💦👨🔬 Silicone Conformal Coating VS KOTKING VS Hot Glue - Best Waterproofing for FPV Drones
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2024
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The results of this test are: Silicone Conformal Coating disappointed me, Hotglue impressed me, and KOTKING may be a decent compromise.
👨🔬 My KOTKING review: • 💦 Does KOTKING work? Y...
Info about electrical resistivity of water (actually about water purity): sensorex.com/blog/2020/12/29/...
Info about ESCs: www.modelflight.com.au/blog/e...
🛒 Where you can buy them:
MG Chemicals 422C silicone conformal coating: www.eio.com/products/mg-chemi... (the product page shows 422B, and this is what I ordered, but they sent me 422C and said 422B is being discontinued)
KOTKING: www.racedayquads.com/products...
Gorilla hotglue sticks: amzn.to/3FJ4MKE
Thoughts?
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Thanks!
TimeStamps:
00:00 BLUF
1:45 Thanks, PCBWay
2:35 Details of this test
12:40 PROS/CONS of Silicone Conformal Coating
14:25 Testing Hotglue
18:06 PROS/CONS of Hotglue
21:00 PROS/CONS of KOTKING
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*DISCLAIMER: Remember to always use caution and your best judgement when building and flying RC aircraft, and when working with 3D printers, electronics, or electrical devices. Be mindful of the laws, regulations, and best practices for your particular location. Be a good neighbor, and HAVE FUN!*
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About RCwithAdam: Adam's goal is to HELP YOU build your skills and eliminate frustration and confusion through creative, educational, and encouraging videos featuring Radio Control airplanes, FPV drones, electronics, and 3D printing!
#RCwithAdam #waterproof #kotking - Věda a technologie
The problem with hot glue is long term adhesion in high vibration environments. It eventually starts to come loose from the substrate. Also nothing will bond with silicone except silicone so the flexible silicone wires end up being a channel to the PCB for water.
Imo the best method is a combination of both. Conformal coating first applied in the same manner one would if it was going to be stand alone and then as much hot glue as the enclosure can fit. A lot of time in life less is more, but when it comes to waterproofing electronics I don't subscribe to that line of thought.
I like how you start with punch line and show your process. Much appreciated. I see you really want the products to work; because, ultimately, that's what we want.
❤I appreciate the bluf. Thanks for the walk through as well!
Curious if you thought about liquid electrical tape. Can be found at most home improvement stores. Flex seal could also be another option.
Im using B7000 glue personally, insulates perfectly, the only downside is worse heat dissipation - had some issues in extremely hot countries possibly because of that (still not 100% sure this is a main reason - had no processor overheating warnings)
This is why im researching for some good thermal conducting material for places which need to stay
Hot glue downside for me it breaks down in places with little constant bend like wires and breaking down in cold weather as you told, b7000 doesnt have these issues, + its thin when dried, easy to remove with pliers (rolling on itself), extremely durable and with a little help of gravity you can even seal the usb without putting it inside, so you can easily tear it of and reapply it later if needed
I haven't had a chance to try 422C, but 422B was actually very good. It can definitely waterproof electronics from dew or light rain. But you should put several thick layers of it. Currently 422B is discontinued and 422C is quite difficult to find in my country. So on my latest build I've tried kotking. It's kinda meh. The only positive I can say so far is a thick layering. But I didn't try it if a fields.
Excellent quality video ! ... Cheers !
Very helpful video for me, as a beginer drone pilot I need the drone to be somewhat water resistant (due to creshes). I will try putting heatshring back on ESC after applying heat glue. Then I'll see f the overheating is and iissue. Thank youv ery much for this tip!
Hey Adam great video I think I saw one time in another video if you use a heat gun on conformal coating it rises the air bubbles out of it
Thanks Adam.
Thank you for share this 🙂
You were going a tiny bit light with the conformal. Maybe that’s a normal layer but I just go so much heavier and get really great results. Really only need just to save the quad and that’s the goal! Great vid man!!!!🎉🎉 also have used fpv worry free with great results
I do like 4 layers on it to make sure it stays sealed
I simply used the Ambersil conformal coating I have been using to protect electronics in, for example, greenhouse automation, for decades and it has worked just fine. I give the board about 6 coats and make sure the surface of the board is completely flooded every time. I allow it to dry without heating but using a gentle fan to speed evaporation of the solvent. It then needs to be left for at least 24 hours to cure - it's not a quick process. As a final check I go over checking with a DVM set to the 40M ohm range to see if I can get any conductivity.
