Pongbot Nova S Pro owners' review and discussion thread

[The_mfk_Dude]

i had reviewed such robi2 limitations before but you're right it's better to experience it on your own IRL nm. anyway, the bot can shoot out hard fast balls but they're less spinny then, e.g. try t5c:

yeah, I read about it. I thought that it would not be able to produce an artificial high spin like my amicus, but I also thought it could produce a rather spinny shot. And as you said: everyone has a different definition for high spin.

The long serve with max underspin is quite ok - but it bounces a little high.

And I am also a little bit dissapointed by the maximum angles the machine can produce. If I place it in the backhand corner and use -10 for drop point, the ball lands in the middle. Sure, i could turn the robot a little, that it is facing mor to my backhand, but still a limitation I had not thought of.

How about your machine from aliexpress? How long does the delivery approximately take?

And last but not least? Is the omini s capable of producing quite a bit more spin? Has anyone tried the nova and the omni?

 

[smee0815]

- Is it possible to have a set time after each drill stops and restarts?
For example it stops after one minute and restarts after 10seconds?
- In your drill example you have two random balls in the second line, which is already super cool. Is it possible to have more than two. I mean, can I just add a third one by using the "|"?
- a save as button, or any other method to change the default file name, would be very nice

• you can define a pause time inbetween runs through a drill. Pauses inbetween balls within the drill can only be done by twiddling the frequency values (0-100%, corresponding to 30-90 balls per minute).
• you can have as many balls per line as you want, separated by the | character. If you want to have a totally random drill, feel free to define 20 different balls per line...
• I added a text field next to the save/load buttons. The text is used as the filename when downloading. Loading a drill from you local filesystem should then fill in the text field with the filename you selected.

 

[Deep74]

Hi guys I do t know if anyone can help, I have a new nova S Pro and just wanted to know how I can set a slight delay after say a 4 ball combo.
So first instance
Ball 1. Short touch
Ball 2. Bh open up
Ball 3 bh topspin
Ball 4 fh topspin

Now if I wanted a slight delay after ball 4 before it restarts ball 1 so I can reset my position how can the frequency be set up?

I understand that frequency 0 is longest gap before ball shoots out so do I set frequency to 0 on ball 1 or ball 4?

Hope this makes sense lol

 

[floxe]

Hi guys I do t know if anyone can help, I have a new nova S Pro and just wanted to know how I can set a slight delay after say a 4 ball combo.
So first instance
Ball 1. Short touch
Ball 2. Bh open up
Ball 3 bh topspin
Ball 4 fh topspin

I also play 2 drills with that kind of combo - you have to set ball 1 to 0% frequency - my drill for BH looks like this:

 

[plunder]

Just commenting (because other testers might be wondering why some of the 3 balls land far out NE1):
on your @floxe unit, if this drill gives you nice game-realistic low balls, then it'd be proof that you did discalibrate your unit before nm. in my early post i explained in detail what Ball Height (BH) means. BH=50 (which is used for the original untouched preprogrammed drills) and BH=43.0 are, on a proper unit, ***p settings (values) for club level use: the balls have too much clearance over the net. Club level players produce low-flying balls! Your drill is basically the same as x12 (with a fourth ball added), i.e. Push(f)-Loop(b)-Drive(b)-Drive(f), and i had chosen BH=35.0 in x12. Any value between 15.0 - 35.0 would be nicely challenging, and suitable for club-level players.

Today i spent a full session (only 90min) on webclient training, doing just b01, b02, and b03. It's really convenient to edit the code on-the-fly, by duplicating lines, deactivating lines (e.g. the cerve), increasing repetition numbers, singling out balls from a line, etc. I find b03 quite challenging: hitting quality drives without making mistakes.

Anyway, let's keep enjoying. (@The_mfk_Dude my alix white nova is on track, will reach me in 2 weex. Currently amazon.de has it for 305€ shipped, a new low ("This deal ends on 19 November 2025, While promotional stock lasts")!

 

[floxe]

if this drill gives you nice game-realistic low balls, then it'd be proof that you did discalibrate your unit before

Haha, I'm the one who actually calibrates my bot before use - you're modding it, so I wouldn't expect my custom drills working on your bot.
The 43 ball height is chosen because of the first ball, which needs to be short and still have some underspin, difficult to achieve with the Nova.

Club level players produce low-flying balls!

I don't know your rating - I'm a little above average club player (±1450 TTR) and this drill is pretty realistic respectively could be a drill my coach would do with me via multiball. If I open up with a decent amount of spin it's most likely I get back a middle-high block with some topspin on it.

