How to Waterproof Electronics || Nail Polish, Silicone, Potting Compound
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- čas přidán 22. 12. 2017
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In this video we will find out how well nail polish, silicone and potting compound can waterproof electronics and how well they can handle heat transfer. Along the way I will show you how to apply those coating materials and what is important to remember when utilizing them.
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I've had quite a lot of experience with sealing electronics for commercial purposes. I'll start by saying that it is considerably more complicated than your video showed.
A couple of comments.
- there are many different types of potting compounds. The one you used seems to be quite hard. Most are a little bit softer. The hard ones can actually rip SMD parts off the circuit board.
- Testing is also quite complicated and extensive. Far more so than just submerging it in water. Typically what causes problems is temperature cycling. Stress testing.
- The other problem tends to be where anything touches the potting. Maintaining that bond is tough. So where wires exit the material is a source of water ingress.
- Another big problem is the potting material separating from the enclosure. The enclosure needs to be very clean, and if a plastic enclosure is used then you have to make sure the manufacturer didn't use any mood release or any regrind. Both will cause the potting to separate from the enclosure. And if the PCB is touching the enclosure, which is almost always, water will find that spot and damage the PCB.
- There are also commercially available PCB coating materials that do a much better job than nail polish. That said, those types of products are primarily used for water resistance, not water proofing. More for keeping the humidity in the air from damaging the parts. If you are looking to waterproof, both will eventually breakdown.
But if you are just looking for something to work for a home project, I would go with an epoxy.
What is the best option to waterproof a pwm for an underwater scooter?
Thank you, this is perfect :) Any PCB coating materials that you recommend?
😊.
O
Thanks for sharing valueable knowledge
Attach a heatsink with thermal compound and coat the whole thing with epoxy, leaving some of the fins of the heatsink. Done.
@Andrew Hardy exactly.
I love the capacitor overcharging at the end. Really helps to show how stable the potting compound is. That and the fact that overcharging capacitors is just entertaining in itself.
Time to tear apart my phone and apply some nail polish.
Are you sure you don't want to submerge it in potting compound, apparently it's a lot more effective...
haha
U peasants use nail polish
Use silicon bois
hahaha u are so right!
Just pour molten brass on it.... Works fine on me...
I love you for blowing up that capacitor
ElectroBoom at the end
hah
To make a waterproof PCB with silicone I suggest you put the circuit in a plastic bag and then pour the silicone, which you can then shape around the components simply by squeezing the polyethylene bag where you need it.
You will get smoother surfaces and thinner layers. and (perhaps) minor drying times.
Afterthe silicone hardening you can remove the bag without difficulty since the silicone does not adhere to the polyethylene.
The high temperature silicone does not have a better thermal conduction than normal silicone but only a higher resistance to high temperatures (around 250-280 °) while the normal silicone resists up to 200 °.
Temperatures to which our PCBs are already permanently dead, so it is possible to use the normal silicon with a small saving (in case hig temperature is more expensive)
Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr für Sie und Ihre Familie und für alle, die uns lesen!
Merry Christmas and happy new year to you and your family and to all those who read us!
zola tanaffa "to make a waterproof PCB place it in a plastic bag then crush the bag"
I'm sorry what?
+ Jason Ponciano sorry for the"googled" translation: I wanted to say: squeeze the bag to smooth and shape the surface of the silicone, then, when the silicone has polymerized you can also remove it from the polyethylene bag.. now i modify mi previous comment, hi and merry christmas
Great idea!
zola tanaffa danke dir auch fröhliche Weihnachten.
You can just put it in a plastic bag if you want
GreatScott! You just saved me $20 bucks for expensive conformal coating. I suddenly had a thought to use clear nail polish for an outdoor solar light, did a google search and YOU show up as the first search result! Too Cool! Normally I'd skip the video results but I recognized you as one of my subscribed Go-Tos!
Congrats and Thank You!
I still learned more than at school.
