JamesSchumacher

Hi there,

Did anybody try to use LRP brushless motor on GTB? It works reversely, but I'm a bit scare to burn my money...

STEALTH

iTrader: (21)

There should be no problems at all while switching Brushless Motors and ESCs between the Novak GTB/Velociti and LRP Sphere Competition/Neo-One Star Systems.

Go For It!

lookinco

which one is faster? the 4.5R or the 5-STAR?

protc3

iTrader: (13)

cant wait until this sunday.im trying out my new 4.5 system.im gonna try profile 3 like i saw you guys suggest for the checkpoint 8 feel.i am at my best with the checkpoint 8 so i like that i can get that feel.i will let you guys know how it goes.

BringItOn

hi guys. looking at getting the gtb/velocity combo.

what would be equivalent of a 8turn or 7turn brushed motor?

syndr0me

iTrader: (32)

Since the 4-Star is 5.5 turns, I'm going to assume the 5-Star will be 4.5, making it more or less equal to the Novak 4.5.

That doesn't address the fact that Novak apparently has a 3.5 (not yet available to the public) that's too fast to be controlled by mere mortals.

Here's the current specs for brushless motors from both companies that are currently available. I believe you can compare them based on the number of turns and expect similar levels of performance.

Novak Brushless:
3.5R (3.5 turns?) [rumored, not yet available]
4.5R (4.5 turns)
5.5R (5.5 turns)
6.5R (6.5 turns)
7.5R (7.5 turns)
5800 (8.5 turns)
4300 (10.5 turns)

Reedy Brushless:
5-Star (4.5 turns?) [rumored, not yet available]
4-Star (5.5 turns)
3-Star (6.5 turns)
2-Star (7.5 turns)
1-Star (8.5 turns)

syndr0me

iTrader: (32)

Probably the 5.5R. Check Novak's site for recommendations based on what kind of racing you're going to be doing though. They suggest different motors for on-road and off-road.

BringItOn

hi. a newbie question. why dont more top racers use brushless systems? what is the downside of using brushless?

syndr0me

iTrader: (32)

This is just my opinion. Other people will surely disagree with me.

Honestly, it's mostly politics. Brushless motors are a relatively new technology, and will take time to catch on. There are a LOT of companies making money from brushed motors in a variety of different ways, so they have a lot of incentive to keep brushless down. Trinity, for example, would be a big loser if people stopped buying brushed motors. So, there's that aspect of it. Big name drivers are paid by the companies that sell motors and other things. To some extent, they use what they're told.

Brushed motors have gotten a lot better in the last few years. The required maintenance is greatly reduced with some of the newest motors, especially Team Checkpoint.

Even though brushless motors in R/C cars is starting to mature, since it's new, there are still some quirks. Most notably, top drivers will gear their cars and motors as high as possible to try and gain a competitive advantage (more speed) than the other guys. This has led to problems with "thermaling," where the ESC shuts down because it gets too hot.

All that said, it's becoming clear that brushless is the future, and it's completely usable right now for those that are interested.

BringItOn

yes i can understand why a salaried paid driver (the haras and alike) has incentive to run brushed motors. but still over here none of the fast local guys here run brushless. they all run brushed.

also are you saying that for a brushless motor to be cometitive it has to be geared very very high and thus reduce its life?

is the novak gtb/velociti 5.5r system a low maintenance motor as compared to other brusless systems?

i really want a system that is low maintenance, so i can spend more time practicie driving rather than spend 80% of my time at the track rebuilding motors.

syndr0me

iTrader: (32)

There are a lot of guys in this hobby that are stubborn, and resist change. That's just fine, but I wouldn't, by any stretch of the imagination call R/C a hobby full of early adopters. Lots of people will continue to run brushed motors because it works for them, it's what they know, and they're not inferior (in performance) to brushless. They're just more work, and some guys enjoy that work.

You most definitely do not need to overgear the motors to make them fast. Ideally, you would gear the motor where its happy, and then make sure you've got the right (fast enough) motor in the first place. I haven't heard a single person say the 4.5 wasn't fast enough.

The GTB/5.5 system is about as low maintenance as it gets. You'll still want to follow the manufacturers guidelines for maintenance, but that's next to nothing. Basically, they say blow it out with compressed air once every few weeks (no motor cleaner) and make sure the bearings are oiled. That's it. No brushes to replace or comms to cut. No tearing it down and cleaning it, or putting it on a dyno, or worrying if the comm is too small or any of that. It just runs, and it's more efficient so you get more run time usually, the power doesn't fade at all during a race, and it's got an amazingly smooth power band.

I would encourage you to do a lot of research before you pull the trigger on this though. I'm a fan of brushless (I use a 4300/GTB combo to race "stock"), and am clearly biased. I love it though, and hope I'm never forced to run a brushed motor again. Most people that go brushless will tell you the same thing.

Once nice thing about the GTB is that if for some reason brushless doesn't work for you, it will work with brushed motors as well. In fact, it's Novak's most powerful brushed ESC. If you don't mind the size of the ESC, it's probably the way to go, brushless or otherwise.

BringItOn

thanks for your advice. i guess its a bit like spektrum and crystals. i run spektrum and would never go back to crystals, yet many people here dont run them for some reason.

Wild Cherry

Its reason is called slower reaction or lag....

Safer SX

iTrader: (9)

After some feedback on the Novak 4.5 if you need to run by their guidelines in the book the max rollout by their guide is 20.3 which will give you a final drive of 9.75. I was lead to beleive these Novak motor were fast by if you use that rollout you end up being the slowest car on the track but if you go to an 8.7 final drive you get to keep up with the other Novak drivers with that rollout but the problem I'm having is they can run a 5 min heat I get to 2 sometimes 3 min and it thermals this is the second Novak unit I have tried and it has thermaled in both units is there a way to solve this problem or do I keep sending them back under warranty

R40Victim

iTrader: (1)

You probably did the same thing I did, and that's sandwich everything together real close. You need to move things around to get more air to your ESC. The little fan gets overwhelmed, and it'll thermal when using really good batteries on a warm day at a hot track. Move things around until you have lots of space around your ESC, it'll do much better then...