 

[The_mfk_Dude]

@smee0815 : I have tested your template on GitHub for the omni s. Unfortunately it doesn't work. It starts with the Bluetooth connection: the omni does not appear in the list.

So quick question: if I want to do something similar that you have done for the nova, where would I have to start?
Is this task possible for someone who is @begginer/intermediate level in c# (I know, this is not really connected to this "project").

 

[smee0815]

@smee0815 : I have tested your template on GitHub for the omni s. Unfortunately it doesn't work. It starts with the Bluetooth connection: the omni does not appear in the list.

So quick question: if I want to do something similar that you have done for the nova, where would I have to start?
Is this task possible for someone who is @begginer/intermediate level in c# (I know, this is not really connected to this "project").

You can learn anything! Refer to this post, where I answered a similar question.

 

[The_mfk_Dude]

You can learn anything! Refer to this post, where I answered a similar question.

Thanks. And sorry for the question in the other thread. I simply overlooked your answer.
As I said, the Omni is not visible in the possible Bluetooth connections.
Maybe I dig a little bit deeper in the future, but I fear this is a task filling several weeks of work.

 

[The_mfk_Dude]

@plunder: has your white nova arrived yet?

 

[olanga]

Inspired by work of @smee0815 and @plunder I have decided to wrap everything up and create an alternative GUI for programmed drills.
All credits go to @smee0815 for creating the base of this small project and making his findings available to everyone. Also, AI help enabled it.
It works well with Chrome on PC, Mac and on Android mobile. Without a table to test the drill, I can only trust that Plunder's parameters are correct.
Link: https://olanga.github.io/nova/

Here are the main features:

• Possible to use offline
• Possible to modify and save programmed drills
• Long-press the drill button to open the drill editor
• Possible to set modified settings as a new default
• Possible to factory reset settings
• Drills divided into 3 categories
• There are 4 themes including a dark mode
• Optional console log to trace events
• Length of drill can be set by time or number of repetitions
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

 

[The_mfk_Dude]

Wow, that is amazing.
Just one question: is it still possible, to just randomize one shot in the drill as in the original version?
I mean, can I for example first have a random serve (out of 3 different possible locations) and after that serve every other ball plays in sequenze?
Thanks.

Edit: I just had a look at it. Really nice UI, but it would be even better, if you could incorporate the random functions like in the @smee0815 version. (the balls seperated with "|").
Therefore you could for example use a checkbox in UI that says "random1" and "random2".
And than if the user checks more than one checkbox with the label "random1", the pongbot would chose randomly, which ball comes next (out of the 'selected random1" balls).
Same for "random2" and I think If there are two random balls in a drill, that would be sufficient.
Just a suggestion and maybe there are more elegant ways to implement this,

 

[olanga]

Wow, that is amazing.
Just one question: is it still possible, to just randomize one shot in the drill as in the original version?
I mean, can I for example first have a random serve (out of 3 different possible locations) and after that serve every other ball plays in sequenze?
Thanks.

Edit: I just had a look at it. Really nice UI, but it would be even better, if you could incorporate the random functions like in the @smee0815 version. (the balls seperated with "|").
Therefore you could for example use a checkbox in UI that says "random1" and "random2".
And than if the user checks more than one checkbox with the label "random1", the pongbot would chose randomly, which ball comes next (out of the 'selected random1" balls).
Same for "random2" and I think If there are two random balls in a drill, that would be sufficient.
Just a suggestion and maybe there are more elegant ways to implement this,

Hi, this version suppose to be an improved version of the original's app programmed drills section. No trackers, no need to be online, possibility to modify preprogrammed settings. In this setup there is no place to add alternative "random" ball.
Another step is to add custom drills like it is possible in a version provided by @smee0815. Regarding randomness I still have no table to really test it. If I solve the custom drills part (I have already an idea how to implement it) I will think on how to add the randomness part.

 

[plunder]

@olanga Congrats to your very first post on TTD 💐, and what a massive one, also from gemani! 👀
Beautiful offline interface for the preprogrammed drills (3 difficulty levels), well done, thank you! 😊
Keep up the great work, everyone! 👏

@The_mfk_Dude I got the white Nova robi3 (dom 2025-Oct) the other day (198€ shipped, no extra costs so far), and only did a quick test with the webclient (not any Android app) and it works, fantastic! I also noticed that its black rotary feeder has a more sophisticated movement: it rotates a bit backward, then forward, back and forth, prolly(?) to generate a more reliable flow of balls into the robot. This movement maybe hardcoded or an updateable firmware thing i dunno. On my robi2, the feeder turns in 1 direction only: forward.

