I need to replace both ESC's . What to replace them with?

[vinnyp]

I am still on the learning curve with this hobby. Today, I found out that the electronics in my Zelos 36 are not as water proof as I thought. I should have known better.
As we know, from time to time, some water gets into these boats. I have been very diligent to clean up and spray everything down with WD40. However, what I failed to realize is that on the heavy gauge power leads going to the ESC's, there are 2 caps that are wrapped in shrink wrap. They are not sealed very well. Over the short time that I have run this boat, water spray got in there and wiped out the caps and the bases they are attached to, shorting them out. On one of the ESC's, the small gauge wires coming from the power switch , burned up and melted together.
I need to replace them both. This time, I have to come up with a way to fully waterproof them. I will come up with something to do so.
I looked at a bunch of posts where you guys have upgraded your ESC's. Turnigy, Castle, SeaKing to name some. As my stock ones are now junk, my intentions are to upgrade them, so in the future, I can upgrade the motors without having to get new ESC's again. If I don't go with the stock ESC's, how do I program the new ones? Would it be the same as stock ?
Any recommendations?

[Bp9145]

First what kind of ESC do you have and from what boat so that we may know what "stock" ESC you are speaking of. As for your damaged ESC they may still be salvageable or repairable by replacing the damaged caps. As for waterproofing, you can use Corrosion X, red can, as many of us use it but there are other products such as WD40 and such. Also, even though you have waterproofed the electronics and other metal parts, you must always flush everything with fresh water after every run. Some also use a mild soap in addition to wash the saltwater out.

[vinnyp]

You are right, I should have stated I am running a stock Zelos 36, Dynamite 3876 ESC's

[CraigP]

That salt is so hard on the aluminum! That's a tough battle there...

[ray schrauwen]

If a Raider 150 esc is strong enough then you don't have to water proof it. It is sealed.

[vinnyp]

Did some research. I am leaning towards SeaKing 180.
https://www.hobbywingdirect.com/prod...iant=841324665
Along with their programing card.
https://www.hobbywingdirect.com/prod...iant=172030922

[Erroneous]

Shoot for the Turnigy 180v3. Same build but cheaper.

[ray schrauwen]

Yes but it's always good to support the website vendor as well.

[Bp9145]

Vinny, have you thought of repairing the stock escs themselves if they are repairable? Then if you decide to go that route you can actually put as many capbanks on the esc making it more efficient and will run cooler. As you know many of us add extra capbanks on our escs. . .this will save you money and all it will take is for you to solder the cap banks. And as for protecting the electronics, hardware and other metal parts, do you apply your WD40 when the surface are dry? Make sure after every run you flush and clean all the parts that need to be protected and dry it before you apply WD40 or Corrosion X because it will adhere better. You can speed the drying process by a drying everything with a hairdryer then when dry apply the stuff and if you can reapply. Eventually, after every coat you put on it will adhere much better and will last longer. If you do decide on the Raider 150A or the Turnigy 180A they both are a great and inexpensive upgrade that will work with your current motors. If you set it up right, your stock motors and either the escs you are deciding on, you can achieve 70mph+. .however, if you want to go much faster like close to 100mph or more you might consider reinforcing the hull first before you put in your upgrades. . .and Ray is right it's good to support your website vendors. Afterall, without their forums like OSE or RCG . .it would take us much longer to learn things about our hobby.

[vinnyp]

Thanks to all for the information. I do clean up the boat well after each use. Everything gets coated with WD40 as well as squirting it into the water cooling lines. I thought the cap banks were completely sealed under that shrink wrap. I guess when Horizon claims waterproof electronics, they only mean the actual ESC.
I talked to Horizon yesterday. I called to find out if they sold new power leads with the cap banks on them already. Seems they don't. However, the tech I spoke to said this should not have happened , at least not so soon. The boat is only 3 months old. He said they may warranty me 2 new ESC's. That would be awesome!!! Talk about great customer service.
If not, I may look into repairing 1 of the ESC's. The other is junk. If it is repairable, I would buy 1 new stock ESC and be done with this. My last choice will be to buy 2 new Turnigy 180's. Looks like that may be the best choice for me.
On one of the ESC's , along with burning the caps on the power leads, the wires coming from the on/off switch burned up all the way down to the base of the ESC. Also, the caps on the ESC swelled up. That one is junk. The other doesn't look as bad. The only thing I see are the caps and the small circuit board on the power leads burned up. Can anyone suggest a repair?
Strange how both decided they had enough at the same time. Boat was running around fine, then quit. Pulled the hatch and found smoke coming off the caps on both sides.

[Bp9145]

I'm so glad that HH might warranty those escs. . .great customer service indeed. When you get the replacements then you can decide to run those or get a couple of t180s. . . .good to hear with the warranty!

[Mxkid261]

The t180 caps are also only shrink wrapped like those on the dynamite esc's. Ive never had an issue though and all my controllers have got atleast somewhat wet at one point in time. You could also look at Steve's raider 150 controllers, very good option also.

[ray schrauwen]

If a Raider 150 esc is strong enough then you don't have to water proof it. It is sealed.

The t180 caps are also only shrink wrapped like those on the dynamite esc's. Ive never had an issue though and all my controllers have got atleast somewhat wet at one point in time. You could also look at Steve's raider 150 controllers, very good option also.

Tried....

