Axial AE-1 ESC - Waterproofing

Another thing that I did few weeks back...

My Honcho's ESC is previously housed in a small waterproof box until lately, I thought the ESC is getting too warm when the Receiver glitches intermittently. So I removed the ESC from the box and waterproofed it. The receiver still glitches whenever the servo is exerting high force, and i suspected that the low current BEC in the Axial AE-1 ESC is causing the problem.

So, I added an 8A BEC (a little overkill for powering 2x high torque servos, one for steering, one for Dig, and to power the receiver) and it solved the glitching problems.

Back to the waterproofing part.....

DISCLAIMER:
TRY THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK... I WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES...

In our part of the world (Singapore) PlastiDip, Liquid Tape, and similar stuffs seems to be non-existent... I searched around Singapore's hardware stores, and nobody seems to know about such a product.

What is easily available in our part of the world is Silicone Sealant. WARNING: PLEASE ONLY USE NEUTRAL CURE SILICONE SEALANT, Neutral Cure Silicone does not release acid during the curing process. This acid will corrode the PCB and destroy your ESC.... BEWARE!

Neutral Cure Silicone usually is odourless, and it is indicated on the package. Be careful when shopping for Silicone sealant. :)

I used the Silicone to waterproof like how the guys in the other parts of the world do with PlastiDip and Liquid Tape... I opened the AE-1 ESC case and covered the whole PCB with the neutral cure silicone and the it dry totally before putting the silicone covered ESC back into the AE-1 plastic case.

Below are the pictures.

Axial SCX10 - Honcho TR - Waterproofing

I've searched a number of hardware stores, DIY stores around Singapore and still couldn't find "Plastic Dip"... so I used silicon to waterproof the electronics for the honcho.

I did not have any balloons with me and it was 2200hrs when i started the waterproofing... so... i went on without the "receiver in balloon" method...

Disclaimer: I do not guarantee that your stuffs will be 100% waterproof by using the below methods...

Stuffs that requires waterproofing - Servo, Receiver, Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)

Tearing out the servo....

this is how it looked before anything was done...

 

silicon glue was applied to all the seams of the servo...

i tore apart the servo and wanted to fill the internals with silicon, oil, etc.. 

but in the end, i decided not to... i said to myself...  "just seal the seams will do..." :)

I applied grease to the output shaft of the servo before fixing on the horn...

messy... but this should keep some water out... (i hope)

This is the receiver... it resides in the receiver box that came with the honcho

i took this photo so that in case i forgot which way the connectors are plugged in...

This is the stock receiver in the scx10... inside there, housed the receiver, 

and the small LED circuit board...

i sealed the 2 bolts (inside the receiver box, mounting to bracket below) with silicon, 

as well as the outer seam of the receiver box, 

and also the hole where the wires leave the box.

For the ESC, i digged through the kitchen and found a little plastic box 

which fits in the receiver nicely, with enough room for keeping some air inside to cool it...

a hole was made and all the cables are routed through the plastic box.

the hole is then sealed with silicon... 

That's all the waterproofing that i've done.... i hope it is enough for the time being...

If anyone knows where to get Plastic Dip in Singapore, do let me know! :)

Thanks.