This pic is for you! lol

Lemme sprinkle the thread, here and there, now and then, lol, with tidbits of photos addressing the Nova build quality. So far, nothing has broken (well, not true .. but that's for another tidbit hehe), so in all fairness i shouldn't cry out loud. Tidbit#1 is showing a plastic screw post 🧐:

Btw this month (Nov) i did much more rbpon than robipon. I've been publishing my monthly frequency numbers (rbpon vs robipon sessions) on the forum .. because that's really intriguing and relevant for shoppers to understand: after months of ownership, how often does one actually keep using a training tool?📈 ⚖️ 📉

 

[The_mfk_Dude]

@olanga Congrats to your very first post on TTD 💐, and what a massive one, also from gemani! 👀
Beautiful offline interface for the preprogrammed drills (3 difficulty levels), well done, thank you! 😊
Keep up the great work, everyone! 👏

@The_mfk_Dude I got the white Nova robi3 (dom 2025-Oct) the other day (198€ shipped, no extra costs so far), and only did a quick test with the webclient (not any Android app) and it works, fantastic! I also noticed that its black rotary feeder has a more sophisticated movement: it rotates a bit backward, then forward, back and forth, prolly(?) to generate a more reliable flow of balls into the robot. This movement maybe hardcoded or an updateable firmware thing i dunno. On my robi2, the feeder turns in 1 direction only: forward.

This pic is for you! lol

Lemme sprinkle the thread, here and there, now and then, lol, with tidbits of photos addressing the Nova build quality. So far, nothing has broken (well, not true .. but that's for another tidbit hehe), so in all fairness i shouldn't cry out loud. Tidbit#1 is showing a plastic screw post 🧐:

Btw this month (Nov) i did much more rbpon than robipon. I've been publishing my monthly frequency numbers (rbpon vs robipon sessions) on the forum .. because that's really intriguing and relevant for shoppers to understand: after months of ownership, how often does one actually keep using a training tool?📈 ⚖️ 📉

As far as I know, you also have the powerpong omega.
What do you like more on the nova?

Unfortunately your bargain was a one off. The white nova is now more expensive than the black...

 

[plunder]

As far as I know, you also have the powerpong omega.
What do you like more on the nova?

Yes, the powerpong Omega is a keeper ("robi1"), i have it, i woht sell it. Well-built, maintainable (also repairable if ever needed), simple construction, suitable for club-use long-term. Serious mechanical build, not a toy. I haven't been using robi1 for moonths but that's offtopic.

takes me too long (i have no time for that ⌛) to think what i like more about the nova 🤔.. maybe some other month📆 sorry! 🤷‍♂️.. also i haven't studied "all balls" which the robi1 can produce 😶‍🌫️

 

[The_mfk_Dude]

Last two questions: apart from the feeder and the color, is there any difference to the black one?
And last but not least: is there any CE label on it? (i highly doubt it...).

 

[plunder]

@The_mfk_Dude 1) no there is no further difference to the black one imho, 2) i can see CE label here:

if you look closely 🧐, you might see one or two things which seem to look off, ah nm 🤪

 

[The_mfk_Dude]

@The_mfk_Dude 1) no there is no further difference to the black one imho, 2) i can see CE label here:

if you look closely 🧐, you might see one or two things which seem to look off, ah nm 🤪

Thanks a lot. The machine is available at Alibaba for 198 $ with shipping included. But without remote and maybe there will be additional taxes.
Shipping will take 8 weeks. Faster shipping would be available for 30$ more.

I am considering buying it, although I have the omni.
I than could program some very useful random drills like for example random serve and than random push.
With the omni I can program only a random long serve but not mixed long and short. Random short serve is not possible at all in the "smart" drills.

Second advantage would be, that by using two different machines the lifespan should be extended.

If I place the nova beside the Omni, let's say 30 centimeters right from the middle, is it possible to place balls "relatively" deep in the backhand?

 

[pongbot68]

Hello,
a big surprise, my second registration try was successful!

I find the app from smee0815 very interesting. Because the pongbot app is not good. Very inconvenient to use.

But one thing I miss in smee0815 s solution:
It will be good, if I can alternatively use the values "Spin/Speed" as in the pongbot app vs. the rpm of the wheels.

Sorry, for my limited English. Can I write in German because in this thread are so many people from Germany?

br
Ralf