Novak Electronics

Lore & Background

Novak Electronics was founded by Bob Novak, a radio control enthusiast and electronics engineer. The company originally manufactured servos but became best known for its electronic speed controls for electric land vehicles and boats. Over time, its product line expanded to include battery chargers, synthesized receivers, transmitter modules, power supplies, brushless motor systems, and brushless-specific batteries and dischargers. The company operated a 35,000 square foot robotic manufacturing facility with a team of engineers and RC racers, making it one of the few American electronics manufacturers to design, build, and test its products onsite. In January 2014, the company changed its name to Novak R/C, and Bob Novak split ownership between his daughters Linda Novak Logan and Laura Novak-Roesgen, and the company's engineering director, Adnan Khan. Novak R/C later announced a partnership with Hobbico and Great Planes. Its 'Team Novak' racing division won 20 IFMAR World Champion titles. Novak R/C was the last American manufacturer to produce radio-controlled products in the United States. On June 13, 2016, the company announced it was closing after 38 years.

Reader's Guide

Novak Electronics was notable as a long-standing American manufacturer of radio control electronics, operating for 38 years before closing in 2016. It was founded by Bob Novak, an RC enthusiast and engineer, and originally made servos before becoming known for its electronic speed controls. The company's product line grew to include chargers, receivers, transmitter modules, power supplies, brushless systems, and batteries. Its 35,000-square-foot robotic facility allowed it to design, build, and test products onsite, a rarity among American electronics manufacturers. The company's racing division, Team Novak, achieved 20 IFMAR World Champion titles. In 2014, the company changed its name to Novak R/C and transferred ownership to Bob Novak's daughters and the engineering director. It later partnered with Hobbico and Great Planes. Novak R/C was the last American manufacturer to produce RC products in the United States, marking the end of an era for domestic RC electronics production when it closed on June 13, 2016.

Did You Know?

• The company originally manufactured servos before becoming known for electronic speed controls.
• Its 35,000-square-foot facility was one of the few American electronics plants to design, build, and test products onsite.

From Servos to a Full Ecosystem

Bob Novak, an electronics engineer with a deep passion for radio control, established Novak Electronics in Irvine, California. The company's earliest products were servos, the small but critical actuators that translate control signals into mechanical motion. However, it was the company's line of electronic speed controls for electric land vehicles and boats that became its defining identity in the RC community. Over time, the product catalog grew considerably beyond that core strength. Novak Electronics eventually offered battery chargers, synthesized receivers, transmitter modules, and power supplies. As the technology shifted toward brushless motors, the company followed suit, developing brushless motor systems along with purpose-built batteries and dischargers designed specifically for that platform. This expansion transformed Novak from a niche servo maker into a comprehensive supplier capable of outfitting an entire electric RC setup from a single brand.

Built in America

In an industry where the vast majority of radio control electronics were produced overseas, Novak Electronics stood apart as a genuinely domestic operation. The company operated out of a 35,000 square foot robotic manufacturing facility in Irvine, California, where a dedicated team of engineers and experienced RC racers worked side by side. This setup allowed Novak to design, build, and test its products all under one roof, a capability that made it one of the very few American electronics manufacturers to maintain that complete in-house cycle. By the later years of its existence, Novak R/C held the distinction of being the last American manufacturer still producing radio-controlled products on U.S. soil. That fact alone underscored how the company had become a symbol of domestic manufacturing in a hobby that had largely migrated its production to Asia.

Team Novak and the World Stage

Novak Electronics did not merely sell components; it competed with them. The company's Team Novak racing division became one of the most decorated outfits in the history of radio control competition, accumulating twenty IFMAR World Champion titles across its competitive career. This was no casual sponsorship arrangement. The company's Irvine facility employed actual RC racers alongside its engineers, ensuring that the speed controls, brushless systems, and other electronics were developed and refined by people who pushed them to the absolute limit on the track. The feedback loop between competition and product development gave Novak's gear a reputation for performance that resonated through the global RC community. For enthusiasts who followed IFMAR events, the Novak name on a winning car or boat was a familiar and respected sight, cementing the brand's credibility well beyond the hobby shop counter.

A New Name, a Final Chapter

In January 2014, Bob Novak made two significant moves that reshaped the company's future. First, the business was rebranded as Novak R/C, signaling a fresh chapter. Second, Novak divided ownership among his two daughters, Linda Novak Logan and Laura Novak-Roesgen, along with the company's engineering director, Adnan Khan. This generational and structural shift was accompanied by a strategic partnership with Hobbico and Great Planes, two well-known names in the broader RC world. Yet despite these efforts to modernize and expand, the company announced on June 13, 2016, that it would close its doors after thirty-eight years of operation. The closure marked the end of an era, not just for Novak's employees and customers, but for the broader community of American RC manufacturers that had once been a vibrant part of the hobby's landscape.