Owner manual
#55-1735-1
8-2009
SPECIFICATIONS
Input Voltage .. 2S Li-Po, 2S Li-Fe or 4-6 Ni-MH cells (1.2 volts DC/cell)
ESC Footprint ........................................
1.16”x1.49” [29.5x37.8mm]
ESC Weight
(w/o wires)
...............................1.36 ounce [38.5 grams]
B.E.C. Voltage/Current ............................... 6.0 volts DC/3.0 amps
Voltage Cut-Off ................................... 6.25V (Li-Po), 4.75V (Li-Fe)
Power Wire
(Battery/Motor)
......................... 14G Super-Flex Silicone
On-Resistance .......................................... 0.00040
@25°C trans.temp.
Rated Current
(per phase)
................... 540A
[Fwd & Rev.] @25°C trans.temp.
Motor Limit
.................................
3.5-turn Novak 540-size brushless motor
RACING POWER TRANS-CAP MODULE [#5679]
The factory-installed Racing Power Trans-Cap Module MUST BE USED for
proper operation.
Note: We recommend using Novak Power Trans-Caps only. We’ve done extensive
testing & research to find components with the very best quality factors––other
capacitors will not provide equal protection.
SUPER-FLEX SILICONE 14G WIRE [#5508]
Includes 2 each of 9” Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, & Orange Wire
INPUT SIGNAL HARNESSES [#5315/#5320]
Available in either short (#5315, 4.5”) or long (#5320, 9.0”) lengths.
3.5MM LOW-LOSS POWER CONNECTOR
[#5731]
Low-Loss connectors generate dozens of wiring routing and installation options.
HIGH-VOLUME COOLING FANS [#5648/#5652]
Replacement 30x30x6mm Cooling Fan for Havoc Pro. Includes a plug for
easy plug-in to Havoc Pro. Item #5652 is a 2-pack.
REMOTE POWER PROGRAMMING SWITCH [#5602]
Combination Power ON/OFF Switch & One-Touch Programming Button.
WATER & ELECTRONICS DON’T MIX!
Allowing water, moisture or other foreign materials to get inside ESC will void warranty.
MUST BE 14 YEARS OR OLDER TO OPERATE
This product is not a toy and is not intended for use by children under 14 years of age
without the strict supervision of an adult.
DO NOT FREE REV OR OPERATE WITHOUT LOAD
This includes running the motor without a pinion or holding the car in the air and running
the motor at or close to full power.
Free revving will void the warranty!
NO SCHOTTKY DIODE!
Schottky diodes are never used with reversible ESCs, including brushless.
Do not use Schottky diodes with Havoc Pro ESC!
DISCONNECT BATTERIES WHEN NOT IN USE
Always disconnect batteries from ESC to avoid short circuits and possible fire hazard.
2S LI-PO/LI-FE OR 4 TO 6 NI-MH CELLS ONLY
If using Li-Po or Li-Fe batteries, use a 2-cell (2S) pack for the vehicle’s main battery & be
sure the Cut-Off programming option is turned ON (refer to page 4).
If using Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries, NEVER use more than 6 cells (1.2VDC/cell) in the
vehicle’s main battery pack, and disable Li-Po Cut-Off.
NOVAK BRUSHLESS MOTORS ONLY
The Havoc Pro is designed for use with sensor-based Novak Brushless Motors. You may
replace with Novak sensored motors down to 3.5T.
NO REVERSE VOLTAGE!
Reverse battery polarity can damage ESC & void warranty. Disconnect battery
immediately
if a reverse connection occurs.
POWER TRANS-CAP MODULE REQUIRED
An external Power Capacitor Module is installed and MUST be used with your ESC. Failure to use
Power Capacitor will result in higher ESC operating temperatures &
possible thermal shut-down.
TRANSMITTER ON FIRST
Always turn on the power of the transmitter first so that you will have control of the
vehicle
when you turn it on.
GOOD QUALITY LI-PO BATTERIES SUGGESTED
Using Li-Po batteries that cannot supply the amount of current required by this system
will result in possible battery pack, ESC & motor damage, and will void the warranty. It
is
recommended to use a 25C or higher rating.
GOOD QUALITY RADIO SYSTEM SUGGESTED
With the higher performance of brushless systems, undesirable radio system noise may
occur
when used with lower quality radio systems (like some RTR radios).
DO NOT BUNDLE POWER & SIGNAL WIRES TOGETHER
RF noise in the power wires can adversely effect radio system performance.
INSULATE WIRES
Always insulate exposed wiring with heat shrink tubing or electrical tape to prevent
short
circuits, which can damage ESC.
