waterproofing electronics

[dlsebro]

I bought the TRX-6 and loved it but wanted more speed for trails. I followed Traxxas guide to make it brushless and now crawling sucks but does have speed.

Talking to a guy I met while crawling and made a deal for a Mamba X and Roc412. Told me I would not be sorry. Best of both worlds.

Is there anything I should do to help protect the waterproofing? The reason I ask is because I read a few posts about the waterproof grease wears off the sensor cable and can cause cogging.

I did read somewhere about plastic dipping or plasti dipping ... can not remember the right words, or should I just not worry about it.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you

 

[MrAwesome987]

I bought the TRX-6 and loved it but wanted more speed for trails. I followed Traxxas guide to make it brushless and now crawling sucks but does have speed.

Talking to a guy I met while crawling and made a deal for a Mamba X and Roc412. Told me I would not be sorry. Best of both worlds.

Is there anything I should do to help protect the waterproofing? The reason I ask is because I read a few posts about the waterproof grease wears off the sensor cable and can cause cogging.

I did read somewhere about plastic dipping or plasti dipping ... can not remember the right words, or should I just not worry about it.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you

IMO, it's not gonna be necessary with that combo. I have a Mamba X and a ROC412HD in a GOM, and I submarine it all the time. Never had an issue with it. I did not make any effort to waterproof it.

 

[HumboldtEF]

First off are you submerging the rig?

If you end up with cogging your sensor wire is either bad or not making good contact. Having spare cables is useful in diagnosing if a cable is bad (swap in a new one and re-test). If the grease on the cable isnt doing its job (which is simply to keep water out) you can just re-apply it but the grease has nothing to do with cogging beyond the sensor cable getting damaged or corroded.

Now if you're not submerging this rig I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Plasti dipping as a means to waterproof is a very old technique and its not really favored anymore. If you have raw electronics (PCB's) you can use a conformal coating like this https://holmeshobbies.com/electronics-and-wiring/conformal-coating.html

Also I'm just curious but what did Traxxas recommend for a brushless setup? I dont think they have any brushless gear meant for crawlers so It no surprise it wasn't good at low speed.

The mamba X is waterproof (which really just means its rated as 'splash proof')

Any Brushless motor even when grease is used can suck up water when hot and cooling down, your mileage may vary.

 

[Greatscott]

The weak point in the Mamba-X is the sensor cable. If it gets wet you are likely to see cogging until it dries out. The best way to prevent this is to put a dab of dielectric grease (AKA: lightbulb grease) on the motor and Mamba-X connectors before you plug in he sensor wire. The down-side is that the grease is a dirt magnet, but it really isn't that terrible. Every so often I pull the sensor wire, clean everything up, reapply the grease, and reconnect; takes about two or three minutes to do.

 

[Steve g]

The weak point in the Mamba-X is the sensor cable. If it gets wet you are likely to see cogging until it dries out. The best way to prevent this is to put a dab of dielectric grease (AKA: lightbulb grease) on the motor and Mamba-X connectors before you plug in he sensor wire. The down-side is that the grease is a dirt magnet, but it really isn't that terrible. Every so often I pull the sensor wire, clean everything up, reapply the grease, and reconnect; takes about two or three minutes to do.

This 100%. Plus the dam on/off switch. Cut it off and solder the wires together.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[dlsebro]

Thanks for the information.

New to this hobby, this is the guide I followed on the Traxxas website:

https://traxxas.com/news/brushless-trx6

 

[Greatscott]

Thanks for the information.

New to this hobby, this is the guide I followed on the Traxxas website:

https://traxxas.com/news/brushless-trx6

That is for a fast(er) rig with no climbing capability.

 

[dlsebro]

Yes, I found that out the hard and expensive way. But, that is how ya learn. From know on gonna research before I just do things.

Thanks again

 

[Greatscott]

Yes, I found that out the hard and expensive way. But, that is how ya learn. From know on gonna research before I just do things.

Thanks again

LOL :lmao:

Dude, this happens to all of us. We see something that looks good/right and run with it to just find out that it took us the wrong direction with our rig. Doing more research, and asking questions is the key here.