You better do a function Generator DIY or BUY
It is on my to do list
GreatScott! Ich hab eine racing drone, die komplett offen ist und weil ich sie erst jetzt bekommen habe würde ich sie gerne wasserfest machen( 1 mal ist sie schon im schnee gecrashed)
In der Schweiz kann ich kein Silikon conformal coating finden!!
Wie sieht es aus mit nail polish???
Vtx ist halt schon ziemlich heiss
Aber ich hätte 4in 1 esc's und wenn was kaputt geht muss ich löten können!!!
GreatScott! Thanks so much!
Less DiY or buy more diy
Just use your phones jack output. Your phone is a function generator.
You really overdid it on the silicon and the Kabelvergussmaße.
I think the amount of silicon used also was the reason why it didn't cure: Uhu Datasheet says more than 3 days for anything thicker than 5 mm - and you went a bit further than that. With a mixing silicon it would have worked better. And for both the silicon as well as the sealing resin it would have been enough if you just gave it a coating (a few mm into the box, then dip the regulator into it and take it back out).
Yeah, chunks of silicone can take very long to dry. The inside probably was still liquid.
I did some silicone casts for an art project in school a few years back and sometimes the molds were still not hardened through a week after.
franziska1007 Well if you do it like the king of random with 2 compound silicone, it can cure from some hours to one day
The store bought silicone that smells like vinegar has to be exposed to moisture. It does not cure well in a deep box and can take months. Epoxy and silicone will poison each other and can cause a fail to cure even trace amounts of uncured material. Cure one fully before applying the other. Make sure things are very clean after cure and between applications.
@@franziska1007 silicon casting in art. Who paid for that
@@sammyd7857 I guess the school? It was a class that basically did renovation-like art and crafts around the school building. In our case creating casts for plaster figures with prehistoric ocean dwellers that then were put onto ocean themed school halls.
It was just on course per year and a limited amount of students, so the individual budget was relatively high.
This looks to be an excellent video. I was only looking to waterproof my R/C trucks against rain puddles and small bodies of water. The Nail Polish approach is something I would never have thought of
I water proof my RCs with Corrosion X spray.
IDK anything about electronics, but his vids are so satisfying
Can we talk about your handwriting and how on point it is?
"So... how many Arduino's do you have?"
GreatScott: yes
Your handwriting is perfect.
ive noticed in your more recent videos you have really improved in quality! Keep up the great work!
As always, nice video.
I often use heat shrink tubing, filled with neutral cure silicon (non acidic). When you shrink it the excess silicon is squeezed out and looks tidy. Works great for waterproof wire connections too.
Thanks for sharing your research. Those bubbles can be removed by pulling a vacuum on the resin immediately after mixing. Silicon also comes in two part mixes that will set without the need for exposure to air, which was the problem you had with that black sealant. The one part silicon is also probably acidic so it could be corroding your electronics anyway, a slow death rather than a fast one from water. It would have been interesting to try Carnauba wax as it melts at over 80°C and is hard as far as waxes go, the potential advantage of wax is that you can melt it off to service or inspect the part. You can always dip the circuit that is potted in wax into silicone to give it a more resilient outer layer that can be peeled off. One last thing to consider is the specific heat capacity of the substances used, and wax may actually score well in that regard.
It's probably better to avoid creating bubbles while mixing in the first place. Just use a stir stick and then use a cup to cup transfer a few times ending in the new cup not the original.
Some clear plastics also require pressure to remove bubbles by reducing their size beyond the macroscopic range. There are some compounds that will begin to vent evaporative volatiles if exposed to a vacuum. It's probably best to check the MSDS sheet along with any extra documentation provided by the manufacturer before trying advanced techniques ;)
can i make a buttplug for my ass from that carnauba wax youre talkin aboiu ?
phuck ewe i tried and the gooey thing dissolves the condom in it . I mean there were bigass holes in the condom after 2 hours of freezing.
