Waterproofing
 

So as I was reading on here about waterproofing I came across a thread about sticking your electronics in a little project box that you can buy at Radio Shack, Well I bought one an it fit perfect inside the axial chasis and after drilling some small precise holes for all the wires to exit and drilling 2 hole to mount it to the chasis using the body mount holes and body mount scerws to lock it in I was able to put my reciever, castle BEC, and my FX-R ESC inside along with all the wiring. After putting everything inside and screwing the 4 screws in to seal it I then sealed the seam with a removable silicone bead around the seam and in and around all the holes it is now 99% waterproof. I say 99% because I havent givin it a swim just a bath! Thanks for the info from where ever it came from but it only took a few minutes to build and now all my elec. are both smash resistent and water resistant. THANKS!!!!

Great tech here.

in my case using the SCX10 platform,

had to pull the electric board right out of the Reciever box,
then placed it inside the SCX10 radio tray.
Put a SilicA Gel pack inside (for any moisture).
Plugged in the ESC, Servo, etc... and filled the screw holes directly holding the radio tray down using "Ultra copper" gasket maker.

Once this was done, then i used the gasket maker along the seam of the top lid of the radio tray and put it in place and screwed it down. This is now 100% sealed internally!

as for the ESC, it already stated it was waterproof, but i still ran a bead along any suspicious areas using the ultra copper gasket maker.

All good to go now.

great thread, helped a lot !!
 

Here's what I've done, I went for water resistant instead of proof. No plans to dunk the thing, just mild maybe top of tire deep and splashing.

using a Traxxas waterproof servo and electronics put in a case I whipped up.

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...90328-0232.jpg

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...90328-0124.jpg

the lid leaves two small gaps on the rear corners, which I will leave for some cooling, just needs some sealer around the holes. and yeah, it's as cramped as it looks.

thanks for everyones input to the thread "thumbsup"

Well, looks like I'm going creek hunting.........when I actually get a crawler ARRRGGGHHH!!!!!! :x!!!!! This had great tips & tricks! Thanks for the info!

Here is a link to my thread on how I waterproofed my motor:


http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showt...=1#post1727126


its a how to with pic's, hope it helps.:)

Life is good with the traxxas water proof set up.
I have had zero [porblems thus far"thumbsup".

liquid tape
 

is there any down fall to the liquid tape? How hard is it to remove?

i think traxxas has a water proof esc and i think the goat is water resistent

How easy is it for the srock w/k esc to cool in one of those project boxes

can you use petrolim jelly like the grease? and can you use just regular berring grease?

Thanks for the info!:mrgreen:

i just drove my new losi mrc into water about 30 mins ago, now the reverse doesnt work, and suggestions?

yes, the traxxis summit has a waterproof ESC and u can also buy a supply box from traxxas that it waterproof that ur ESC fits in

i went thro 3 ESC's so far, on my MRC drivin in water up to the rims, im headin to my 4th, LOL

i just filled up my electronics with electrical grease and have driven my crawler under 3 ft of muddy creek water and never had a problem. i like it better than putting a box on the chasis cause you can put your electronics anywhere you want without the restriction of a box that takes up space.

.
 

My rig just fell off the falls and into the water. It was fully submerged for 20 sec's. No worries, got it home and took an air hose to it. Note: If your rig is not set up to be water proof Attachment 109126

Attachment 109127

Attachment 109128

[ATTACH]109129 "DO NOT USE THE RADIO" while it is submerged. That is the key to possible survival.

plastidip or liquid tape
 

for the servos which is better: plastidip or the liquid electric tape/heat shrink stuff? ive seen where ppl are using both but wondering if one is better than the other. any downfalls, removal, etc...

How Waterproof Is Your Truck?
 

Here's how I waterproof mine.
My electronics configuration
1) LRP AI runner (its already a waterproof brushed ESC). so one item less to waterproof.
2) 2.4GHz Receiver - prefered as it has shorter ant and can simply hide inside a tupperware box. (in this case I used a lock and lock box.
3) 2 x extension connector lead to receiver.
i) 1pc extension for esc ii) 1pc extension lead for steering.
4) 1 x hightorque servo ERG-VX servo....already has good rubber ring all round the case, reinforce with sillicone sealant for extra protection. What you need is to put a rubber o-ring round the gear before you put in your servo saver or servo horn.
5) Alternatively use the Traxxas high torque 'WATERPROOF' servos. These servos are 100% waterproof at stock.
http://www.box.net/shared/static/jj2iokkvok.jpg

http://www.box.net/shared/static/rrmesdyjq1.jpg
The trick is to seal the extension cables and NOT your orginal esc or steering servo connector cable!!!!. Route these extension cable to your 2.4 Ghz receiver instead!!!. Then hotglue the hole where these cable pass thru.

