How do you waterproof the ESC w/ a cooling fan ?

[jonspot25]

I want to water proof my Rs10 I have used plasti-dip on most of the electronic's with the exeption of my esc because of the cooling fan . I was wondering if anyone has successfully done this and how ? I relize I could use a box with a snorkle of sorts but I'm worryed about water getting in the snorkle. thanks for the help."thumbsup"

 

[grave 1]

i have same problem if you gft good anewer please send to me at clif357@charter.net any help apperated thanks in advance

 

[opek]

The only way I can think is if you plastidip the whole unit without the fan then place the fan back.

 

[Docwolf]

well you only need to do the lower section, not the heat sink or it will not transfer enough heat. so dip it to just over the seam between the heat sink and the box. leave the fan on and plugged in and the connections will be protected. i think the fan is low enough voltage that it would be okay. not sure if you could get a water proof fan that small. the only issue i see is if it will retain more heat once you dip it..., i dunno

 

[jonspot25]

the fan is the problem and the reason for me making this thread. I don't want to have to replace my esc because of the fan shorting out. I wonder do I evan realy need the fan ? I live in a area were it's never over 80 F but thats on a rare "hot day" . Most of the time it's between 45 F and 65 F degrees

 

[jonspot25]

I'm thinking of opening the fan and smothering the fan's guts with marine grade grease ? what do you think ?

 

[Docwolf]

how about the stuff you put in side spark plug boots, i can say the name, but can;t even start to try and spell it lol. i would say yes you need a fan OR a much larger heat sink. i had some i had pulled out a computer case, but i pitched them when we moved. more surface area, better cooling.

 

[totof1965]

Fan

I've removed my fan a long Time ago. And the esc still work good and without this horrible fan noise.

 

[The Jackalope]

I heard of guys who killed their fan when they hooked up a 3s lipo. they said the esc died shortly after from overheating. I think running fanless AND plasti-dipped; pretty darn risky!! I'd say try the plasti-dip with the heatsink and fan exposed still.

 

[jokers_toys]

i run mine with the fan on 3s for 8 mo or better then took the fan off

less wires, no noise, lower profile and it has been working just fine with no fan going on 3 mo now i think "thumbsup"

and just dip with PD till you get to the heat sinks and have every thing plug'd in to the esc so the plugs get coated good

 

[grave 1]

esc

i have same proplem on a 1/8 but i'm build a 1/10 the only thing i've been able to thank you a noobe here.ffind is putting a snorl on it if you get anything differnt please let me know noobe here.:lmao:

I want to water proof my Rs10 I have used plasti-dip on most of the electronic's with the exeption of my esc because of the cooling fan . I was wondering if anyone has successfully done this and how ? I relize I could use a box with a snorkle of sorts but I'm worryed about water getting in the snorkle. thanks for the help."thumbsup"

 

[jsowens]

My suggestion is to simply buy an ESC that's waterproofed and make a waterproof box for your receiver. Personally, I don't see the point of worrying about waterproofing a rock crawler because that's what it is, a rock crawler, not a submarine. With a scaler, I'll admit, sometimes it's fun to do little water crossings, but I've never had the urge to drive in water deep enough to get my ESC wet. In terms of mud bogging and all that, if I wanted to do that, I would buy a rig that is set up for it. Just my $0.02.

 

[DiggyStyle]

The only way I can think is if you plastidip the whole unit without the fan then place the fan back.

Yes, but how is the fan going to cool the unit then? The plasti-dip acts as an insulator which is going to hold heat inside even better and further promote thermal failure. I don't see that it is at all possible to get any use or benefit from a fan if the esc is plasti-dipped. Fans rely on "air" to move against the unit's surface area (which is increased through use of heatsinks) to cool it. Therefore if they are submerged in water they become a "propeller" of sorts and most likely cease to function; hence useless. You could use some type of snorkel, but then again we have to refer to the aforementioned fact that the fan can't really adequately cool through the insulation of the plasti-dip. It would be like setting a fan or some ice outside of your cooler to cool the beer inside;-). Good luck with that.

 

[DiggyStyle]

My suggestion is to simply buy an ESC that's waterproofed and make a waterproof box for your receiver. Personally, I don't see the point of worrying about waterproofing a rock crawler because that's what it is, a rock crawler, not a submarine. With a scaler, I'll admit, sometimes it's fun to do little water crossings, but I've never had the urge to drive in water deep enough to get my ESC wet. In terms of mud bogging and all that, if I wanted to do that, I would buy a rig that is set up for it. Just my $0.02.

^^X1000^^ Yeah, what he said! I just can't see it either. :roll:

 

[Rock_Diggn_Don]

More waterproofing ?

Hello everyone , i`m new here at RCC ,i`m buying the RS10 XT for my first crawler in this size , great forum ,i`m going to have tons of fun using the many many upgrade tips here , i`ve been doing a lot of reading on crawlers and i thought that i had read somewhere else that if you have oil filled bearings you should refill them with grease to water proof them as well , if water gets in your oil filled bearings it can displace the oil in places and cause some corrosion. I saw a simple little tool for doing this on You Tube ,looked very easy to do ,is this something that anyone else here has done or is this really not needed? 8)

Can`t wait to get my crawler ,i`ll be coming here a lot in future for tips and sharing photos. So far i have learned that there will be several low cost big improvement mods to do right away :

1. servos
2. tires
3. shock adjustments

I`ll let you know how it goes .

CYA and thanks "thumbsup"

 

[Hoosierdady]

Hello everyone , i`m new here at RCC ,i`m buying the RS10 XT for my first crawler in this size , great forum ,i`m going to have tons of fun using the many many upgrade tips here , i`ve been doing a lot of reading on crawlers and i thought that i had read somewhere else that if you have oil filled bearings you should refill them with grease to water proof them as well , if water gets in your oil filled bearings it can displace the oil in places and cause some corrosion. I saw a simple little tool for doing this on You Tube ,looked very easy to do ,is this something that anyone else here has done or is this really not needed? 8)

Can`t wait to get my crawler ,i`ll be coming here a lot in future for tips and sharing photos. So far i have learned that there will be several low cost big improvement mods to do right away :

1. servos
2. tires
3. shock adjustments

I`ll let you know how it goes .

CYA and thanks "thumbsup"

Buy the version with the 2.4ghz upgraded tx. But this particular thread is for water proofing a esc "thumbsup"

I'm going to have to agree with Jason on this one. If you want a true waterproofed esc, buy one. Otherwise, as long as you don't get up past the battery in water you're good. There's a guy on here that did the "plastic tub" thing without a snorkel.

As far as the grease goes, I think it's called dielectric grease, and I wouldn't risk the esc on that stuff.

 

[jsowens]

^ I assume you were referring to me when you said Jason? Name's Scott, actually. "thumbsup"

Rock_Diggn_Don, definitely post up a new thread when you get your rig to show any mods or changes you make to your crawler, and I definitely agree and suggest you get the one with the 2.4ghz radio setup.

 

[halon]

Ok, so I had the same situation, and I went and covered the entire ESC up to the heat-sink (without completely covering it) using liquid tape. So, I did not cover it perfectly and water got inside the electronics, fortunately a quick drying (and probably a lot of luck:lmao saved the esc.

Now I don't have a fan, broke it while disassembling the ESC, and I have exposed the electronics and I'm going to try corrosion X to waterproof them. I'll let you know if it worked or not.

Exposed ESC electronics (if you ever wonder)

 

[StomperCrawler]

I'm going to try corrosion X to waterproof them. I'll let you know if it worked or not.

So did it work? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Newfie]

I am surprised brush on electric tape didn't work.