When they conformally coat board in production they totally immerse the boards in a vat of the coating, dry, and repeat and this makes sure the coating finds it's way under component legs etc.
instead of removing the heatsink, you can glue around it to allow it to do it's job but at the same time waterproof
Well I thought the same first but after some thinking maybe Adams way is better though.
He fills some of the coating between the ESCs removing most of the air inside. And air is less thermoconductive than anything you could fill between.
So it should actually improve the heatsink efficiency.
Oh wow, those SimonK 12A esc's take me back. The "carbon" ZMR250 frame, DAL cam 700tvl with a 8channel heatsinked 200mw Boscam vtx.. RCX/ZMR branded motors shedding their magnets every session, burning up your first Naze32 v5 because of the individual BEC's. Flying the cheapest branded 5030 2 blade props until you went to 4s, and they just burst under the RPM boost. Being amazed at the DYS 1806 2300 motor power..
Flying with the flysky v1 protocol with sudden brownouts at 50m away, getting v2 and getting up to about 2km until your vtx crapped out. Straight up because you got the signal back when you dropped down.
Fun times. Met Boris B in my beginning, he was the catalyst to a hobby many of us owe to him.
Flying without rules, though, we still got that going...
Whether you care about saltwater resistance really depends on where you live.
I live in the middle of canada, just fresh water here.
I use conformal, but I use tons of it a coat, and do 2 coats.
Had a vehicle fall into a deep puddle and sink completely, and the lights were still on when I pulled it out, and it carried on working after.
i use cow rc conformal coating it seem to be lot easyer to apply than the conformal coat you used. i have done identical test as you have with it and it works perfect and it looks good after to.
.
in another video a fella mentioned he used hot glue also. Then slipped clear heat shrink on it. And with hot air gun.... shrunk the rap will also re-heating the glue helping it settle in around things better
Thanks man
You should airbrush the conformal coating onto the board
I've tried Kotking before, its a gigantic pain in the ass to remove if you plan to resolder absolutely anything, it stays there almost permanently unless you physically rub it off with friction , and it really takes a lot of friction to take it off, ever since that, I've switched to the 422B and never looked back, makes build adjustments so much easier on the long term and Kotking just isn't really a great application material to work with at all.
I haven't tried any of this yet.. I got the 422C bottle.. waiting to build my drones. Can you not use the heat gun to dry it faster/better maybe?
Good video with snow about to fly where I am.
I adore your scattin
21:04 It says on the back of the Gorilla Hotglue Pack, to store it below 130°F, so this indicates the temperature where it starts melting. There are different types of hotglue which can resist higher temperatures. Just read the manual ;;;-)
99 cents clear acrylic nail polish works great for me 0 issues with any of my stuff.
I suggest to try solvent free silicone, like kafuter 705
I had this running in the background at 1.5x speed and I was just listening to it while working on a project... I was SO confused as to how the line-up was "Silicone Conformal Coating, Cocaine, and Gorilla Brand Hot Glue"... Had to run it back to make sure O_o
Wonder if you do the first coat normal, but then for a 2nd/3rd/4th coat, hold the board upside down and let gravity pull the coating over the edges of the sharp corners?
Idk. Just a thought.
Perhaps, but that is way to many coats to be worthwhile, I think.
@@RCwithAdam1 true, the other idea I had was to smooth the board down in some of that sticky tack used for holding stuff while soldering, and creating a boarder around the board with it, and then just dumbing a big thick layer over top lol probably would trap too much heat
I don't use hot glue because I have had too many people build project/test boxes using hot glue and totally fail when exposed to freezing temperatures.
Usually the hot glue can be softened by alcohol - if you wish to remove it...
My favorite part was when you said it's not up to the Adam Standards lol my name is Adam too great video bro thanks for the info
You used their silicone-based but did you use the urethane based?
I know everybody use the silicone and I bought the urethane cuz it was cheaper and I haven't had any issues at all.
It does turn yellow but it's a hard coating and it can be soldered through easily.
I'd like to see you test that one out because I'm not brave enough to Dunk a ESC. 😆
So kotking or conformal coating?