NO CA GLUE
Exposure to CA glue or its fumes can cause damage to internal components of the speed
control and result in premature failure.
PRECAUTIONS ACCESSORIES
P1
PRODUCT WARRANTY
The Havoc Pro Brushless ESC is guaranteed to be free from defects in materials or workmanship for a period of
120 days from the original date of purchase (veried by dated, itemized sales receipt). Warranty does not cover
incorrect installation, components worn by use, damage to case or exposed circuit boards, damage from using more
than 6 cells (1.2 volts DC/cell) or more than 2 Li-Po/Li-Fe cells input voltage, damage resulting from using Li-Po/
Li-Fe batteries without Smart-Stop circuitry active, damage from cross-phase connection,
using insufcient Li-Po/
Li-Fe batteries that cannot supply the amount of current required by this system,
cross-connection of battery/
motor power wires, overheating solder tabs, reverse voltage application, improper use or installation of external
BEC, damage resulting from thermal overload or short-circuiting motor, damage from incorrect installation of FET
servo or receiver battery pack, not using or incorrect installation of a power capacitor on the ESC or from using
a damaged power capacitor,
damage due to free revving motor, damage due to using a non-Novak motor, a
non-sensored motor or a motor lower than 3.5 turns,
using a damaged Trans-Cap module, using a Schottky
diode, splices to input, ON/OFF switch, or sensor harnesses, damage from excessive force when using the One-
Touch/SET button or from disassembling case, tampering with internal electronics, allowing water, moisture, or
any other foreign material to enter ESC or get onto the PC board, incorrect installation/wiring of input plug plastic,
allowing exposed wiring or solder tabs to short-circuit, or any damage caused by a crash, ooding or natural disaster.
Because Novak has no control over the connection & use of the speed control or other related electronics, no
liability may be assumed nor will be accepted for any damage resulting from the use of this product. Every Novak
speed control & motor is thoroughly tested & cycled before leaving our facility and is, therefore, considered
operational. By the act of connecting/operating speed control, user accepts all resulting liability. In no case shall
our liability exceed the product’s original cost. We reserve the right to modify warranty provisions without notice.
This product is not intended for use by children under 14 years of age without the strict supervision of an adult.
Use of this product in an uncontrolled manner may result in physical damage or injuries—take extra care when
operating any remote control vehicle. Designed by Novak Electronics, Inc. in Irvine, CA and assembled with
globally sourced components.
©2009 Novak Electronics, Inc. • All Rights Reserved • No part of these instructions may be reproduced without
the written permission of Novak Electronics, Inc. • Havoc Pro ESC & One-Touch Set-Up are all trademarks of
Novak Electronics, Inc.
HAVOC PRO ESC BASIC SET-UP GUIDE
P4
@NEUTRAL
RED LED on solid
MIN. BRAKE
BLUE
press & hold
press & hold
press & hold
press & hold
DRAG BRAKE
BLUE & AMBER
DEAD BAND
BLUE & GREEN
MIN. DRIVE
AMBER
press & hold
THROTTLE CURVE
GREEN
LEDs roll off
Exit Programming
@NEUTRAL
RED LED on solid
press & hold
BRAKE FREQUENCY
RED
press & hold
REVERSE
RED / GREEN / AMBER
press & hold
MOTOR ROTATION
RED / GREEN / BLUE
press & hold
BATT. SELECTION
RED & AMBER
press & hold
continue holding ESC’s SET button to skip steps here
1. IF TRANSMITTER IS OFF,
DISCONNECT ESC FROM
RECEIVER
Remove input signal harness
from the receiver to avoid radio
interference.
2. CONNECT ESC TO A
CHARGED BATTERY PACK
3. SLIDE ESC’s ON/OFF
SWITCH TO ‘ON’ POSITION
4. WITH ESC AT NEUTRAL
PRESS & HOLD ESC’S SET
BUTTON
Release ESC’s SET button once
LED is at desired setting.
To skip a parameter, continue to
press and hold ESC’s SET button
to the desired parameter.
5. SELECT PARAMETER VALUE
LED ashes to indicate active
setting (refer to tables at right).
Quick press & release SET
button to select desired setting.
6. PRESS & HOLD SET BUTTON
TO STORE SELECTION
When SET button is pressed and
held for about 1 second, the new
selection is stored in ESC’s
memory—The 4 status LEDs will
scroll across to indicate ESC is
exiting programming
and ESC
returns to neutral.
Note: there is no time
constraint during selection
process of custom parameters.
