This was exactly the problem I had with my 1s carpet oval cars and the Novak GTB2. Static Buildup. There's a hack where you can run another wire out of the speedo and actually ground it to the chassis, but it doesn't always work. You still get static buildup which shuts off your speedo momentarily (sort of like a brown-out) and causes glitching like you're on an a.m. radio in the eighties. Some people also suggest running a grounding wire out of your car to the track (actually leaving a trailing wire to touch the ground) to try to mitigate it too. You can also try having your track rip up the carpet, put metallic insulation tape (the kind they use in HVAC) along the underside length, and then ground that tape to an outlet.

At any rate, there is a multi-page thread over on hobbytalk with all sorts of oval racers having static buildup issues. It's the only brand that has the issue.

It's been my experience that most naysayers, regardless the brand, bring their problems on themselves.
Whether it be poor soldering, sloppy or floppy wiring, or plain old abuse of components due to overgearing, complainers blame the brand instead of placing blame where it usually belongs (user-error). :sneaky:

Novak has one of the best warranty programs in the business, and probably the only upgrade program (where you can trade-in your old stuff for new stuff) in the industry. If their reputation was as bad as some would like you to believe, they wouldn't still be in business for 20-something years.

i agree with robbiee..user error They bought a novak 1st error..

I remember in the early 90's that Novak was the king of esc's and had awesome receivers too. I just removed an original Havoc 2s esc from my sons car. It still works flawlessly but is a backup now since the LRP we got him is so much smoother. Out of 8 Novak's I have had, I only had 2 go south. One was user error, son connected battery backwards, and the other, Edge, just blacked out. I dont think they are substandard by any means,just have a bad rep lately. I have a 1s Havok sitting in the box new, bought it accidentally out of the sale cabinet and cant return it. Maybe I will do some onroad one day,LOL!

I've been lucky as I have a couple of the VTA sets, one for me, a GTB2 and one for my son, an Edge, to use. Never had any trouble with them once bound and properly calibrated. I have witnessed one go up in flames at the track during a race though. Several fellow racers had trouble here and there.

The motors I have are very good but I'm only using the Ballistic 25.5.

I still have the first Novak I ever bought, doesn't get out much anymore but that T4 still works like a champ after 20+ years - the stock RC10 resistor setup lasted one night of racing. :) There have been a couple of clunkers over the years, but for the most part they've always had reliable products and absolutely top shelf customer service.

I used to run Mainly novak back in my brushed racing days. Had a few go bad over the years and some have been warrantied. I still have a C2 and TC2 that work great, just.in a box since I've mainly gone brushless. For racing, I've mainly stuck to SpeedPassion for the.smoothness and ease of tuning.

That said, I have several Novak Escs and a BL motor that needs warranty. All the.items I have are legacy and I want to possibly exchange them for working models. The exchange rates aren't super cheap but still better than a box of burnt up electronics. I hear many mixed reviews about their stuff and for those using Novak regularly, are certain models better than others?

These exchanged items would likely go into play.cars and not necessarily racers.

Suggestions? I have about 5 Escs, though I don't need 5 maybe 2 or 3 and maybe a couple Novak motors.



Momo

Anyone?

I like Novak ESCs. They work well for me. I run the Havok Pro Xdrive with Super Tuner (that's a mouthful) and the Activ8. Never have any electrical issues.

Motor wise I would like to try the new Vulcans, but right now I've got all different brands.

I have had a Havoc Pro SC X-Drive in my stadium truck paired with a premium Ballistic 10.5T for over a year. It has been flawless and runs great.

I put a new Pulse in my new Custom Works sprint car with a Ballistic 7.5T and it too is awesome. All the power I need (plus some) and it doesn't get hot during a run. Plenty of room/power to play with still. I liked the Pulse so much that I bought one for my EDM and a 7.5T w/ a 12.5mm rotor to replace my Castle 4600 1406 and MMP.

I still have my first ESC ever: a Novak Fusion dual-profile that to this day, still runs like a top. I bought it nearly 12 years ago.

GTB2 in one B4, Pulse in another B4 and both work great. Trading in a Kinetic (that also works still works perfect) for another Pulse, paying half price made it a easy decision-it's going in a new SC10 at the end of the month. I've had nothing but great experience with my speedos. I also run a Tekin in one of my SC10s that I like too-does not seem as smooth as the Novaks. The Kinetic was a little 'iffy' in some peoples eyes a while back when I first started but that was when we still ran 13.5 boosted Pro Lite and I think half the problems were user error and/or just not understanding what they were doing. I know that Novak took care of anyone who had an issue and that's what made me decide to use their gear along with the fact that a lot of really fast people here in PHX run Novak. I pay for everything RC related by having a decent job and have to make good purchases due to funding multiple rigs for my kid and I-they are on my personal list of 'approved vendors' for sure.

Thanks for the responses.

I'm still on the fence as to which ones to choose. I think I want to try the 8th scale system and possibly the sct one too.

It's never easy esp. when a large amount of money is involved.




Momo