Not sure how solvents would affect some PCB boards; but I have had some luck waterproofing some of the things that I work on with DIY liquid silicone. I prefer to use naphtha but most organic solvents will do the job. Even mineral spirits. You take 100% silicone one I prefer the GE brand. And you Begin mixing insolvent and stirring until it dissolves in the solvents. Continue mixing solvent until you get the consistency that you want. You can make it as thin as paint or as thick as gel. Then you apply. The solvents will evaporate within a few hours. The vocs and solvents will evaporate completely; leaving you with a coating of 100% pure silicone wherever the mixture has made contact or has run into if thin enough. I'm not suggesting anyone do this because I'm not responsible if anybody damages their electronics; I'm just stating that I've used it myself without issues. Different plastics and different PCB boards May react differently to solvents so do so at your own risk. Silicone is very very heat resistant, completely waterproof, resistant to both mildly acidic and basic conditions, durable, cold tolerant, takes quite some time before breakdown occurs, and uv resistant. I've used this thin silicone to waterproof everything from my hot tent, to electronics. I do however recommend lightly scuffing the outer perimeter of the rear of the heatsink and leaving bare-metal exposed so that the heatsink can do its job exposed to the atmosphere to dissipate heat. Have fun. Again do so at your own risk, solvents sometimes react negatively with certain plastics.
interesting DIY silicone coating
The only problem I've had with hot glue is removing it without removing tiny components.
I used it once on a XLRS receiver connection to prevent the wires from touching and when I had to remove it it was a nightmare.
You can't solder through it like you can urethane conformal coating.
Try acetone mate, Run an experiment first but it should dissolve it almost straight away.
@@Top-Jimmy good idea!
Thanks!
Sir please make some more videos on complex 3d designes.
Ok!
I also wonder if you were to dip the circuitboard in the conformal coating would that work better?👍
Here's a cheesy video from a manufacturer of conformal coating about the various methods of application:
czcams.com/video/mtsW-aNKddQ/video.html
Depends on your base. Urethane? Acrylic? Silicon? A few others. You can dip most if you protect sensitive parts with masking. Dip method is slow though. I’d recommend heat cure.
i tried the 422C and it is NOT very good. It flowed smoothly and clear. That was nice. But after a few quad flights its all cracked and white broken up. And yes i had cleaned the cct board and dried before each application. 3 Applications in total. Now i have to remove it and apply another product that looks promising. Its a plastic spray but i don't have the can so i don't know the name. But its made by Certified labs here in edmonton alberta canada. Its a plastic aoresol apray which i spray on a qtip and apply to a cct board. Real nice clear and a bit flexable. so i think were good.
how is your experience with waterproofing now
Wonder if you heat gun it the bubbles will go away like on epoxy
Could you try flex seal!?
How long did conformal Cure?
Remember: avoid covering the barometer!
I don't think that any conformal coating would last on a water dip, Have you tried Kafuter 705 or Tian-mu 705 their both very cheap and easy to remove
yo, you got an update video after normal use maybe a year or 2 down the road??? i know this is kinda old but now would be a great time for an update
I assume that the Kotking is rebranded K-705 Kafuter (which is much cheaper and more easily available), give it a go, would like to hear what you think :)
Looks great. Thanks
Is K-705 used for waterproofing?
How does it go for high-powered video transmitters that generate a lot of heat and need heat dissipation?
Still have that question haha
I'm surprised that the conformal silicone failed! I wonder if we could use a small vacuum chamber to remove the air bubbles and help the coating get deeper into the components while it cures. 🤔
I was surprised as well! A vacuum chambered sound pretty sweet, but not very practical I think.
lmao imagine getting a vacuume chamber
@@raps55 The low-side vacuum is the hardest part, do to the price, you need a "normal" vacuum pump, and a "strong" vacuum pump. (or maybe just one strong pump, not certain...depends on application, I think) There are many how to videos on this, and if you are building drones it might even be fun to try and make one. For the chamber you just need some strong container, like a thick acrylic box, or a Pyrex upside down bowl, with some form of gasket between the bowl and the surface it would be vacuumed to. Vacuum feed tubes need to withstand the negative pressure of the vacuum, so use appropriate vacuum tubes. You'd need some ball valves. A few other things too. Power supply, ect. But I think that would be a general list of the most important items.
But it is something that can be done if a diy-er is interested enough. Again, plenty of how to vids.
@@Inertia888 :0
im using epoxy which use on wood
i tested it for years
I like to use black plasti pid with some Alcohol added to reduce viscosity.
Bestthing is you can see where it is sealed because its black ;-)
Look at 12:26 this is your problem! This coating should dry completely first and maybe you need to bake it for 10 min then let it dry for 2-4 hours(check the datasheet), both should dry completely in 20min @65 c, for me i will leave it for 2-4 hours or even more
what do you use to conformal coating you electronics?