In this case, if you want a Rally-style TRX6, going with Traxxas' set up isn't a bad way to go, but it a bit more expensive compared to other ESC/motors that will do the same thing. But, that setup will likely cog REALLY badly at low speeds, and will not have that much torque.

 

[dlsebro]

That it did, clogging ... hated that, when I first heard it and saw it I thought I broke something on it

When I change out the ESC/Motor, should I upgrade to a CC BEC 2.0 wp or just stay with the Traxxas BEC (TRA2262)?

 

[Greatscott]

That it did, clogging ... hated that, when I first heard it and saw it I thought I broke something on it

When I change out the ESC/Motor, should I upgrade to a CC BEC 2.0 wp or just stay with the Traxxas BEC (TRA2262)?

It depends on what system you go with, and what the ESC's internal BEC is rated to. If the internal BEC is 3A or higher, then you should not need an external BEC.

A popular and great upgrade is the Hobbywing 1080 ESC (brushed). It runs about $40, and has a 3A BEC. Paired with a motor that is around 30 turns and it will go all day long. But, if you are running a servo rated higher than 300oz, you'll want to install an external 10A BEC, like the Castle 2.0.

If you go with the Mamba-X, you'll be good no matter what. That has an 8amp BEC that will run just about anything you can throw at it.

You do have to be mindful of programable BECs and Traxxas electronics. The RX is only rated to 6VDC, and you run a significant risk of destroying the RX with higher voltages. Some people have said that they have ran Traxxas RXs at higher voltages, but every time I have tried the RX has fried.

 

[dlsebro]

I am going with the Mamba X and the Roc412. Thanks for the heads up on the RX.

I was hoping to still use the Traxxas RX and TX after spending all that $$$$$ on bells and whistles (High Torque 400 servo, Telemetry Expander with temperature and GPS speed sensors and the Pro Scale Advanced Lighting Control System). Last thing I want to do is spend more $$$$

Could I use castle link to set the BEC to 6.0V, maybe then it may not fry the RX?

If the RX does get fried will all the servos (1 steering and the 2 mini servos for locking the diffs) get fried also?

 

[durok]

The Traxxas micro-servos are also 6v max.

The Traxxas 400 servo will handle 7.4v.

 

[Greatscott]

I am going with the Mamba X and the Roc412. Thanks for the heads up on the RX.

I was hoping to still use the Traxxas RX and TX after spending all that $$$$$ on bells and whistles (High Torque 400 servo, Telemetry Expander with temperature and GPS speed sensors and the Pro Scale Advanced Lighting Control System). Last thing I want to do is spend more $$$$

Could I use castle link to set the BEC to 6.0V, maybe then it may not fry the RX?

If the RX does get fried will all the servos (1 steering and the 2 mini servos for locking the diffs) get fried also?

You should be good keeping the Mamba-X's BEC at 6VDC.

The Traxxas micro-servos are also 6v max.

The Traxxas 400 servo will handle 7.4v.

Very good point.

 

[dlsebro]

Thank you. Gives me lots to learn about.

 

[meatmonkey]

I think the most important lesson to be learned here is that friends don't let friends buy Traxxas electronics. They basically cost a premium for a mediocre at best product.

 

[dlsebro]

I think the most important lesson to be learned here is that friends don't let friends buy Traxxas electronics. They basically cost a premium for a mediocre at best product.

Learned my lesson :twisted:, doubt I will buy traxxas again. but I do Have my eye on a couple of Axial models for in the future."thumbsup"

 

[Greatscott]

Learned my lesson :twisted:, doubt I will buy traxxas again. but I do Have my eye on a couple of Axial models for in the future."thumbsup"

Traxxas electronics are not terrible for RTR, in fact, they are better than most. The mistake is buying Traxxas RTR electronics as an upgrade. But, hardware-wise, Traxxas beats the crap out of Axial; and Traxxas RTR electronics are better that Axials.

 

[Cromulent]

If you want to run the servo at 7.4V, you can use an external BEC like the Castle 10A set at 7.4V, powering the servo through a Holmes Hobbies Rx bypass harness, with the ESC’s integrated BEC set at 6.0V for the Rx and micro servos.