figure out how to sell a motor/esc combo that was a true "plug-n-play" you would be big dawg in the market!! Most newbies dont have the knowledge or patience to read through all the setup instructions. Timing on motors, torque curves, settings, solder this to that, also add a BEC so you can do this... but don't need it on that, set voltages to this.... Just too confusing for most people. Offer a motor and ESC already soldered up and ready to go, just hook up a battery and bolt into the crawler and go. ALso, i'm sure that 99.9% buying your products have computers, so if you are going to make adjustable settings, make a little USB port like on a camera or something, so a window pops up on your computer when you plug it into the ESC/motor combo so you can easily make tweaks.

I also know that Novak is not like a toyota or honda, so their customer service is not as quick responsive as we all would like sometimes, but they do eventually get back to you. I think based on my email conversation with them they are planning on expanding the tech support in the near future. That's that's cool!

One more thing, with all of us using so many different brands and manufacturers, mixing them all up on one rig and then expecting them to all play nice with each other may be a little much to ask?

off my soapbox...

Other than that, my motor/esc combo (Ballistic brushless 18.5 and Goat 3S) are strong as an ox and fun when they are working correctly.

[Deezul]

Gave up on my m2.

[flizz]

So what is novaks solution to this on going problem are they replacing this stuff with more crap or is sending it in going to fix the problem I'm in to this for 300.00 + dollars so buying a Tekin is not an option I'm pissed at Novak for putting out such crap

[flizz]

Just spoke to Novak the cause of the glitching with the goat 3s is due to a defective mosfet in the ESC that controls forward movement so any one experiencing this will have to send your ESC back

[gerr]

Please forgive the noob question but I tried to search for the answer and got nada.

I recently got a used rooster crawler and 55t setup and was told I need to oil the brushes, BUT I have yet to find any info on doing so. so whats the truth? oil? no oil?

[flizz]

Don't oil the brushes

[EddieO]

That would be a negative on oiling brushes.....probably meant oil the bearings....

Later EddieO

[ClassicGMJunkie]

Just got my 2s Goat back from Novak. never worked like a goat, but a Havok; NO drag brake, no instant fwd/rev/fwd but brake and double reverse then fwd.

started off with a brushed 27t then a ballistic 18.5t crawler; no dice. So a phone call yields ANOTHER crawler stator (what, its broke? buy more, that fixes it ) and get it back in the mail.

"esc functioning normal" replaced motor as courtesy. SO, I received a remanufactured motor when my newly built motor was fine. WTF?

I didnt know I participated in the "trade your shit" program with Novak.

the ESC was my complaint, is STILL my complaint, not any motor! So after $220+ and a month later , I STILL dont have a brushless crawler setup to speak of.


Spoke with Brent, got a call tag going out. Great Customer Service, lets hope 3rd time's the charm...
I have lost most of my faith in a company I used to always speak good of.

[flizz]

i just sent my esc and two motors back i hope i dont get screwed like you did i just bought me a tekin rs. just waiting to get my motors back and esc so i can sell it and recoup some of the cost of the tekin. i will never buy another novak product again.

[77chevy4x4]

just thinking about this one would the esc run wired backwards as if your forward settings would the esc backwards in forward movement ? so your smooth as silk reverse would be forward and glitchy backwards ? just thinking if this might work? what is the esc unloading ? what surge is is hanging around making this happen is it possible a metal to metal contact in a bearing or tie rod end? ive had this problem also it was more accruing when i had a metal gear set up .

[flizz]

Novaks answer was a bad MOSFET in the ESC they say it would read reverse but not toward movement unless it was moved manually then it would go forward no easy fix had to send it in lots having the same problem so I just bought me a Tekin rs pro no more problems

[SD396]

Another newbie here. Thought I would relate my positive experience with Novak. Just before X-Mas I bought a used AX10 kit that came with a rooster crawler/55T combo. Like many others it had the jitter problem and after finding this site and finding out about Novak re-programing the esc I e-mailed Novak tech to inquire. They got back to me that afternoon and said no problem send it back and sent me a link to their warranty form. After waiting about 1 1/2 weeks (from Canada) I got it back to find out they replaced it with a new one no-charge. I finished rebuilding my crawler and installed the new esc and it works flawlessly. Couldn't be happier with Novaks service and my 2 or 3 e-mails were promptly responded to the same day. The quality of the product so far seems good (again I'm new to RC's) but time will tell.

[concretejungle]

I hope i have a good experience like SD396 had. I really hope it doesn't take too long since the weather is kind of nice now and i am itching to get outside with it; but i'm dead.

I sent my Goat 3S and Ballistic 18.5 back a few days ago to Novak. Was out wheeling and it just stopped. All the lights worked as if it were working, but no go.

I sent it all together just as it was in the crawler. I wonder if it's a bad mofset also?

[Charlie-III]

While I would LOVE to say I LOVE Novak's customer service, I can't.

I have been using Novaks since they came out with the first (one of the first?) FET ESC's back in the 80's.
I have never had an ESC issue, thus I have never had to go through their customer service to see if it was decent.

I'm still running a couple of 410-M1c's in 12th pan cars and similar Novak ESC's in other cars. My only issue now is that most have reverse in races (now) and I only bought non-reverse ESC's back then, so I have to wait to be turned around if I hit a wall.
I have newer Novak ESC's, but no issues with them either.

The only other ESC I have is a CC MM in my crawler, no issues with that either.

[Kratos]

i have a rooster crawler thats about a year old and it suddenly lost reverse. does this happen alot? im guessing im gonna have to send it in. i tried reprogramming the esc and it wont accept reverse.

[Absurd]

I found my novak rooster had this same problem when I bought it, the diagram says how to connect it correctly and it started lurching then I thought well the axial manual how to put a truck together messed up every 2 pages everything was backwards so I took this into consideration and swapped the leads and with it now works perfectly and no lurching and when I push reverse it works perfectly this is all after doing the programming, hope this adds help to the problem though I am still new to using a novak

[ClassicGMJunkie]

ok after purchasing a stator to correct the problem of no crawler profile, i was told it was the sensor assembly. they shipped me one out. awesome.

so i though.

my "remanufactured motor" replaced as a "courtesy" which wasnt the problem at all, (so why swap me for your used shit?) now fitted with the crawler sensor, finally done what it was supposed to do. great. lets tune this thing in and give it a go!

NOT.

before i could get my leads soldered backwards (tranny mirror) after not getting full throttle in both directions and nothing on the esc or 3pmx being able to counteract this, my rotor GRENADES inside the motor. ESC is now not coming on, but it does feed my rec.

[concretejungle]

you weren't running it without being mounted were you?

[EddieO]

Novak motors cannot be run with no load on them......

Later EddieO

[indiana mudcat]

Originally Posted by ClassicGMJunkie

ok after purchasing a stator to correct the problem of no crawler profile, i was told it was the sensor assembly. they shipped me one out. awesome.

so i though.

my "remanufactured motor" replaced as a "courtesy" which wasnt the problem at all, (so why swap me for your used shit?) now fitted with the crawler sensor, finally done what it was supposed to do. great. lets tune this thing in and give it a go!

NOT.

before i could get my leads soldered backwards (tranny mirror) after not getting full throttle in both directions and nothing on the esc or 3pmx being able to counteract this, my rotor GRENADES inside the motor. ESC is now not coming on, but it does feed my rec.

You were supposed to reverse direction in the programming, not switch the wires.