Should i not freeze it or wut i think i just need to keep it solidify organically without freezing it
@@Thabadthabad his name isn't aboiu but robert paulson, his name is robert paulson, his name is robert paulson.
I want to thank you for continuously delivering such a quality material which educates us improves our knowledge
No problem
I love your rich vocabulary. I learn not only electronics from your videos but also English :D
the temperature measurements were flawed, an ESC doesn't draw a lot of current/create a lot of heat if the motor is spinning freely. You should have put some load on the motor.
I did not have the equipment to add a constant load to the rotor.
GreatScott! I think a propeller would be good and consistant enough, because you can set the same speed everytime
Valitos
At no load, very little heat would be generated relative to the heat generated at the full load rating of the ESC. It is quite likely that some of those configurations tested would cause the ESC to go into thermal shutdown or to fry if run near the full load rating.
Adding nail polish between the FET's and the heatsink will decrease the effectiveness of the heatsink.
In the past, I have used thermally conductive epoxy to attach heatsinks. That would likely work better than anything you tested in this video. I think it was made by Deltabond and was sold in tubes by DigiKey.
Even a resistor connected to a constant power source would've been a better way to measure the thermal conductivity.
It is also not recomended to run the motor without load because of the bearings. Some high kv motors can destroy the bearings in seconds at full power/rpm, in any case it increases the wear on them. So always use only low throttle for testing or put a prop on.
A good idea for coating esc’s is conformal coating. It works good and is very similar to nail polish
My new favorite channel. Awesome info and thorough.
The potty component looks so beautiful!
Good video! Only problem is that those ESCs are huge after you applied those coatings! Not to mention the increased thermals when the ESC takes on a load because running the motor like that won't stress out the ESC. Running the motor with some 1045 props will. I think PeterSripol's Waterproofing ESCs can help.
JLCPCB man that looks like a deal... :D
Yes, but it has relatively expensive shipping costs (here to Spain is $11, much more than the PCBs). OK, there's an special offer, but that won't last long (in fact, I believe it's already expired).
Manolis Agkopian I did the same but didn't get the free shipping :/ only like $6 though so NBD.
Yes, ordered 10 PCBs with free DHL Express shipping and payed only $2. That is just crazy, I am sure they actually lost money with this. I looked and the next order shipping costs are $22 for DHL Express and $8 Registered Airmail (to Germany), which is still fine i think. But the price rises a lot if you need something a bit different, bigger than 100x100mm, more than 10 pcs... 15 pcs are already at $29, other colors than green +$9 and so on.
Manolis Agkopian the US, probably just Europe then
I ordered 10 PCBs at Allpcb.com for 5 USD with free express shipping to Germany.
Tip on using room temperature silicones...put some dish detergent in a bowl with water, about twice as much as if you were going to wash the bowl. If you dip your fingers and tools in that, the silicone compound will not stick to your fingers/tools. In fact, if you use a small container with water and dish detergent, you can squeeze a lump of compound right out of the tube into the soapy water. Then you can pick it up with your hands, and mold it onto your circuit manually. I’ve used this technique for years testing amateur oceanography instruments. Works a treat! Works with most moisture-cure polyurethanes, too.
Couldnt have asked for a more informative video, thank you!
Mery Crismas tomorrow from Bayern ^^
Thank you
Krefeld too
liked 👍 this would be great for boats!
Tampatec yeah. I’ve had issues waterproofing my model speedboat, it lets in water at the rudder, any tips?
Paul Mac Giolla Caoine use o ring seals, bit of rubber, or construction silicon.
Just make sure to use a flexible sealant on components that may have resistance and/or generate heat.
As I'm sure you know, heat/cooling = expansion/contraction.
If the coating doesn't expand/contract too, the PCB is doomed to fail.
