Liquid Electrical Tape: Waterproofing an ESC

[adrian_sm]

I was looking for ways to waterproof the ESC for my friction drive project, and came across how the RC car guys water proof their ESCs, so they can drive through water, using liquid electric tape to seal it all up.

Has anyone tried this out?
Any suggested alternatives?

Here are the products:
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=NM2832
http://www.plastidip.net.au/performix-product-info/liquid-tape-electrical
http://www.bcf.com.au/online-store/...trical-Tape-Black.aspx?pid=154562#Description

And a typical youtube tutorial.
[youtube]t_lQXDzS3pA[/youtube]

- Adrian

 

[Farfle]

I can vouch for plastidip, just make sure its all done before you seal it up, cause its a PITA to get off. lots of light coats and let it dry for awhile, I would suggest the spray can stuff, it works well because its thinner and can get into tight gaps and cracks, the "dip" version works well if you brush it on, and it can be thinned out with standard paint thinner as well. All my electronics get plasti-dipped not just for water resistance, but to keep dust/metal shavings out. And if you want a less permanant method, put it in a baloon, nozzle-side down and add a drip-loop to the wires going in.

 

[johnrobholmes]

Plastidip works, but it is a thermal insulator. A better product is potting epoxy which can be used to sink or dip the electronics. It is also thermally conductive in most cases. Another product you could use is conformal coating. Easier to work with, easy to apply, and gives most of the benefits of potting epoxy.

If you are using Castle products it is already conformal coated. You can basically run the thing underwater already.

 

[oldpiper]

I've used both PlastiDip and Liquid Electrical Tape, and they both work quite well for waterproofing. LET may stick a little bit tighter, at least at first, but I haven't used it as long as PD, so I don't have data for real long periods on it. If you need any color other than black, I've ony found it in PlastiDip.

Cameron

 

[Farfle]

Depending on how your speed control is built, I normally mask off the heatsink-sides of the Fets, plastidip it and then romove the masking, add thermal paste and put it back together. its more labor intensive than potting compound, and probably doesn't work as well. But you can find plastidip at NAPA, home depot, lowes ace hardware etc... In any color, including a DIY color kit .

 

[adrian_sm]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Looks like there are a few options there.

If you are using Castle products it is already conformal coated. You can basically run the thing underwater already.

Are you sure? I would love to be able to have an off the shelf solution like the Phoenix Ice 100, that doesn't require stuffing around to water proof it. But it looks like a lot of people are still waterproofing their Castle Creations stuff, based on the search I did.

- Adrian

 

[Harold in CR]

Liquid Tape also comes in Red and Green. I've been using that stuff for over 20 years, in the boat building trade. I even have 2 bottles of it down here, and, gave one to the local Phone-Internet cable installer guy. He was AMAZED. :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[johnrobholmes]

Castle doesn't warranty water damaged stuff, so people go with the liquid tape because they can peel it off before sending it in.

Something thicker always makes me feel better though.

 

[Gordo]

Liquid Tape also comes in Red and Green. I've been using that stuff for over 20 years, in the boat building trade. I even have 2 bottles of it down here, and, gave one to the local Phone-Internet cable installer guy. He was AMAZED. :lol: :lol: :lol:

3M has liquid tape in black which I first came across while building cablevision antenna systems in the 1960's. 3M Scotch-Weld is an epoxy potting compound which is great for sealing gaps and holes. 3M Bi-Seal neoprene tape becomes a solid mass after application. All our terminals were coated with liquid tape to prevent corrosion. The splices had a layer of bi-seal and then a layer of 88 tape. I still use this system for marine electrical connections and splices, today. Telco's use the same system.

 

[AussieJester]

I have been using quite alot of Liquid tape of late, i love the stuff
works brilliantly, not sure how it would fair with alot of heat though perhaps
trial some first? The benefit of it over an epoxy potting scenario is the Liquid tape
is removable so repairing or warranty return of the ESC wouldnt be void.

I 'potted' my servo tester circuit with the glue from a hot glue gun absolutely
pointless as i will never ride in the wet

KiM

 

[northernmike]

Date: Thu, 4 Aug 2011 14:26:07 -0500
From: thomas@castlecreations.com
FYI - CC products are not waterproofed. See correspondence below:


To: mike_alanko@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Thunderbird 54 for marine use

Mike,

It sounds like there is a software glitch in the ESC that is miscounting the number of cells. Generally this doesn't happen out of the blue after working normally, and is usually a defect from the factory. You could disable the cut-off, but you would be at risk of over-discharging your LiPo's. The controller may have been damaged when the motor failed, but without a usable low voltage cut-off, it wouldn't be ideal to run. The best option would be to send it in for non-warranty replacement for $22.00, which includes a new ESC and shipping back to you. You can find details on the repair process at www.castlecreations.com/support/repairs.html.

As far as water proofing goes, none of our controllers are waterproof, including the Hydra line. There are two methods that seems to work well for waterproofing an ESC. One is to coat the entire board in liquid electrical tape. The other method is to dip the entire controller in a product called Corrosion X, It's basically a water dispersant, and needs to be reapplied several times per year.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

 

[Hummina Shadeeba]

Plastidip works, but it is a thermal insulator. A better product is potting epoxy which can be used to sink or dip the electronics. It is also thermally conductive in most cases. Another product you could use is conformal coating. Easier to work with, easy to apply, and gives most of the benefits of potting epoxy.

If you are using Castle products it is already conformal coated. You can basically run the thing underwater already.

How bout potting the silicon wafer and its metal protrusions of a bare esc with something like this:

http://www.cotronics.com/vo/cotr/pdf/4538.pdf

They have some other products as well, all with dialectic and resistance numbers which should reveal what they could do but I don't know what's what.

 

[Ade]

I've used the plastidip liquid tape to waterproof the connections between battery and motor (bullet connectors, liquid tape, shrink tube then liquid tape for good measure). Been through rain, snow, sleet and they've been fine.

Don't use this stuff in an enclosed space without ventilation though - it stinks and gives you a hell of a buzz.