corradopsi

hey steve is there anything i can do to restore performance to a GTX that has gone soft. change the fets, send it in for service? something like that? i like the speedo, but its seen a lot of use and could use freshening up. how do i go about it?

Steve Weiss

Well, It's hard to say if your ESC has been damaged somehow or not.

If you've run your ESC w/o using a schottky diode for long periods of time you can be experiencing some sort of transistor degredation that should first manifest itself in poor braking...then eventually poor drive performance...and ultimately a completely broken ESC

I'm not sure if you've run w/ a schottky or not.

If you have and you're expereriencing some speed problems the very first thing I would do is to check to see if you're getting full throttle on the ESC... when you pull full throttle you should see the Green LED light up on the ESC... if you don't see that re-do the one touch setup and give that a go.

Also, there is a chance that if your ESC is very old your capacitor might just be old and tired... Replacing the cap module might help as well.

If none of this helps it's probably a good idea to send it into us and have us replace it with a remanufactured unit.

corradopsi

hey steve,
thanks for the reply. the speedo hits full throttle just fine, its setup properly. it has always had a schottky installed properly. i used it to run stock touring for 2 years, and have recently been running mod buggy with it. brakes have always worked 100% and still do. the car just felt soft, so on a whim i changed it for another speedo i had in my box (used the same drive settings) and it felt like i dropped a wind on my motor. more punch out of corners and some more straight away speed as well. i made NO other changes to the car other than the speedo. how much is the charge to swap mine out for a refurb'd unit?

Steve Weiss

I would try putting a new cap on your ESC before you do anything... it'll cost you alot less than a refurbished unit

All the information on getting ESCs exchanged is in the customer service section on our website:

http://www.teamnovak.com/cs/index.html

march to my own

Hello Steve,

On the 4 cell GTB what is the least aggressive to most aggressive brushless throtle profiles?

Sorry I am new to this brushless thing...

Steve Weiss

Hey March,

We did something a little different in the profiles in the 4 cell GTB... it always seemed like everyone wanted the ESC to be as smooth as possible on the bottom end... so most of the profiles come pre-set to 1% minimum drive which will be very smooth.

The profiles differ in the amount of drag brake...which seems to be the other major adjustment that people liked to make.

Profile 1 has the least amount of drag brake and as you go up in profiles the drag brake becomes stronger.

Now, just because the profiles come pre-set like this does not mean you cannot change them! Every function in every profile is adjustable!

So for instance... if you are running the default profile (#1) and you like the way the drag brake feels but you want a little more bottom end response, simply turn the minimum drive setting up.

This is done very easily:

While the ESC is on press and hold the one-touch-setup button until just the amber LED comes on by itself (note, there will be a few other LED combinations before the yellow LED comes on by itself),

release the button, it should flash one time to indicate that the value is "1"... if you tap the setup button and wait, you should see 2 flashes, indicating that the setting is now "2"...

the higher the number, the greater the minimum drive value becomes and the more responsive it is off of neutral.

Once you have found the value you want, press and hole the setup button until the LEDs scroll back and forth indicating that the ESC is saving your programming changes.

march to my own

thanks Steve!

You and Charlie are truly and asset to RC tech.

Go Novak!

Hebiki

iTrader: (26)

Mr Steve Weiss!

i got a question for you. i have a Smart Tray SE. it plugs in using an ac adaptor and also comes with a DC connection (so i can plug it into my power supply.)

my question is, both have the adapter end (the side that plugs into the Smart Tray itself) as a straight plug. I know there are some plugs that are at a 90deg angle.

Is this something I can use to plug the Smart Tray into my power supply, say if i purchased it at Radio Shack?

Thanks!

- Chris

Steve Weiss

Yeah, just so long as the size and power outputs are the same.

Just take the one that comes with it to the store and see about matching it as closely as possible.

F. Mendoza

iTrader: (79)

I just picked up a Smart Tray and thought about the same thing as I saw one hooked up to the PS with Banana Plugs recently.

Hebiki

iTrader: (26)

sweeet. thanks man.

im going to try to head over to radio shack and see if i can find a "90deg" adapter. if i find one ill let you know.

Mr. Shookie

iTrader: (9)

Found on page 4............

Hey Steve you racing Sunday or just Saturday?
-Shookie <><

Steve Weiss

I am really not sure what's going on this weekend yet...

I want to go up to Sacramento for the Speedworld Cup... but it doesn't seem like anyone is able to make it...?

So we'll see...

Granpa

Steve --- can you use li-po's with the present ESC's???? I've always thot a battery is a battery.

Steve Weiss

Granpa,

Yes, you're right, the ESC doesn't really care where the input voltage is coming from as long as it's not too far out of it's designed input range.

Where it gets sticky is if the lipo gets discharged too low it can severely damage the battery...so more and more ESCs are becoming equiped with Lipo Saftey Cut Offs...which just prevent the battery from being discharged too low by cutting off power to the motor.

If your ESC doesn't have this built in and you want the safety of a cut off we offer a number of Smart Stop cut off devices for 2, 3, or 4 cell lipo applications.