Water Proofing Electronics

[Headrunner]

I just read through every page of this post and was not sure which method I was going to use on the Honcho I'm getting soon. Then I read your comment CodesEmpire, and found your youtube videos where you and Bugs go through the process of waterproofing her Rig. I think the 2 part epoxy is the way I'm going to go "thumbsup", Here is a link to the video for any others wanting to check it out CodesEmpire - How to WaterProof Your RC - Step 1: ESC

 

[CodesEmpire]

I just read through every page of this post and was not sure which method I was going to use on the Honcho I'm getting soon. Then I read your comment CodesEmpire, and found your youtube videos where you and Bugs go through the process of waterproofing her Rig. I think the 2 part epoxy is the way I'm going to go "thumbsup", Here is a link to the video for any others wanting to check it out CodesEmpire - How to WaterProof Your RC - Step 1: ESC

Wow, thank you so kindly for the mention Headrunner. I'm glad that this was able to help you out. ;-)

 

[BL4Z3]

OK I have read most of this thread , I am planning on getting a honcho ,..In researching waterproofing methods ,I have changed my mind several times on what method I will want to use ,...Im still not sure ,...
It does seem all methods have been done successfully ,... At first I was convinced Plati-dip would be the best , however I dont like how it can shrink & react with temperature ,..I also really like the expoxy method , but I have used expoxy on aircraft models as a kid, on things like main spars ,..& sometimes have seen it become brittle or crack & separate, also because you want to ensure your board fits back in its case , you put it back in before the epoxy sets up ,..which means in the (admittedly rare) occasion where you may want to take it back apart you wont be able to ,.
I Also like dieelectric grease because I would feel pretty confident it would be easy to ensure it squeezes in every crevice it needs to be & still allows access to buttons & lights ,& with careful cleanup should be reversible,...however my concern would be 1 ) the grease breaking down over time ,or with heat leaving tiny areas exposed 2) dust ,...for those that have used the grease method ,..how long have you been using it since you applied it ? & is there any dust attracting issues ,..? are the seems of your electronic cases plugged with dust? & how do you go about cleaning without losing the grease? I will mostly be using my honcho in the summer & the heat can get up there most days in the upper 80's or 90's , I would be looking at waterproofing as a preventive measure in case I fall in water, I do not plan to intentionally completely submerge or go mud bogging ,..I plan to do more rock crawling & scale details & make video's

So if you "Greasers" could maybe say how long you have been using it ,..have you had to reapply after cleaning? Does it breakdown with age or heat? has it failed ? has it caused problems with dust?

 

[idaho]

OK I have read most of this thread , I am planning on getting a honcho ,..In researching waterproofing methods ,I have changed my mind several times on what method I will want to use ,...Im still not sure ,...
It does seem all methods have been done successfully ,... At first I was convinced Plati-dip would be the best , however I dont like how it can shrink & react with temperature ,..I also really like the expoxy method , but I have used expoxy on aircraft models as a kid, on things like main spars ,..& sometimes have seen it become brittle or crack & separate, also because you want to ensure your board fits back in its case , you put it back in before the epoxy sets up ,..which means in the (admittedly rare) occasion where you may want to take it back apart you wont be able to ,.
I Also like dieelectric grease because I would feel pretty confident it would be easy to ensure it squeezes in every crevice it needs to be & still allows access to buttons & lights ,& with careful cleanup should be reversible,...however my concern would be 1 ) the grease breaking down over time ,or with heat leaving tiny areas exposed 2) dust ,...for those that have used the grease method ,..how long have you been using it since you applied it ? & is there any dust attracting issues ,..? are the seems of your electronic cases plugged with dust? & how do you go about cleaning without losing the grease? I will mostly be using my honcho in the summer & the heat can get up there most days in the upper 80's or 90's , I would be looking at waterproofing as a preventive measure in case I fall in water, I do not plan to intentionally completely submerge or go mud bogging ,..I plan to do more rock crawling & scale details & make video's

So if you "Greasers" could maybe say how long you have been using it ,..have you had to reapply after cleaning? Does it breakdown with age or heat? has it failed ? has it caused problems with dust?

Are you intentionally leaving out conformal coatings? Specifically silicone conformal coating?

 

[BL4Z3]

Are you intentionally leaving out conformal coatings? Specifically silicone conformal coating?

