Water Proofing Electronics

[sierrajim]

Waterproofed castle sidewinder, done in the same way as the waterproof BRXL, Traxxas XL5 waterproof speedy as the winch controller, Slash receiver box and a standard towerpro servo that has stood up to me beating on it for just on 12 months.

I've also never waterproofed a lipo and have never had an issue.

The only drama with water is that the Traxxas 2.4 radio gear needs the antenna sticking out of the water to work.



Edit: and yes, it drove out of this

[BAM-BAM]

one of the best ways to waterproof you electronics is to by corrosionX it's a liquid based product that I have used and with great success. cost is about 16 bucks for the 16 oz spray bottle . all you have to do is remove the casing from your esc or, just open it. dunk it in make sure no bubbles are present on your esc and let it stand for about 1 min. then just put it on a old towel or rag to drip dry, then put back together. I'm pretty shure it won't void your warranty because theres nothing there to hamper them from fixing it. there's a video on YouTube by rcfoamfighters"bloodymicks" showing how to apply thats where i got the tip from.
You may need to repeat the application every 8 to 12 months. I do it every 6 because I mud too much.

[slammin1984]

there is a guy on youtube who actually created a box out lexan and some other materials. he custom made little cases for his esc and other electronics. I am thinking about doing that for mine. it looks like it would work REALLY well and you are not putting any chemicals on your electronics so it is completely ok for your warranty. just type "how to waterproof esc" in the search bar and it should pop up as first one.

[Charlie-III]

I will have to read the whole thread, but, my main comment is......you only need to cover boards or case seams.....not the whole friggin part!
What I mean is, if you're doing a servo, do the case mating line, the wire entry as well as the output shaft. No need to cover the whole servo case.
ESC's may need some more coverage than a servo, but be realistic.

[scteggy]

Where do you buy corrosionX?

[Tommy R]

Originally Posted by scteggy

Where do you buy corrosionX?

Sporting goods stores have it in the outdoor/boating areas.

[Butcherinhd]

Have any of you guys heard of this esc or used it? http://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/lrp83060.htm sory if link dont work think i jacked it up. its at RPP hobby its an LRP AI QUANTM RUNNER PLUS says its water proof only 50 bucks sounds to good to be true . just kinda thinkin junk idk any comments?

[davidyack]

would it work to use the waterproof pouch for a phone or ipod? these sometimes even have a spot designed for the headphone wires to run through. and its only for my rx and lipo. ill be using the waterproof holmes hobbies esc.

[CrawleR ModdeR]

Originally Posted by BrockGrimes

Battery Connections/Exposed Wires

This is an often overlooked area when trying to protect your truck from the elements. You should cover all connections, such as battery plugs, that are exposed to the elements. Otherwise it's possible that moisture could seep into these plugs and short out the two wires. A few pieces of electrical tape should take care of this situation easily, just make sure to surround the entire plug as any small opening could be an entry point for water.

Motor

Believe it or not, in an electric RC, the motor is an area that requires very little attention when exposed to the elements. You don't really need to worry about keeping the moisture away from the elements as water will not affect it's operation. As a matter of fact, in some cases hobbyists run a motor underwater as a way to break the motor in. The only thing you'll need to do is disassemble the motor after running, and clean it well. Make sure you re-lube your motor's bearings or bushings when putting it back together.

Receiver/Receiver Pack

The receiver is generally one of the most expensive components on an RC truck, so you want to make sure you provide it plenty of protection from the elements. Many nitro-powered vehicles already have the receiver protected with some sort of cover or plastic box to avoid damage should nitro splash on it when refueling. However very few electric vehicles offer this sort of protection, and even in the nitro world there are some exceptions.

Many receiver boxes can be used on vehicles other than the ones they were intended for, when used with a little creativity. This provides a good option for protecting your receiver. When using a receiver or battery box, keep in mind there are often small gaps in them. Most of the time, these are the areas that wires pass through. It would be a very wise course of action to seal these gaps up with silicone to prevent water from finding it's way inside.

You can also use a balloon to cover the receiver if this option isn't feasible for you. Simply insert the receiver into a balloon, with the servos already plugged into the receiver in their correct locations. Then close up the mouth of the balloon with a ziptie. You can also seal up the mouth of the balloon with some grease or silicone to help seal up any leftover gaps after the ziptie is pulled tight. While it may not be the most attractive solution, it's very effective. If your truck also uses a receiver pack, or battery holder, to power the receiver you should also protect it as well. Again many trucks provide battery boxes, and those battery boxes can fit many other vehicles besides the ones which they were designed for. If all else fails, a balloon will work well in this area as well.

Servos

Servos are another item that should be protected from the elements. Some servos, such as the Hitec 5625MG and 5645MG, are water-proof and need no further attention. However most servos do need to be protected from the elements. There are two widely used methods to accomplish this, balloons and silicone. Using a balloon is pretty straightforward. First remove the servo horn or servo saver, and then simply encase the servo inside a balloon. Leave the wires sticking outside the mouth of the balloon, and close up the mouth of the balloon with a ziptie. You can also seal up the mouth of the balloon with some grease or silicone to help seal up any leftover gaps after the ziptie is pulled tight. Then use a pin to place a small hole in the balloon where the servo output shaft is located, and pull the balloon so that the shaft slides through it. Then you can reinstall your servo horn or servo saver. Another method of protecting your servo from moisture, is to use some silicone sealant. This results in a stock-like appearance, as you can't really tell that anything has been done to the servo. Take the servo case halves apart, and apply a small bead of silicone where the they connect. Then simply reassemble the case and allow the silicone time to cure. To protect the area around the servo output shaft, use a small o-ring coated with some grease to form a seal when you install a servo horn or servo saver.

