To setup or take down the robot:

1. Set the robot on top of the table. Fold down the robot's "wings" (ball return trays). Fold down the front support mechanism.
2. Pick up the robot and slide it onto the end of the table. The robot secures itself by its own weight (about 20 pounds). This is similar to the way child seats attach to restaurant tables. There are no clamps or other such attachment devices to fool with.
3. Attach the robot's side nets to your table net (it helps to have a sturdy table net with a cord for adjusting net tension sewn at its top) by capturing the table net between the side net's velcro fasteners.
4. Plug in the transformer to a wall outlet and then into the bottom of the control box. Plug in the Connector Cable to the bottom of the control box and then plug it into the robot.
5. Turn on the robot and you're ready to go.

Maximum ball frequency is 85-170 balls per minute depending on model and maximum ball speed is approximately 65-75 MPH. We do not have a way to measure ball spin RPM but it realistically simulates the spin that is on serves, fast loops, pushes and chops.

All Robo-Pong® models will work on ping-pong® conversion tops for 8-foot or shorter pool tables. It will not work on 9-foot pool tables unless it sits on the Robo-Caddy on the back of the table. It will not cause an imbalance to the top.

Since the machine only has one wheel to create BOTH speed and spin, it is only possible to adjust these two characteristics proportionally to one another. Although this sounds quite confining, it actually works out well, leaving only three shots that Newgy can't reproduce well - no spin "floaters", flat kills and slow loops. Other shots like serves, pushes, chops, lobs, fast loops and counters are reproduced well, with minimal adjustment. This design allows Robo-Pong® to be offered at a comfortable cost with minimal maintenance required.

 

While there are more expensive robots out there that can do more, our experience is that they are too complicated to adjust and use, defeating much of the advantages that they offer. For the price, there is no other robot in the world that gives you the functionality and ease of use that the Newgy Robot does.

 

For the 540, 1040 and 2040 models- The control box is placed on the side of the table close to the player's free hand. The player can control 4 functions at the box:

1. Turn unit on or off.
2. Adjust ball speed from 10 MPH to 65 MPH.
3. Adjust ball frequency from 15 balls per minute to 85 balls per minute.
4. Adjust side-to-side head movement from slow to fast. (no oscillation control on 540 model)

Controls that must be adjusted at the robot include:

1. Head angle-to produce low shot, high shot or select serving action (ball hits robot's side of table first) or return action (ball hits player's side of table first).
2. Spin-select topspin, underspin, sidespin, or combination spin.
3. Oscillation Range-select the area of the table that sweeping action will occur within. You may choose eight different ranges, from full table to one-quarter table. With oscillator on, robot will deliver balls only within the selected range.

For the 1050 and 2050 models- The control box is placed on the side of the table close to the player's free hand.

1. Turn unit on or off.
2. Adjust ball speed from less than 10 MPH to 65 MPH.
3. Adjust ball frequency from 1.2 balls per minute to 170 balls per minute.
4. Adjust side-to-side head movement from slow to fast.
5. Oscillation Range-select the area of the table that sweeping action will occur within. You may choose several different ranges, from full table to one-quarter table. With oscillator on, robot will deliver balls only within the selected range.
6. You may also select from 64 pre-programmed drills or create your own through our Robo-Soft program by connecting a PC to your robot's control box.

Controls that must be adjusted at the robot include:

1. Head angle-to produce low shot, high shot or select serving action (ball hits robot's side of table first) or return action (ball hits player's side of table first).
2. Spin-select topspin, underspin, sidespin, or combination spin.

Your Robo-Pong purchase is protected in three ways:

1. 30-Day Unconditional Money Back Guarantee
2. Standard 1-Year Limited Warranty
3. Industry-leading 5-Year Service Policy

Details of the Warranty and Service Policy are included with the Owner's Manual that comes with the robot. All North and South America service and parts orders are fulfilled from our headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee. If you live outside North and South America, look under International in this FAQ list for repair information.

The only parts that can wear out with heavy use are the Ball Speed Discharge Wheel, Friction Block and Discharge Spring. If you are the owner of a Model 1929 or Robo-Pong® 2000 manufactured from 1993 to 1999, and you have a problem with dirt clogging up the ball feed gears, you may order a new dust-free mechanism (part #2000-508). This mechanism is standard on all Newgy robots manufactured after 1999, but can be added to any Newgy robot that has a brass (instead of plastic) post for attaching the Ball Feed Main Gear.

 

The robot takes up about 12 inches of room on its side of the table. You can back up the robot right against a wall. Since the table is 9 feet, the table with a robot mounted on the end would be 10 feet. The robot is perfect for playing table tennis in a limited space. By setting the robot to its lower speeds, you can stroke the ball with your body only a few inches from your end of the table. Minimum recommended court size is 15 feet. You may be able to get by with a foot or two less if you have a very short backswing, but that normally leads to bad form on your strokes.

 

The only maintenance required by Robo-Pong® is to keep the robot clean. To that end, it helps if you also keep the room you play it in very clean. Dirt normally enters the machine primarily on the surface of the balls after they have rolled around on the floor. The parts you need to clean periodically (depending on how clean your room is) are the Friction Block and Ball Discharge Wheel in the head of the robot (from where the balls are shot) and the transfer gears at the foot of the unit where the balls are picked up.

Maintenance is very easy. Cleaning the parts that get dirty takes approximately 30-45 minutes. If you keep your playing area reasonably clean, you would only need to do this on average once a year. If you play on carpet, have pets that shed hair, or play in dirty conditions, you may have to do it as often as every week. The robot comes with a complete Owner's Manual that details set-up, take-down, adjustment, maintenance, troubleshooting, assembly/disassembly, and a parts list. We also offer a toll free customer service line for questions not answeredin the manual.

Premium Robo-Pong® models come with a net collection system the captures and recycles balls. The net is contained within the space dimensions given above. Balls are automatically recycled if they are hit into the net system.

You can keep the robot going for many hours at a time. In some of our tests, we have kept the robot going for more than 24 hours straight.

This is one of the outstanding features that sets our robot apart from other models available in Europe and Japan. The Robo-Pong® comes fully assembled in the box so you can start to play within a few minutes of unpacking it. It takes less than 5 minutes to put the robot on or take the robot off the table. The net and robot are attached during use, transport and storage.

You can expect many years of use from your robot. We have many customers who bought robots when we first started selling them in 1988 and are still using them today. They are very durable and dependable.