Hot Glue Dosen bind wiht the Silicon on the Cable but other Silicon based things should
But if you're goal is to fly in rain hot glue is fin
I'm just wondering how much more weight the hot glue added aswell.
1-2g
Could you melt the hot glue in a dish and then dip the component in it?
Maybe! Could get very messy, though.
Hey the datasheet from MG Chemicals says that you should cure the surface for 24hrs after application.. and you can apply multiple coats with 15min intervel.. So i doubt that this is a fair test!!
The best is glue T-7000. Or B-7000.
Someone summarizes the video for me, I don't get the subtitles :(
Here's a cheesy video from a manufacturer of conformal coating about the various methods of application:
czcams.com/video/mtsW-aNKddQ/video.html
That was informative, thanks. I’m gonna find an aerosol conformal coating after watching that
20:50 min - use Silicone (Tian Mu / Kafuter)
you didn't apply enough coating. 2 coats is minimum recommended.
Hi. What do you think about bathroom silicone sealant? Cheap but maybe hard to remove :D.
It may be worth a try! I do wonder how much of a difference there is between that and Kotking or "FPV worry free"
Don’t unless it’s neutral-cure (sometimes labeled “platinum”) because the cheap stuff cures with acetic acid (vinegar) and will corrode any copper or conductive surfaces while curing unfortunately
Avoid silicone with Acetoxy, they will corrode components with time.
Instead, try cure silicone like Tian mu 705 or Kafuter 705, extreme economy and specific for pcb
Hi... Thanks for the vid!...I realize this is a quad channel and I still fly but figured the Quad communities would be best to approach to help with some advice. I need to waterproof a low profile GitUp F1 FPV cam to mount onto a large RC Racing Sailboat. I am worried that if I covered it in plastic or Hot Glue ( which works extremely well from experience ), the heat these things generate might fry it as they have breather holes in the top of the cam. It's a similar profile to a Mobius or a Runcam etc. ( low profile rectangle ) Weight isn't an issue here as she's around 4kg and would even consider swapping out camera's for something water resistant as it won't be completely submerged but rather the cam will be mounted on the deck. Any suggestions on even a decent GoPro knock off would be great.. Thanks all *SUBBED*
Great video. There are different types of glue sticks, they are not all the same. This one looks interesting:
Surebonder 739 is a high strength adhesive with a long open time. Primarily, Surebonder 739 strongest bonds to wood. The 739 hot melt sticks have great adhesion to metal, plastic, ceramic, coated papers, and other non-porous materials. These hot melt sticks are used in auto body shops for paintless dent repair (PDR).
This high-performance hot melt exhibits excellent resistance to shock at both ambient and low temperatures.
Hot glue melts if ESC get hi temp
Now there is an "FPV worry free" Which is "silicone based". Anyone know if that is lighter than the hot glue? Or if any good? 🤔🤔
I've sen that just hit the market. It looks exactly like Kotking to me. I'll have to get some to try.
Hi, check b7000 glue plz =)
"Voila"
The hit glue won't last.....it doesn't bond to the silicone well
There you go removing the heat shrink def the way to go
91% isopropyl alcohol will remove hot glue if needed
To me, this is actually the best feature of hot glue. It's great to fixate stuff that may have to be removed later.
hot glue on an esc that heat a lot??? it work for a wille but will melt again and get out of the pcb. but it work on pcbs that no heat to much. in this case i recomend any neutral silicone(not the acid one tha corrotes everyting!) i used tht black one for heat,like until 180ºC aplications
12:20 min - lol 😂
Have you tested super glue??
No. I don't think that has any waterproofing properties to speak of.
I wonder about cooling and flex spray .
But flx spray is $15 so i guess the world will never know .
24h for full Cure ...
If u wana have waterproof ESC use Plast dip 😉
Not good test 😉
why salty water , take normal water
The ocean is salty
Haven't I seen this video from you before?
Nope!
All guesswork
Your Conformal coating didn't had enough time to dry.
Your using the brush wrong lol
Ok. How long should it dry? And what is the correct way to use the brush?
@@RCwithAdam1 24 hours at room temperature for full cure.
Taken from the technical data sheet made by the manufacturer.
Personally I do 2+ thick complete coats to each side (continuing until I can see it has full complete coverage) then let it rest ~24hours before use.
Still waiting to know how to use the brush 😢
Hot glue *is not* a type of silicone.
You have no idea how to make a pcb. I'd bet 20 dollars you can't even make one that lights a red led when it receives 0xFF via tact switch.
I think you owe him $20