No, sorry not intentionally , If I understand correctly
conformal coating is generally a thin layer of liquid type silicone,... or some people use corrosion x , to dip the circuit board in leaving a waterproof film ,..I did see a video of a esc dipped in this way running in a bowl of water ,..I would have basically the same concerns as Dielectric grease , with it wearing or washing off although I imagine it would be alot better for the dust issue ..I have seen it work however it may just be a mental perception thing with me ,..its just that you almost dont really see the protection & seems like it would be hard to see if it has worn off ,..where as with the grease its something I can actually see it there when I check ,..Im still reading & learning as much as I can ,..So I would ask the same thing to those running conformal coatings , on wear & how long they have been using it & how cleaning affects it ,...also If you wanted to do any soldering later on would it make that difficult?

 

[Headrunner]

I to am still learning and reading so I can waterproof the Honcho I'm getting soon. After speaking with a few members I am now convinced that Conformal Coating is what I'm going to use. I was first going to use the 2 part epoxy method but after reading more about conformal coating it is basically the exact same thing except conformal coating is made for water resisting circuit boards. What I have learned from talking to members who use it currently with the conformal coating you apply it in multiple layers and yes it is clear but as you add a few layers you can see it build up, also I read a black light can be used to verify you have not missed any spots however I have not tested that myself yet. I did however Go ahead and order some MG Chemicals 422B Silicone Conformal Coating, 55 ml Liquid Bottle, Clear and some Permatex 22058 Dielectric Tune-Up Grease Ill coat the boards with the conformal coating and use the dielectric grease on my connections.

 

[idaho]

No, sorry not intentionally , If I understand correctly
conformal coating is generally a thin layer of liquid type silicone,... or some people use corrosion x , to dip the circuit board in leaving a waterproof film ,..I did see a video of a esc dipped in this way running in a bowl of water ,..I would have basically the same concerns as Dielectric grease , with it wearing or washing off although I imagine it would be alot better for the dust issue ..I have seen it work however it may just be a mental perception thing with me ,..its just that you almost dont really see the protection & seems like it would be hard to see if it has worn off ,..where as with the grease its something I can actually see it there when I check ,..Im still reading & learning as much as I can ,..So I would ask the same thing to those running conformal coatings , on wear & how long they have been using it & how cleaning affects it ,...also If you wanted to do any soldering later on would it make that difficult?

Personally after doing much research I decided to use a silicone conformal coating as I know with exposure to sunlight the silicone should hold up for a while, it's removable to do work yet your not losing any waterproofing ability for it being east to remove, things coated in it will fit back in cases with ease, and it's actually designed to waterproof pcb's, I will use dielectric grease to pack my servo case after coating the board of the servo.

 

[nicholask1993]

Like conformal coating over liquid tape or plasti dip. Keeps the factory ESC look and it's easily removable for soldering. Oh and the black light works great with the MG chemicals stuff I got off Amazon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[BL4Z3]

What about this stuff? http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/10221012/Fluid_Film_Anti_Corrosion_and_Lubrication_Polymer.html
Fluid Film® | Corrosion Preventative, Lubricant and Rust Inhibitor

or WD-40 Specialist Water Resistant Silicone | Canadian Tire

 

[iDC5]

is this conformal coating purchasable at local stores of any type, Or only online?

 

[CodesEmpire]

One thing to keep in mind guys, there is a lot of ways to try to waterproof your electronics but in the end, there is always that risk when you mix water and electronics. I've personally done several methods, and some worked better than others. I've seen pros and cons about all of them. I'm always up to trying out new methods too. That MG Chemicals 422B Silicone Conformal Coating looks and sounds like it could be pretty good. I'll be honest about greases. I use the Dielectric Grease for connections and stuff, but not inside the servo gear box. It seems to break down to fast. That's my own oppinion on it. I've used marine grease in all my servos around the front of it and in the gears. This stuff doesnt break down with water. I've never had it harm any electronics either. That's from my own experence. I hope this helps out some. Good luck Guys!

 

[Calderwood]

is this conformal coating purchasable at local stores of any type, Or only online?

That depends on how good your local supply houses are. It is available for around $10 shipped from both amazon and ebay. I use the MG Chemicals 419b Acrylic conformal coating and 8310 conformal coating stripper if I need to do any soldering on something I have already coated.

 

[BL4Z3]

Wow I sure have been getting an education researching the different methods ,...& every once in while I see a new method I havent thought of
Has anyone tried never wet for any length of time ?

"WaterProofing"(water repelling) Your RC Electronics - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2oChZadtS0
Neverwet Waterproofing on Radio Controlled Truck - SCX10 73 Bronco - YouTube

What about straight silicone spray? http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/Lubricant-And-Grease/Silicone-Spray/8003463.p

I would usually be running in fairly hot ambient temps ,..so Im looking for a method that still provides the most cooling , I doubt I will ever intentionally submerge things , but just wanna give it chance to survive should it happen

 

[Calderwood]

Wow I sure have been getting an education researching the different methods ,...& every once in while I see a new method I havent thought of
Has anyone tried never wet for any length of time ?