Only if the ESC had water cooling as cooling, otherwise it will overheat.
first time i used nail polish was for a boat. Made it from the seed husk from a three we call the donkey peepee tree. placed a motor on it
Very nice, I learned lots. Suggestion: heating the silicone to a high temperature, say 33 to 40 degrees might help in having a less viscous pour and getting the air bubbles out of the clear silicone, heat it a bit after mixing or even remove with a vacuum chamber if you have one (I'm absolutely certain you could easily build one for us and show us how to do that too). Love your channel, thanks for showing us all this good stuff.
Whenever I'm wondering how to do something with electronics, somehow, GreatScott always has a video about it.
What have you done to this poor capacitor at the end? ;)
GreenMC how 1 hr ago ?
he's a patron probably.
yeah. patrons are #1 on the priority list ;-)
Probably connecting it backwards.
confirmed i've done that like 200 times just for fun :)
Could you Repeat this Test with a Propeller attached?
May change the results
One of your most awesome project videos. Been watching your channel for more than a year and a half. :)
Glad you like it ;-)
Love the capacitor pop at the end. Great video. Thank you
Merry Christmas 'Greatscott!' and everyone!!!
Lalan Desai
Jay Hind.!
Thanks mate
GreatScott! Please Usb Soldering iron Diy Or Buy please!!!!!
Wait, is this a German uploading out of Schedule? Shouldn´t it be this time tomorrow as a Christmas present?
Anyway, still a great video :)
It's an early present from me ;-)
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
The nail polish idea just saved a project of mine. Thanks
Interesting video! In the past, I've used epoxy, crazy glue, but mostly bees wax. I used a nitro powered RC truck once. I took the circuit boards out for the servos, and receiver, and battery connections and packed with pure bees wax. The receiver cell pack was multilayered in heat shrink that had wax applied first. I ran that around in heavy rain for several tanks of nitro. I don't think this would work well in high heat areas, as with all electric rc applications, but it's fun to experiment!
Honey,
Where’s all my nail polish gone!
now today is saturday
Correct
It is also Sunday here in Australia
Now its sunday in the netherlands
Gaurab Pokharel its now wednesday here in canada
Gaurab Pokharel its now wednesday here in canada
You really doing great job
Your videos teach me a lot regarding electronic and electric circuits
Keep doing more and more
Always an entertainment to watch your videos. Thanks for making videos.
You're welcome :-)
too bad you didn't mention anyting about the price, that would be interesting as well!
So potting compound is basically liquid epoxy renamed?
AirsoftSlo I also wondering if it is just regular epoxy?
probably: "Epoxy resins are excellent electrical insulators" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoxy
High quality video and very clear. Thank you.
Thank you and all those involved in the content, efforts and production of this channel.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all.
May the new year bring you, your families and friends much health, wealth, happiness, safety, security, appreciation, respect and peace.
No conformal coating in this round-up?
Maybe next time
MarksGoneWicked conformal coat mostly causes more problems than it solves with a lot of applications 😉
in what way?
@@61barrackroad do yo u have some examples I'm researching the subject, as I'm looking for a reversible process to protect retro electronics from ambient humidity.
I think the temperature could become a problem if the motor is under load
I have personally learned this with my hot glue "water proofing"...which despite staying dry, ultimately REQUIRED water.....to put out the fire :)
I've found Plasti Dip clear to work well. Since it's an aerosol it gets into fine spaces. It cures quickly so a few coats can be applied. It also remains somewhat flexible so it handles flexing around wire to board connections.
Hello , hope u r doin great !
Can we use plastidip on car engine sensors , under the bonnet ?
I had no clue about the nail polish! Very interesting and thanks for posting the video!
How to make BL Dc motor waterproof ? For example project like RC submarine..
BLDC motors are not affected by water, as there are no open contacts across which current would flow. They are commonly used for model submarines and other watercraft for this reason. See this video: czcams.com/video/86-l2_THgWc/video.html
czcams.com/video/s4z8QMgTEA4/video.html
His name in Diffent Languages
English: Great Scott
German: Großartiger Scott?
