sealing tape type radio boxes

[jaso]

Can anyone share their experience of tape type radio box sealing and the do's and don't's with them.

All the boats I've built in past I've used screw type lids with a silicon seal to keep the water from getting to the radio gear. Any comments welcome as my new boat will have a tape lid from the manufacturer. ;D

 

[ben stein]

Do:

•  Tape the lid down

•  Use a good tape like 3m water resistant or Freezer tape

•  Clean the tape surface with denatured alcohol

•  Make sure your seals are good

•  Test your completed box before putting it in the water

•  Take secondary precautions against water in your box (receiver bag and possibly seal servos with liquid elec. Tape)  

Don’t:

•  Screw down a tape lid

•  Silicone the top down unless you know your boat is going to be subjected to extreme deceleration (blow-off, or sub-marine)

•  After all this dont expect your box to be water-proof

 

[snowdog-2112]

Excellent comments Ben! I think that pretty much sums it up Jaso!

My turn, what do you guys use to waterproof the radios and servos? That is, what do you use put on the electronics? I've heard putting a silicone caulk is not a good idea because silicone attacks the components. Is that true? ???

Thanks!

Snowdog

 

[nitrotoys]

Ben hit it on the head there.

For keeping electronics safe from moisture, Aerotech, makes a stuff called aeroplate, works great.

Now i do seal up with my one radio box with silicone.

others i tape and or rubber band with the foam gasket around it. I have had good luck with the siliconeing it shut, course this ones under water as much as its on top of the water.

NT

 

[izitbrokeyet?]

That Ben Stein is a pretty sharp guy. I wonder why he doesn’t join? ;D

 

[TimD]

Put a girlie sanitary product in the radio box to soak up any moisture :-[ works very well.

 

[GTR]

Hi Guy's

Problem with using silicones (or caulking for that matter) is a lot of them are acetic acid based. This will really mess up your radio gear just with the fumes it generates.

If you aren't too sure about using a feminine hygene product to absorb the extra water (?) in you radio box you can get silica gel bags from photographic stores. Really good thing about them is they don't swell and can be dried out by leaving in the sun.

All this discussion is academic if your radio box is water tight (I know living in Nirvana). Another thing lot's of people forget about is don't leave your radio box expossed to direct sunlight as you will get condensation forming - keep it covered.

GT ;D

 

[snowdog-2112]

All right now, thanks for the replies.

Tim, a girlie sanitary product?? Yah, right! I barely have enough room in my box now for all the necessary stuff that's in there!

GT, I've noticed that happening, why does that happen if there's no moisture in the radio box?

Snowdog

 

[PropNut]

If you want to waterproof the reciever, use 3M DP270. It is an electronics grade epoxy. It's what Andy Kunz uses on his waterproof speed controls for electrics.

Ray

 

[GTR]

Hey SD

The reason there is water in the radio box when expossed to the sun is that air is mostly water and when heated by the sun it condenses on the plastic. Just like a solar still.

Sorry if that's a bit a bit vague.

GT ;D

 

[Joe Knesek]

If you use good tape like the 3M tape sold by Speedmaster, CMDI ect, the lide will not leak. I've had a 40 hydro get hit hard enough to rip the pipe mount off of the lid and the tape stayed in tact.

If water is getting past the tape, you're not cleaning the lid well enough. In most cases, th water is getting in from the push rod seals not the lid.

You should the smallest box you can to keep the anount of air in the box to a minimum. Try pushing a tennis ball and a beach ball under water and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

 

[wswatzell]

Hey Tim D,

I did the grille pad thing in my radio box, well. :-[ I was putting everything back together at the kitchen table & my wife asked what that white thing was inside there, she couldn't stop laughing when I told her. ;D

 

[TimD]

Wade,

Well that makes two of us as I was laughing hard after reading your post

Tim.

 

[Ron Olson]

Wade, it's a good thing that you aren't covering your recievers and battery packs with condoms then!

Grimmy sells some super thin sponges that you can cut to size to put in your tight fitting radio boxes. Squeeze some paper towels in there if you really don't have a lot of room, it's better than nothing.

Aerotrend sells the Aeroplate. Aerotech sells tunnel boats and tuned pipes. There is another Aerotech that makes model rockets.

Any silicone type of sealer that gives off an ammonia scent shouldn't be used around electronics, it will eat up the circuit boards.

I was told a long time ago to use a smoked plexiglas cover for radio box lids, they are supposed to not absorb light and moisture. I haven't found any strong or thin enough yet.

I'm going to get some of the Hockey stick tape the next time I go to one of the LHS's. There is a Hockey Pro Shop next door.

BTW, this is posting #1,000 for me!

 

[TimD]

Congrats on the 1000 posts Ron!

 

[Ian Inverarity]

Congrats Ron! Ya beat me to it! ;D

On the subject of radio boxes tho, ordinary Kleenex type tissues work well for absorbing a bit of excess moisture,and are less embarrassing!

Nitrocrazed racing: I dont consider post count important if I dont have the most...

 

[GTR]

Hi Ron,

You can get smoked polycarbonate (lexan) which will do the job. If you don't car if you can see in it why not use G10 (epoxy circuit board material) or Carbon Fibre for that hi tech look.

Congrats on the 1,000th post - I haven't even mad it to YabbGod yet and if we move forum base won't ever make it.

GT :

 

[Ron Olson]

I made CF radio box lids for the HH .12 and Eric's Speedmaster 21. The problem is that I can't see if I have any moisture (or worse) in the box.

Thanks guys! A lot of the posts seemed to be rehashes of older ones that we answer a dozen times every time a Noob shows up. Some drivel, some BS.

I'd like to see some of my first posts to see how stoopid I was back then!

 

[Propjockey]

Congrats Ron! You contribute a bunch here and we appreciate it.

Here's one of you firsts...

General RC Boating Community / Outboard Forum / Re:Trivia Question on: December 29, 2001, 11:20:32 pm
Got lucky on the answer! I remembered that my old 7.5 Aerotech hull had a slight vee in the center section but I have never seen a Maus hull so I wouldn't know that it had one also.

So, ummmm........have you seen a Maus hull since then?

Propjockey Racing.....#955 -- yes it's trivial, but it's also the only way I'll ever pass Marty!! 8)

 

[wswatzell]

The good thing about my hydro is that you can't see inside the radio box unless I remove the cowl, & I only need to do that if need to get into the radio box. I can start my engine with the cowl on! So I don't have to explain what that "white thing at thing is at the bottom of my radio box My wife just happened to walk in when I was tapping the cover on before I put the cowl back on.

The grille pad worked, @ the KZoo run, my hydro flipped & was upside down quite a while before I could recover it & it ended up getting a little water in it. well those things sure do expand when water hits them!! But, it kept the water away from the receiver & servos! ;D

Ron,

I bought a can of "2-26" which I read somewhere is a very similar product to Aeroplate or Corrosion-X