Parameter Default Custom
Minimum Brake 9%
Drag Brake 9%
Dead Band 5%
Minimum Drive 1%
Throttle Curve Expo-1
Brake Freq. 3 KHz
Reverse OFF
Motor Rotation
CCW q
Battery Type
Selection
Li-Po
HAVOC PRO ESC SOFTWARE FLOW CHART
The Havoc Pro ESC features nine parameters that can be adjusted.
Refer
to below owchart and settings at right.
DEFAULT SETTINGS ARE IN BOLD IN TABLES
TO CHANGE PARAMETER SETTINGS:
Transmitter can be either ON or OFF:
restoring factory defaults:
Every time you perform the One-Touch Set-Up, the ESC is
defaulted to the factory default parameter settings.
THROTTLE PARAMETER SETTINGS
(Defaults in Bold)
1. MiniMuM BraKe settings (10)
BLUE LED
Amount of braking applied with rst pulse of transmitter throttle information.
>>Raising this setting starts the braking at a stronger/higher level
.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Minimum Brake
(%):
0 3 6
9
12 15 18 20 25 30
2. drag BraKe settings (10)
BLUE & AMBER LEDs
Amount of braking applied while transmitter is at neutral. ‘Coast’ brakes.
>>Raising this setting makes the motor slow down more, without
pushing the transmitter’s trigger into the brake/reverse direction.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Drag Brake
(%):
0 3 6
9
12 15 18 20 25 30
3. dead Band settings (5)
BLUE & GREEN LEDs
Space between Minimum Brake & Minimum Drive, with neutral in middle.
>>Raising this setting will increase the ‘free play’, or distance
your trigger must move before forward drive or braking will begin.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2 3 4 5
Dead Band
(%):
2 3 4 5 6
4. MiniMuM driVe settings (5)
AMBER LED
Amount of forward drive applied with rst pulse of transmitter information.
>>Raising this setting makes the motor start at a stronger/higher
level so it takes off more aggressively from neutral.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2 3 4 5
Minimum Drive
(%):
1 2 5 8 12
5. tHrottle curVe selection (3)
GREEN LED
>>Changing this setting changes the throttle response and ease
of driveability.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2 3
Throttle Curve
:
Linear Expo-1 Expo-2
6. BraKe freQuency (7)
RED LED
>>Raising this setting makes the brake response smoother and
more controllable.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Brake Frequency (KHz):
1 2 3 4 5 7.5 8
7. reVerse (2)
RED, GREEN & AMBER LEDs
>>Changing this setting activates/deactivates reverse direction.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2
Reverse (On/Off):
Off (FWD/BRK) On (FWD/BRK/REV)
8. Motor rotation (2)
RED, GREEN & BLUE LEDs
>>Changing this setting changes direction of motor rotation.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2
Motor Rotation (CCW/CW):
CCW q CW p
9. Battery tyPe selection (3)
RED & AMBER LEDs
>>Changing this setting changes the battery pack that is selected
and provides the needed cut-off voltage for Li-Po and Li-Fe packs.
Setting (# of ashes) 1 2 3
Battery Selection
Ni-Cd/Ni-MH Li-Po (6.25V) Li-Fe (4.75V)
PLEASE NOTE: This page contains optional Advanced Programming items!
No further adjustments are required.
(But don’t worry, you can always reset factory defaults by performing the One-Touch programming again, so go ahead & experiment—that’s why the programming is in there, right?)
FULLY PROGRAMMABLE INTERFACE
The Novak’s Havoc Pro Brushless ESC includes a Fully Programmable
Interface. Nine parameters can be adjusted. Refer to Page 4 for
Customization Instructions.
• Minimum Brake (10 settings)
• Drag Brake (10 settings)
• Dead Band (5 settings)
• Minimum Drive (5 settings)
• Throttle Curve (3 settings)
• Brake Frequency (7 settings)
• Reverse (2 settings)
• Motor Rotation (2 settings)
• Battery Type Selection (3 settings)
MORE hAvOC fOR yOUR BUCk
Novak’s Havoc Pro Brushless ESC – a name synonymous with affordability
and reliability – is perfect for a wide range of racing. The Havoc Pro tops
the list in the Havoc line because of its unmatched speed, economical price
and advanced compatibility: The Havoc Pro is compatible with the entire
Novak 540-sized brushless motor line and any ROAR-approved 540-sized
sensored brushless motor, all the way down to 3.5-turns. Additionally, the
Havoc Pro is compatible with Li-Po, Li-Fe and Ni-MH battery packs.
To benefit from all of the technical features of the Havoc Pro,
PLEASE READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE OPERATION
Motor Output
Trigger Position
0
100%
100%
Linear
Expo-2
Expo-1
Throttle Curve Graph
HAVOC PRO CUSTOM PROGRAMMING