"WaterProofing"(water repelling) Your RC Electronics - YouTube
Water proofing Rc electronics - YouTube
Neverwet Waterproofing on Radio Controlled Truck - SCX10 73 Bronco - YouTube

I would usually be running in fairly hot ambient temps ,..so Im looking for a method that still provides the most cooling , I doubt I will ever intentionally submerge things , but just wanna give it chance to survive should it happen

Why not just do it right?

 

[BL4Z3]

All Im doing is exploring all the options, everyone will have what is right for them ,..I have read about all methods being used successfully & I have also read of failures with every method ,.. My opinion so far after reading ,.. would be that if you intend to repeatedly absolutely submerge your electronics,.. then products that are specifically designed to give circuit boards water resistance would be the safest bet ,..such as potting epoxy & conformal coating
While platidip & expoxy have been used just fine for many ,..It should be noted that they both shrink ,..& in at least some cases have shrunk enough to actually pull components out of the board or crush them , there can also be a slight temp increase ,which could be an issue if you are not setup or geared correctly ,..
& with plasti dip if any moisture does get in (from where the wires meet the board is most common) It will trap the moisture in ,... The other thing is if you have new electronics under warranty , you may want something that preserves an unaltered look , some have used corrosion x or similar things as well , everyone has their reasons for what they prefer ,Some may want to preserve maximum heat dissipation in hot enviroments , Some may never intend to submerge in water at all , some submerge in a thick mud puddle accumulating so much mud when it comes out , it just resembles the general shape of what went in ,lol I dont think Im going to like cleaning or replacing bearings gears motors etc that are packed with mud & water , so I would tend to avoid that , but thats just me

I did find these posts interesting

Waterproof Coating (You're not going to believe this...) - OPENROV




"Fluid Film will protect your electronics, GPS, Radios, Radar circuit boards from salt water immersion for up to 2 years and more, it can be sprayed directly onto printed circuit boards."

From : Parts & Accessories - Fluid Film Anti-Corrosion and Lubrication Polymer was sold for R45.00 on 17 Dec at 11:30 by DGMDistributors in Cape Town (ID:10221012)

 

[CodesEmpire]

I did find these posts interesting

Waterproof Coating (You're not going to believe this...) - OPENROV

I found this really interesting too. My biggest thing like any other waterproofing out there, how will it hold up if I spray it on the circuit board and let say water gets into the servo and sits there for a while. Will this cause it to start to let water in. They never left anything soaking for a period of time. Looks like a cool product to try out, but for the price I'll stick to my 2 part epoxy. It's like I said before. There is a risk everytime you mix water and electronics.

I think the biggest thing most of us are trying to do here is slow down the chance of water frying our electronics. So if you aren't playing in water then to pick one method and apply it, then you will be set. It's protection that you didnt have before, but at least you can feel like you wont ruin something just cause you get some water on it. I personally see water and I'm drawn to it. lol... Can't help myself, and I know that I run a risk that my waterproof job could fail. So far I've been lucky. Good luck and have fun! ;-)

 

[BL4Z3]

I found this really interesting too. My biggest thing like any other waterproofing out there, how will it hold up if I spray it on the circuit board and let say water gets into the servo and sits there for a while. Will this cause it to start to let water in. They never left anything soaking for a period of time. Looks like a cool product to try out, but for the price I'll stick to my 2 part epoxy. It's like I said before. There is a risk everytime you mix water and electronics.

I think the biggest thing most of us are trying to do here is slow down the chance of water frying our electronics. So if you aren't playing in water then to pick one method and apply it, then you will be set. It's protection that you didnt have before, but at least you can feel like you wont ruin something just cause you get some water on it. I personally see water and I'm drawn to it. lol... Can't help myself, and I know that I run a risk that my waterproof job could fail. So far I've been lucky. Good luck and have fun! ;-)

Yes but what I found interesting about that page was about 6 posts down by david & your right although it initially looks impressive , & it may help , You might not want to depend on where you need absolutely permanent waterproof protection ,...here is his post quoted

"Comment by David Lang on March 1, 2013 at 1:46pm <dl _id="6365107:Comment:37301" id="c_d14" class="comment vcard xg_lightborder"><dd> Eric's voice of reason...