Speed Controller

Protecting your speed control is a very important, yet difficult, step to undertake. I often hear of people encasing their ESC inside a balloon, but that's often a dangerous idea. It severely hampers the ESC's ability to cool itself, which could lead to the ESC overheating and damaging itself. At the very least, you might experience the balloon the ESC is encased in melting. So if you choose this method of protection, I would encourage you to frequently monitor your ESC's temperature to avoid such problems. Small plastic project boxes like they sell at radio shack can be used to seal up the ESC or ESC and Receiver too.

The only good solution for a MSC, would be to make a shield to protect the electronics from the elements. You can fabricate something out of scrap lexan, or simply carve up a 2-liter drink bottle. A few pieces of duct tape will hold the shield in place and help prevent any moisture from finding it's way inside. As a general rule, since a shield sits away from the ESC by several inches, the ESC shouldn't overheat with this method. However it would still be advisable to check it from time to time to ensure that it's still not overheating.

It's also possible to buy waterproof ESC's for use during wet and snowy conditions. MTroniks is one company that is well known for this. Also LRP makes water proof ESC's.

Misc. Tips

In addition to the things listed above you can use plastidip found at local hardware stores (it's a liquid that hardens into a rubber coating) and dip your parts in it to seal them, servos are a prime cantidate for plastidip.

Put a thin coating of oil on the outer motor bearing to help prevent water intrusion.

WD-40 can be used on the motor, but use it sparingly, but spray some on a cloth and wipe down your metal chassis parts just like you'd oil a gun and the water will bead right off and it makes clean up a snap. Armorall works also, some people use armorall on the plastic parts. I use rainx on the outside of the body or wipe it with a thin coat of armorall the help make clean up easy.


Most of the info above can be found on:
http://www.misbehavin-rc.com/pit-lan...erproofing.asp

Except for the last few lines I give full credit to them on this article. I use alot of these tips on my Electrics and on my Nitro 4x4's also. So if there is a nitro tip mentioned please take it for what it is.

If you have other water proofing ideas please share them here.

Do you have to waterproof the actual whinch?

[Dansam]

Balloons and silicon work well for me.

[nhtoyotawheeler]

i read that brushed motors are pretty much waterproof. does this go for all brushed motors,or is there some that are not.

[nhtoyotawheeler]

are the novak brushed crawler motors water proof ? the booklet says no. i just got a rooster crawler combo and wanted to know if i sealed everything else would the motor be ok?

[KevMc]

Just crammed my 7955TG full of dielectric, now it's slow as hell.
But I did dunk it and no problems, still strong just takes about an hour to turn left

[Nitrofreakmanho]

Originally Posted by KevMc

Just crammed my 7955TG full of dielectric, now it's slow as hell.
But I did dunk it and no problems, still strong just takes about an hour to turn left

..something sounds weird about that to me. This is the only servo I use for my 1/8 scale racers because of it's strength and speed, it's hard to think that grease would slow it down..it's got enough power to easily crush a finger. Are any gears binding inside?

[KevMc]

Doesn't seem to be any binding. I loosened up the four case screws to make sure there wasn't anything getting pinched, still turned slow.
When I have some time tomorrow I will pull it all apart, clean out the grease and double check.

[Colorofkris]

Is there any worry about LED lights?? will they be ok in water or sould i take them off?

[crawler57]

what about water profing my difs???

[Nitrofreakmanho]

Originally Posted by crawler57

what about water profing my difs???

Pack them full of grease

[AgentXTC]

Excellent tek here. I waterproofed most of my electronics last night. How I did it...

ESC - liquid electrical tape all around (except heatsink). I did not cover the capacitors. Not sure about those? It's a Mamba Max...
Crabwalk motor (I'd love to know what this is actually called and where it came from, but there's no identifying information on it to my eyes) - balloon & zip ties. It will get a bit of RTV and another zip tie tonight.
Rx - RTV around the case joints, screws, antenna hole. Once I plug everything back in, I'll be siliconing those as well.
Battery/motor connectors - Elec tape & liquid elec tape over all the soldered connections.
Battery - liquid elec tape & plasti dip spray

I think that's about all I did for waterproofing. I have new servos in today, so once I open them up, I'll be picking up some grease (I'm assuming white lithium as that's what was in my previous servos and these are the same manufacturer), I'll pack the servo spline with grease, then plasti-dip spray the rest of it (masking off the ears and splines of course). I do still need to protect my LED panel, so I'll do that tonight. Thanks for all the tips.

[Dingotron]

Iam wondering if someone can help me, my axial SCX10 wont move or do anything at all!, i dsconnected everything, and today i reconnected all the electronics, and i try pairing the reciever and transmitter but nothing is working, all it does is the reciever stays red and the ESC bjust blinks green, ive tryed switching the plugs, pairing, nothing working, any advice or things i need to try to solve it and get it moving>? i just got a brand new 3000 MAH battery, anyway thanks!!