Another reason why all your electronics should be waterproof

[kfxguy]

I see people say that if your boat is completely water tight, then you don't have to worry about water getting into the hull. Well I'm here to tell you, it's a boat, it's on the water and sooner or later water will find its way in. I flipped my boat far out on the lake yesterday so it took me quite a while to get the recovery out to it and get it back in. It was upside down for abou 45 minutes. Little did I know, it was taking on water as it sat. Wasn't much, I think maybe a couple table spoons worth, but enough to knock out the brand new receiver I had just put in it....that I didn't epoxy coat yet. Moral of the story, if you value your electronics, water prof them. Here's the culprit.....

[Luck as a Constant]

Yeah, one reason I use tactic. No antenna.
That sucks tho


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[Luck as a Constant]

Fwiw, the traxxas waterproof box is a great investment. 12 bucks, and even if water gets into the hull, it's a great secondary precaution.


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[srislash]

So is this the Speky issue then Travis?

[Luck as a Constant]

my old mean machine has flipped over so many times and spent almost and hour once upside down. Never in the history of that boat did I get a single drop of water inside.
Other boats I've had, have been mostly water tight, but I've had different unforeseen things happen causing water to get in.
I think my mm was some sort of anomaly


Maybe try using shrink wrap over the antenna and mount.
That way at least if the tube snaps, the shrink tubing won't. Like tempered glass basically


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[785boats]

A short piece of silicon water cooling tube over the tube & tube holder is what we use here. Strengthens & waterproofs the joint. But I leave the antennae in the boat in most of mine.

[kfxguy]

Yeah, one reason I use tactic. No antenna.
That sucks tho


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Well you couldn't use tactic in a carbon hull. It will not transmit out. I know this for fact. Also, a radio box would not fit or jive with the cleanliness of my builds. Simple epoxy coating does wonders. I've submerged things and they still work.

[ray schrauwen]

Sometimes leaving the antenna tube open let's the hull breathe so to say so water doesn't pump up the drive shaft. I remember a great many moons ago that a completely sealed hull creates a vacuum of sorts and, though a nice idea to stop water coming in, has adverse effects. I just remembered this yesterday while running my PTSS hydro. Ive done bathtub pressure tests and no water coming in except when it runs for 7 laps and then there is 2 ounces of water in the sponsons??????

[kfxguy]

So is this the Speky issue then Travis?

No. It was an orange. Dry it off it works fine again.

[Luck as a Constant]

Well you couldn't use tactic in a carbon hull. It will not transmit out. I know this for fact. Also, a radio box would not fit or jive with the cleanliness of my builds. Simple epoxy coating does wonders. I've submerged things and they still work.

That's true. Bummer


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[kfxguy]

That's true. Bummer


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Not a bummer really. It's super easy to coat them. I coat all of my stuff. I know what your thinking tho...may be why I've had Spektrum receivers fail here lately. Well, that's always a possibility but I'd like to point out the mr3000 that failed was not coated by me, it's encased in epoxy from Spektrum. Also, all of my becs are coated, not one had failed. I also did a servo. Still going. I'm headed to Walmart to pick up some more epoxy to coat all of my prance receivers. I think I'll be swapping over to them. They work as far as I can see and seem to have more current to the servo. If you look in my Rivercat maiden run, I have side by side pics of the orange vs Spektrum receivers....the traces on the orange ones are much larger hence the higher current capacity they seem to have. I love my Spektrum radio, if I have to buy alternate receivers to stay with it, so be it. I did hear they came out with a new receiver that has one antenna but is suitable for land and water and is a better receiver.

[Luck as a Constant]

I was thinking bummer more in terms of having to make and extra hole for a antenna. I'm know it doesn't really bother you much tho-)
For me, I have such ocd, I just try to drill as little holes as possible.
For a while I was using Flysky, and it killed me having to drill holes for antennas in my hulls lol


The only hull I kept using the tactic was the mm, which was the one I never got water in.




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[kfxguy]

I was thinking bummer more in terms of having to make and extra hole for a antenna. I'm know it doesn't really bother you much tho-)
For me, I have such ocd, I just try to drill as little holes as possible.
For a while I was using Flysky, and it killed me having to drill holes for antennas in my hulls lol


The only hull I kept using the tactic was the mm, which was the one I never got water in.




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True. Wish I didn't have to have an antenna hole, but it is what it is. I still put one on the mono too, I just like to make sure I have maximum range.

[photohoward1]

what receivers do you guys use that ruin when they get wet? I use Futaba and have never had an issue. They don't like to work when they are wet but just open them and throw them in the sun a they work again.

[kfxguy]

what receivers do you guys use that ruin when they get wet? I use Futaba and have never had an issue. They don't like to work when they are wet but just open them and throw them in the sun a they work again.

