waterproofing this box i bought
 

I just bought this box today after seeing a post somewhere on here i cant find anymore. The person used some sort of bulkhead fitting (similar to the one pictured below) drilled into the side of an electronics project box to run wires through, keeping the box waterproof. (obviously with some sort of sealant on the lid)
Am I on the right track and does anyone know of a fitting that would work?

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

I don't trust boxes to keep water away from my electronics. Use conformal coating on your electronics so they are waterproof on their own, the box is more useful to keep dirt from accumulating on everything.

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

I agree with SVT923 You can still seal the box with silicone, or most come with a gasket.

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

Sometimes those airtight boxes cause too much heat build up as well.

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

If you really want to waterproof a box, just silicone the wires where they come out?

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

thanks for the reply guys. Im reluctant to spray stuff all over the electronics partly because i know ill miss the important spots and it looks like such a mess... HOWEVER yes heat soak has me concerned.

there is room to find a way to fit some sort of gasket under the lid, and i guess silicone the openings is my best bet?

anyway im still open to any suggestion, you guys on here come up with some seriously clever tricks.

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

I wouldn't put anything more than just my receiver inside a box, just doesn't seem like a good idea to take air movement away from the esc. I don't know if you've looked into yet, but waterproofing your servo and esc is incredibly simple. I just did mine last week for the first time. I was a bit concerned about doing it myself but it turned out to be a cake walk. I just watched one YouTube video for each of the servo and esc and then went to work using a can of liquid electrical tape and some waterproof grease.

As for the box, you could get away without a gasket just by using liquid electrical tape on the seam - it seals perfectly like rubber and peels off easily when you need it to.

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

Thanks, i was reluctant to watch the videos assuming it would be a lot more difficult. ive never heard of liquid electrical tape before so that seems easy...

How waterproof are waterproof ESCs such as the axial AE-5 and waterproof Servos? Do they need to be sealed too?

thanks in advance guys, this has been extremely helpful so far

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

You can always balloon your electronics, and I've never waterproofed a servo. Never had problems with it. Of course your mileage may vary.

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

It's ridiculously simple, definitely not something to be intimidated by. Liquid electrical tape is great stuff, once you've got it you'll constantly be finding other uses for it - after i solder and heat shrink any battery connections they get a coat of l.e.t. to protect them

It's really just opening the esc case and coating the circuit board, including underneath the heatsink. And on the servo it's even simpler, just fill the gear section of the case withwaterproof grease and then seal the seams.

My tendency with the waterproof rated stuff is to assume that if they say it's good, then it should be OK and shouldn't require any additional sealing. Depending their age and your usage you may want to reseal them though.

Here is a great video on water proofing a finned ESC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMYCEJWgUZA

Here is another on waterproofing servos. He even show you him placing the equipment in water at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Uv0jzOsxE

One more on receivers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxM4Lrun518

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

Thanks for the help everyone! every thing should be here this week, and i think, maybe, ill finally be able to ACTUALLY drive my truck haha

Re: waterproofing this box i bought
 

OVerkill, best thing is a thin bead of silicon rtv around the seam and put the lid on, tighten the screws. For the wires, just Dremel out a "U" shaped hole from the top down (with the lid off), run wiring, use your finger and some more silicone rtv dabbed all around the wires ( spread the wires apart and get it in between the wires too), then close the box up and let it sit until dry. I've put all my ESC, RX, and BEC all in one box many times, but if the box is really small and/or inefficient hot running esc, it may overheat. I had a problem one time in a very small box, very hot day running for hours and my ESC shutdown due to heat, it wouldn't run until it cooled off, but it did not damage my esc since it shut itself down before extreme overheating. I now use a little bigger box.

Alternatively conformal coating or waterproof components from the factory is great! I wish all the manufacturers would get on board with this! If you're thinking about liquid electrical tape, just do it right and use brush on or spray on conformal coating, much better for this application. "thumbsup"

I've used MGCHemicals brand from Fry's electronics.
MG Chemicals Conformal Coatings