Waterproofing Electronics

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dwarfy

dwarfy

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Way back when I had my Tamiya Hotshot, I ran it in winter through the biggest puddles I could find and it was pretty much submerged but it just kept coming back for more :w00t:

Obviously I wont be submerging my FG but the consequences of a large scale going wrong are far greater. What precautions does everyone take to protect their servos, receiver, switches etc for winter running? I have the lexan cover over the radio tray to offer some protection from spray but not sure whether I should be doing anything else or are the servos & receivers IP rated anyway?
 
handy thread shame you didnt do it a week ago as ive just drowned my fg and killed all the radio gear but i did use to run mine with a balloon over the reciver but id forgot id removed it some time ago hence the need for a new setup which is going to be mega waterproof im going to balloon rx then silicone holes in radio box where cables run and around the top of the box but most inportant im going to avoid blasting it through puddles its the first time ive ever realy done it and it backfired big time
 
I use a blob of silicone sealent on the reciever box hole that all my wires go through. seems to have worked up to now, though it does make replacing a servo a pain in the arse.
 
You can ask Santa for a 2.4ghz set now Ren :w00t:
I like the balloon idea inside the receiver box as double protection.
 
i would mate but santas allready maxxed out on bits for my on road ive been getting plus with my little girl wanting half the girls section in the argos book and ive still got to sort out somthing nice for wifey maybe shed like a spektrum lol it can wait a while i want to get other bits sorted first its revamp time
 
i ran my baja in the rain last year with hyperpete, there was a lot of standing water,in the end the 2 buggys packed in with wet coil pickups so not sure if you could ever make a 5th totally waterproof.
 
I just found this which would be ok for our usage.

http://www.societyofrobots.com/actuators_waterproof_servo.shtml

There is stuff on there that is a bit extreme for rc cars like filling the servos with mineral oil but the part I am looking at is coating the circuit board with non conductive marine epoxy. Am I right in thinking that would be sufficient even if water did get down the splined shaft? Maybe a small drain hole in the casing would be wise. What do you think?
 
How thick are we??!! There are boat guys on here who run in the water so are at more risk than us so they must do something to protect their kit. I have posted a thread in the boat section with a link back to here so hopefully they will be able to help out :D
 
i think the boats have sealed water tight boxs but they have more space than our cars i have used normal car ignition sealer like a what you use to spray on older car ht leads it leaves a waterproof coating which is clear i took a servo apart sprayed it inside rebuilt it and sprayed casing that works
 
I've ran a bead of marine sealant around all joints before now and never gave me a problem.
To seal the horn spline,lightly grease it and the hammer it in sealant,when the sealant dries,it wont stick to the spline because of the grease.
J
 
get some plasti dip. it's the rubber coating used for tool handles. dip the whole servo in by holding the wire. when it's dry take an exacto knife and clean the spline area to get the servo horn back on. a blo of vaseline or silicone spray after around the spline and the servo is waterproofed. I also shoe goo'd around the rx wires and the rx case. My old ofna 10sc would hit the bmx track and land in deep 2 foot puddles without fear of frying.
 
voo2doo said:
I've ran a bead of marine sealant around all joints before now and never gave me a problem.
To seal the horn spline,lightly grease it and the hammer it in sealant,when the sealant dries,it wont stick to the spline because of the grease.
J
Click to expand...

+1 on that James. Ive done the same and not had a problem with any of the electrics, but as Pablo said, with enough water flying around, ignition problems can be the crunch ones !!:(
 
Similar vein, but with 10-20cm of fresh snow, I couldn't resist getting the (nitro !! :D:D) 1/8 Raminator out for a quick blast.
Great fun and it survived without problem - only perhaps 3 minutes - but was FULL of snow.
'Sunny St Helens', Merseyside for you !!!

It'll be out tomorrow at 'a more reasonable hour' - I normally run between 10AM and perhaps 4-5PM.
Tonight's was ~8PM but I couldn't resist it !! Fresh snow !!
It's loud, but a lot quieter than the DDM Dominator piped FG MT, so couldn't use that !! :lol::lol::lol:

Al.
 
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