[mikiek]

Hey Vinny - I am building my first rig and finally starting to get a look at components other than what's in the Zelos. I was going to use a Raider 150 in my build but the thing is really big - at last relative the ESCs in the Zelos. Space on the back of the tray is at a premium. Without doing some modding for the mounts, some ESCs just won't fit. If you decide to get another type pay close attention to the size.

[vinnyp]

Thanks Mike...
Still waiting on word from Horizon...

[vinnyp]

I called Horizon tech again today. They were good enough to warranty me 2 new ESC's. Cant say enough good things about these guys and their service. Thumbs up to them.
Now for the next issue. How to seal the caps on the new esc's to stop this from happening again. I don't know too much about electronics, but I don't think that caps get hot??? I also don't know why they were not sealed up better in the first place. That loose heat shrink that is on them, isn't much protection from water intrusion. Is it left open like that for a reason? When I get the new ESC's, I am thinking of cutting open the heat shrink, applying liquid tape to the circuit boards, then sealing it up with the heat shrink tubing that has glue in it. Does anyone see this being a problem?

[Erroneous]

Quick set two part epoxy. The only downside in my opinion is that it will trap heat in the caps.

[photohoward1]

You are going to trap in the heat. Just keep the boat dry inside.


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[vinnyp]

[QUOTE=photohoward1;696221] Just keep the boat dry inside.

That seems to be easier said than done. My boat was never "wet" inside, just some spray. If the electronics truly are waterproof, then a bit of spray shouldn't destroy things. Getting back to sealing the caps better. I didn't think that caps got hot. I never shot them with the temp gun. I am leaning towards using some liquid tape on the circuit board.

[CraigP]

Caps get hot!!! The liquid tape or that goop people dip their hand tools in for grip. You want something thick. May take multiple coats. Not sure what you mean by "spray", is your stuffing tube leaking water then getting on the drive shaft? Spray is worse that low levels of standing water. Spray gets everywhere under the hatch! And it's salt water to boot.. I suggest you fix that, there are many suggestions on the site if your stuffing box is leaking.

[vinnyp]

I suppose " spray" may not be the correct word. After a run, there is always a bit of water lying in the hull. Its not like everything is covered with water. There is barely enough to get a trickle when I pull the plug. I cant say where it is coming from. There is nothing evident pointing to a leak.
Is my boat the only one that has a bit of water in it after a run?

[CraigP]

Not trying to bust your chops at all! But salt water is rough on everything. My boat comes in dry... I float tested in the bath tub, until it came out dry. My water was coming in on the turn fin. If your ok with some water, I'm ok...

If you want to make it a no-brainer, have you thought about getting a small box and potting the whole ESC? Bring your water and electrical lines up out of the potting. That will make it impervious to the water!

[mikiek]

Vinny - I am always complaining about all the water that gets in my boat. Sounds like a lot more than what you describe. Those in the know keep telling me to tape the hatch - even though it clamps down onto the rubber gasket. I still haven't tried that and I still get lots of water inside.

You might try floating the boat in the bath tub for a few hours. I found 1 leaking spot that way.

[vinnyp]

I will try the tub test. Although I have limited experience with rc boats, its a boat. Its going to get wet at some point. Why are the electronics marketed as " Waterproof" They should be marketed as water resistant. They are obviously not waterproof.
In any case, looks like Horizon is covering it for me. It will be up to me to find a way to prevent this from happening again.

[CraigP]

FYI, I haven't seen a hatch latch that doesn't leak water. I got about $50 in hold downs that never saw the boat. Right now I'm using tape, but hate that! I'm working on a seal system for the hatch that won't need tape. I hear ya about it being a boat. But it's an electric boat, and that makes a difference. It's one of the few advantages of gas boats. With that, just seal the receiver and servo, put an auto-bailer in it and let 'er rip!

[vinnyp]

I had some time today. I removed the remaining electronics and motors from the boat. Filled up a big plastic bin with water in the garage. Floated the boat for a few hours and found only a couple of drops of water. Seemed reasonable to me. I started thinking if it was possible that water would climb up the flex shafts under load. If you think of how the flexes spin, they should push water out. I tried to put some weight on the hull to sink it a bit, simulate the running weight. Let it sit for a while, found some water was coming in, not a lot, but there was water. Couldn't see from where it was coming. I was thinking the white plastic tubes that steer the rudder, as they were now under water. I got the boat out of the test bin, put it on my work stand, tipped the bow up and poured water in the hull. Found water coming out from where the white plastic tubes go through the hull. Blew the hull out with air and called it a night. Tomorrow , after it is good and dry, I will try to seal up those tubes.
While this test did reveal a problem, I don't think it was a big problem. Particularly since the tubes are definitely not in the water when the boat is running. Maybe they are under water when sitting there at full running weight. Not sure yet. I am not talking about much water. But, any water leaks should be eliminated as best as possible.
I want to try an upside down test. Once I get the hull to hold water, I want to see if the hatch is letting water in after a blow over.

[REDLINE1]

Pull the struts off and remount them with silicon sealer Put a little sealer in the bolt holes when remounting. that's the only thing I did to mine. I don't even have a drop of water in mine when done running. I'm also running wire drives. Not a bad idea to seal up those tubes as well

[CraigP]

Nice troubleshooting Vinny!

[vinnyp]

Thanks for the reply. The struts have been off, sealed up well and are not leaking. The tubes seem to be causing the leak.

Thanks Craig... Next is the hatch. As you said, I doubt it will hold water out.

[CraigP]

I'm working on my hatch now... The tape works, but man is it ugly! I need a pretty boat. If I hit on something that works, I'll post some pics. Good luck!