Inside a Tactic Receiver & How to fix one that gets wet

[Capt. Crash]

I got my receiver wet after a roll over but I didn't know it till the next run, and while my hydro was sitting on the pond waiting for the start of a race....it just took off full speed for a quick few seconds (all by itself) before dying. I got a DNS for that heat. I was shocked to see a 2.4 radio do that. I had to clean my undies out after watching my new hydro take off by it self too!

One of the servo cables was touching the overhead, and I think a drop of water ran down it into the receiver after the boat was turned back over. The fix for that is to zip tie the wires off of the deck and the overhead so water can't get on them next time.

Phil of Vac-u-Boats, showed me the insides of one of his receivers that he had just retreieved from the bottom of the pond after being under water for 30 min. One of his tugs went bow to the heavens and we watched it slip under. I was able to rescue the deck and he fished out the hull with a fishing pole.....anyway he said to just press the tabs on the side of the case and pop out the circuit board. Brush with Isopropol Alcohol and blow dry. Good to go again....and I did just that and wala! It works again. I had no bind light or anything, but after doing the above, it works again like a champ.

Here are pics of the inside....not much to it.

Crash

[damfurst]

The best thing to do is to waterproof the rx with epoxy either conformal or regular. I have done both to my tactic rx's & others. I've had similar experiences as yours with even having rx's burned out because of water drops. After waterproofing them I've had them underwater (some several times) and never had a problem. Just when coating them be careful and don't put any on the bind button.

[Steven Vaccaro]

Funny things happen when electronics gets wet.

Spraying the board with corrosion x helps.

[Capt. Crash]

The best thing to do is to waterproof the rx with epoxy either conformal or regular. I have done both to my tactic rx's & others. I've had similar experiences as yours with even having rx's burned out because of water drops. After waterproofing them I've had them underwater (some several times) and never had a problem. Just when coating them be careful and don't put any on the bind button.

When you say "waterproof the rx with epoxy"...what exactly are you doing? I want to be able to unplug my wires as needed and don't want to hassel with balloons etc.
Are you just coating the board?
Crash

[damfurst]

When you say "waterproof the rx with epoxy"...what exactly are you doing? I want to be able to unplug my wires as needed and don't want to hassel with balloons etc.
Are you just coating the board?
Crash

Yes I'm coating just the board front and back, but leaving the connector pins clear and the bind button. I mix the epoxy with the end of a small zip tie. Then I use the same end that I mixed with to coat the board. The zip tie end is small enough to spread the epoxy in and around and over all the components on the board. Some guys do use small brushes to spread it around too. Once the epoxy sets you can reassemble the rx in the case and it will be waterproof. I do my esc the same way except not over the fet's, but definitly all around them. That way you can still use heat sinks or water cooling plates on them. I have had different ones of the rx's & esc's that have been submerged for extended periods and not had them fry. But once I get the boat out of the water I do let the boat completely air dry for a couple of days before using it again.

[Jeff Wohlt]

I was at harbor freight today and found the clear spray on liquid electrical tape. They had black but saw the clear and thought it may work great for these radios. I will keep a dummy connector in it when I spray the board and then remove the connector.

I also bought a can of Liquid wrench silicone spray and it says waterproofs. May not last long but I bet it would work for a while.

[jantagg]

If you want to waterproof your receivers get a product called LIQUIGUARD. It comes in a spray can and is clear, flexible and durable. After applying LG I have opened up a receiver, remover the mother board and placed it in a glass of water for over and hour. After pulling it out it worked just fine. Last Thursday, I ran my 6S hydro but, forgot to connect the water line to the ESC. After a nice run I brought the boat in and to my horror, found it was full of dirty water. However, the receiver was still doing its job. The stuff is kind of expensive but a can will last a long time and can be shared by other club members. Liquiguard Technologies Inc, Liquiguard .com

One caution, cover the connector prongs when applying, because it stops water and electricity flow.

[99z286spd]

I pack my rx cases with Dialectric grease....I had an SR3000 rx underwater( only bow sticking out) for 4 hrs in my new Challenger till i could get it back and it was still on and working when I got it back.........Damn turtles.....