I hate to rain on this parade (okay, a little bit of a pun was intended there!) but I want to be a voice of caution here. Sprays that supposedly 'make electronics waterproof' have been the content of late-night infomercials for years. 'Nano-technology' is just a fancy way of saying that they're using a chemical (generally some sort of oil) that has water-repelant properties at the molecular level (just like the silicone spray we already use) and perhaps some stuff that causes the chemical to bond with the material it's applied to

Here are some examples:
CorrosionX, Liquipel, NeverWet, HzO, P2i, ... the list goes on.

All of these companies have managed to get sensationalistic press that reads something like "new revolutionary invention changes everything"

Here are some examples:
http://www.zagg.com/community/blog/your-next-iphone-may-be-waterpro...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/liquipel-waterproof-phone_...
http://techland.time.com/2012/05/16/waterproof-smartphones-coming-s...
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/01/09/finally-can-throw-your-phone...

They work by adding a hydrophobic substance to the surface of a material, but it is just a coating and will not hold up over time if submerged

How do they dunk electronics in water without ruining them? It's fresh water. Although their spray will help prevent water from accumulating (just like rain-x on a windshield that helps water "roll off" the surface) it's not actually insulating anything. I could do a similar demo with an electronics board that has no coating on it in fresh water, and as long as the water that's accumulated on the board were removed afterward, you'd see just about the same results.

There are also ways of *actually* putting an insulating layer over electronics which is called conformal coating, but even this is not something people would trust while being submerged in salt water.

What's more, is that even if something like this worked reliably, electrical insulation isn't our issue with the motors, it's corrosion on the bearings. Because the bearings used in our motor are made with high carbon (non-stainless) steel, they oxidize over time. Because they are moving parts, any spray or coating wears off.

We've already been using a "hydrophobic nanotechnology" to help reduce this process, and it doesn't cost $150 a bottle. Here's a link.

Okay- so all of this is a bit harsh, I'll admit. Sprays and coatings like this one *can* actually help protect electronics if they get wet accidentally. But I want to disband and claims that they make things anything more then splashproof- especially with moving components. Would you spray your laptop with this stuff and take it scuba diving with you?

I think it's worth doing some research and experimentation with various chemicals to see how they improve the longevity of things underwater, and getting the discussion going about the topic is a good idea, but our methods and recommendations should ultimately be based on testing"

</dd></dl>

 

[Naughty Dawg]

This is a great thread and very helpful. I've ended up using silicon conformal coating on my ESC ad Rx boards; I disassembled my servo and dunked the board and motor in Corrosion X, and will use the dielectric grease when I button it back up. The last question I have is regarding the motor. I plan to use Corrosion X on it - so do I just submerse it case and all in the Corrosion X for 20 - 30- minutes? If I need to disassemble it, what is the best way to remove the case without destroying the little tabs that hold the case on? This is an Axial 27T motor.

 

[BL4Z3]

Ok just out of curiosity , I was out & picked up just a standard aerosol silcone quick dry spray & a spray called Fluid Film ,... I took a couple of solar lights off the fence & took them apart to the circuit boards , I sprayed one with the quick dry silicone & one with fluid film ,,,waited for a bit then brought them both in & ran them under the bath faucet ,..Now the Fluid film I was a bit skeptical about because I felt it would wash off under pressure & heat & I thought the tacky quick dry silicone would do better ,..but it was the opposite, the silicone treatment failed ,...& the fluid film worked very well ,..Now the fluid film is a bit messy & it kind of collects into globs ,...but the heat & pressure of the tub faucet washed most of the excess off , as I held it under the full pressure of the tub faucet the entire circuit board, battery & light, & the light never even flickered ,I was kind of surprised with that ,..I have no idea how long it would last, & certainly would still advise conformal coating & potting epoxy over anything else
Im gonna try & experiment with it more & really try to make it fail , Ill try really hot water & prolonged submersion & see what happens
I cant find the links now but somewhere I did read people have used on their ESc , If it holds up i would consider it to be used in the same way as corrosion x & would probably be best to check it & reapply once a season & dab off excess

 

[BL4Z3]

Allright , I tried to make Fluid Film fail, on the solar light circuit board , with high heat & pressure water flow & submersion , I could not get it to fail ...but its just a simple solar light,..
I had an old futaba 6 channel fm radio setup , So I decided to test it on the receiver , opened case sprayed on circuit board ,..& I dont know how critical it is but I also sprayed into the battery & servo connectors as well ,...submerged the reciever in bowl of water & it works fine , So I think Im just gonna leave it & keep testing it every once in a while & see how long it lasts , but so far seems to work just like corrosion x , leaves a very thin oil coating