http://www.box.net/shared/static/9v8jggbu35.jpg

And last but not least mount your RX onto a sponge...the sponge is used to absorb water just in case a little water gets in. It will first get absorb by the sponge.
http://www.box.net/shared/static/qm6zdpqx5z.jpg

The above is the easiest and the most hasslefree way to maintain and transfer your electronics from one truck to the next!!!
And finally, TEST TEST TEST your little box in a little bowl of water before you put it in your truck.

And here's the vid of my CR-01

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLOrlMBi21M

1 thing I have heard fron the boat guys is they remove thr RX from the plastic case and dip it in some liquid wax a couple times. I have never done this but it should work. They dont like to put their stuff in ballons because IF the water gets in it has no way to get out.

Just a thought

Tyler

How good are the LRP AI Runner ESC's?

I want one for my little Losi MRC so i can dump it completely.

I think they are great for scale trucking but not for rock crawling cos there's no neutral brake.

Here' are some of the features in this speedo that i like

1) it doesnt come with a switch, so you dun have to waterproof the switch and have all the eractic power. I change the stock tamiya plug to deans connector.

2) the electronic board comes pre-seal using silicone...i think. so no worries at short circuiting.

all in all just leave this speedo exposed and it does the job!

Cheers!!!

I read through this very informative thread. Thanks to everyone who contributed great information. I am going to try the dielectric grease method that seems the easiest way. I did notice no one gave a definitive answer on brushless motors. Is it ok to submerge them?

Hey dude what battery are you using that is 100% waterproof?

If your usind a normal stick pack with Nimh then there is nothing to worry about ..

radio shak every thing in there esc,recver and winch http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/pictu...pictureid=6269

I did this, though it's not 100% sealed yet.
http://tommyr.smugmug.com/photos/674980046_RFRmH-L.jpg

But I don't like it. It's a pain to connect/disconnect the battery. So I'm going to just inject everything with dielectric grease and not use any boxes.

Ok so I was at Menards today. I saw these things and first thing I thaught was waterproof truck.http://www.viewtainer.com/Product-iNfo.html

The only thing is, the one end has a solid rubber cap and the other end has a slit in it. I thaught run the wires out the slit and silicone it closed. What do you think

it looks like it could work as long as you could seal up that slit once the wires were coming out of it. try it out "thumbsup"

I'm looking to waterproof my mrc so I can go out int the mud what is the cheap and easy way

well, i have my rx and servo in two baloons each.. and for the esc i have it packed with di electrical greese.. but i still dont trust the grease

Wow, what else are you smuggling in that box!

I want to waterproof my electronics, but it makes me nervous. How well do all these techniques work? Who has fried anything after doing this? The money tree in my backyard died, so no taking chances.

Dielectric grease works great for me! But I made sure to fully inject all electronics with it before putting them back together. It was messy with grease oozing out all over and made for a nasty clean up job, but it was worth it. Now my electronics are all protected. I also took liquid electrical tape and painted over the ends of my LiPo batteries to keep them dry. Works like a charm.

When you say the ends of your lipos do mean the plugs?

No, not the plugs. I sealed the shrink wrap on either end of the battery.

as mentioned by others, a very informative thread

I too am a bit suss on the dielectric grease only. You are creating a temporary barrier. Add some heat, the grease will soften etc.

I am going to pull all the electronics apart, do the coat with epoxy resin or the liquid tape, then do the dielectric grease.

I think!!

More research i think before i dunk my $130 reciever in goop (damn expensive airtronics).

I have been a victim of drowning electrics before and it can be frustrating and expensive.

I won't say yes or no because I don't want to be blamed for you ruining a motor if something happens in the water......BUT there is a video somewhere of somebody running a Castle brushless motor fully submerged in a cup of water for several minutes with no problems.
My personal experience with brushless in the water has been good. I've had my traxxas velinion motor and esc completely submerged on several occasions and have had no problems. I could just be getting lucky, but I'll keep pushing my luck till it proves me otherwise.

i dip mine in shovel grip, works great

not so much talk about sensored motors what the latest news on this one
would it be alright to leave them like that or you have to plasti dip(liquid electrical tape) outside around where the cable plug goes in the motor sensor plug.

or can water still damage the motor sensor from inside the can, and short the ESC too?