The Spektrum ones usually fail when they get wet. The off name orange ones you can just dry out.

[Luck as a Constant]

Edit

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[tlandauer]

The Spektrum ones usually fail when they get wet. The off name orange ones you can just dry out.

Do you think it is because of the design ( potted according to my knowledge), hard to air them out completely if the potting is not 100%?
I agree, my Tactic got wet and I dried it out, it was good again, so was "the other" ( FlySky) brand.

[Heath M]

I coated my SR3100's in liquid electrical tape and had glitching issues, removed the coating and they were fine again.
What spektrum are you using with the orange receivers? I have a DX3r non marine

[kfxguy]

I coated my SR3100's in liquid electrical tape and had glitching issues, removed the coating and they were fine again.
What spektrum are you using with the orange receivers? I have a DX3r non marine

Dx4s

[kfxguy]

A short piece of silicon water cooling tube over the tube & tube holder is what we use here. Strengthens & waterproofs the joint. But I leave the antennae in the boat in most of mine.

I bet heat shrink with the glue in it would work well too. Thanks for that idea.

[tlandauer]

I never had an issue and never did anything "extra" to my MR200, MR3000 is submersible, as I had one under water for 45 min. and was good the next minute. However, if one looks closely, not everyone of the MR3000 is "encased" the same way, some are not as generously encased in epoxy as others. Just production variances I guess........
I was asking Travis this question because I thought the MR200 wasn't as "water proof" as the MR3000.

[kfxguy]

I never had an issue and never did anything "extra" to my MR200, MR3000 is submersible, as I had one under water for 45 min. and was good the next minute. However, if one looks closely, not everyone of the MR3000 is "encased" the same way, some are not as generously encased in epoxy as others. Just production variances I guess........
I was asking Travis this question because I thought the MR200 wasn't as "water proof" as the MR3000.

The mr3000 should be more waterproof. The mr200 has a coating called reliakote which isn't very reliable. Every one I've got wet failed unless I coated them myself.

[iridebikes247]

I've been doing this for a few years now, helps keep water out.



antenna.jpg

[tlandauer]

The mr3000 should be more waterproof. The mr200 has a coating called reliakote which isn't very reliable. Every one I've got wet failed unless I coated them myself.

Thank you for the knowledge!

[flraptor07]

If I have the same issues with my Spektrum at the new lake I had at our old lake, I'm gonna be selling a almost new DX4R Pro and 5 or 6 recievers I think I have 3 of each MR200s and MR3000s I'll make somebody a hell deal. My Futaba 4PL has worked flawless and I think I'll get the new Futaba 4PX

[kfxguy]

If I have the same issues with my Spektrum at the new lake I had at our old lake, I'm gonna be selling a almost new DX4R Pro and 5 or 6 recievers I think I have 3 of each MR200s and MR3000s I'll make somebody a hell deal. My Futaba 4PL has worked flawless and I think I'll get the new Futaba 4PX

I'll want an mr3000 (dunno why.....I guess I like the dual outputs in case I build a twin.

[tlandauer]

I'll want an mr3000 (dunno why.....I guess I like the dual outputs in case I build a twin.

That certainly is a big plus.

[flraptor07]

I'll want an mr3000 (dunno why.....I guess I like the dual outputs in case I build a twin.

It's deffinetly a nice feature, but I had real bad cutting out issues with it. worse than with the MR200s. But like I said I'm gonna try it at the new lake and see, the old lake had a big communication tower of some kind at one end and I always thought it might have something to do with the radio issues. I wasn't the only one in the club that had issues, the common thing was that nobody had issues with Futaba radios. But Spektrum, Tactic, Airtronics, and Radio Post and some others all had intermittant issues at that lake, some days would be perfect and other days you couldn't make a lap without having a problem.

[kfxguy]

It's deffinetly a nice feature, but I had real bad cutting out issues with it. worse than with the MR200s. But like I said I'm gonna try it at the new lake and see, the old lake had a big communication tower of some kind at one end and I always thought it might have something to do with the radio issues. I wasn't the only one in the club that had issues, the common thing was that nobody had issues with Futaba radios. But Spektrum, Tactic, Airtronics, and Radio Post and some others all had intermittant issues at that lake, some days would be perfect and other days you couldn't make a lap without having a problem.

Try an orange one. They are only 15 bucks. So far I think they work better. I'm swapping all my stuff over to them. I have them in three boats so far

[T.S.Davis]

All of the Spektrum RX's come with Relikoat now. Not sure on that spelling.

I've not tried the orange RX's. At that price you could pot them in DP270. Are those the ones that Hobbyking sells?

I know that the DX3 was DSM2 tech and that the DX4 is now DSMR which was supposed to have better signal. I've been looking at this a lot in the passed week or so.