Russian: Великий Скотт
Chinese: 伟大的斯科特
Japanese: グレートスコット
Hungarian:Nagy Scott
Czech:Skvělý Scott
↕ Its the same whatever
Slovak:Skvělý Scott
Hindi:महान स्कॉट
Thats it 9 Languages are enough
Translated by Google Tranlator Expect German and English
English: I know
German: ich weis
eigentlich ja "großer Schotte", aber great Scott ist eine floskel
Spanish: Esteban el grande
Guten Tag, I enjoy your videos here in the USA.
I really enjoyed the clip of the capacitor exploding in the resin
Can you make a video about converting AC to DC please
quangluu96 ElectroBOOM Fan spotted
IT ISN'T A PUNY SINGLE DIODE RECTIFIER
davide patrone Are you a patreon of ElectroBOOM?
+Ujwal Bhagat not already
Just 4 diodes in a specific Order
But DC to AC would be nice. Maybe a DIY or Buy?
Avasva is cool
True
Yeah
great video scott!!!!!
Very useful video as usual :)
Knipex pliers
I do, used mine for 5 years so far. Never had problems.
I have these too, they are really good!
Definately, they are amazing tools and they'll last you forever
thx for being so fast love your videos too, keep the great job
pricy tag but want my tools to lasta long time , thx guys
Clear polyurethane.
Great Scott. You Are Electronic King......!
Clear, temporary peel coat paint for cars work great! It's good enough to hold up to the weather for 6 months or more.
Once you start hearing GASP every time before he starts talking...
WHY DID YOU SAY THIS
CANNOT BE UNHEARD
Thanks a lot, now I can't hear anything but that.
What happened with the drone ?
2022
Ok waiting till then ;)
lolll but why so long i made a esc and a drone with cargo max load of 5KG in 2 months whilst juggling school,homework and sailing
Hes joking :D
THANKS THIS VIDEO HELP ME A LOT FOR WATER POOF OUTDOOR ELECTRIC PARTS
I loved the finale
Once you notice the sound of him breathing between takes, you can't stop hearing it
Now I regret reading your comment
Why did you have to tell me this? I can't unhear it now 😂
how to waterproof your phone
don’t get your phone wet
Buy a better phone.
Thanks, as usual very informative.
That's pretty fab. I have an older car sat Nav or GPS unit and instead of throwing it away as my car comes with one nowadays, I'm going to use it on my motorcycle. After using nail varnish. A dedicated waterproof unit is around £400. I've got nothing to lose 🙂🙂
Thanks
i want to water sound proof my wife
Great videos. Am I the only one who finds the attention to detail fascinating.
Excellent info! Thank you!
CZcams read my mind. I'm working on cooling PCBs with water, while keeping material density and conductive coefficient in mind. Thermal resin with silicon dioxide filler did indeed end up being the solution of choice. Except I'm trying to dissipate 50W of power, not 1 or 2. Good stuff.
*_Happy Holidays Great One_*
Ive watched enough of his videos to finally subscribe to this channel
When you said potting compound, before I saw it, the first thing that came to mind was dirt. :D
Best regards from Polish Man!
Outstanding Job.
Great scott! What a great video! :D
The silicone likely had a problem because so much was added, and the surface cured before the inside, and sealed the inside from curing and having the volatile compounds vaporize, I think...
Great video! Thanks so much!! Love your channel
oh yeah, that potted cap going off!
Whether you celebrate it or not; have a merry Christmas!
I like your thoughtful methodology. Thanks for sharing.
Great video Scott!!!! Interesting argument!! Thanks!
Finally ! Thanks man you helped me so much !
great idea man!!!
I am not electrical engineer (mostly iam doing with computers) but i like your videos because they are educational.
Thank you for show us this video
Tolles Video👍
Great video. I often wondered about this water resistant electronic coatings. Thanks
Great video!
Best CZcams recommendation
I subscribe just because the the name of his channel. It's one of my fav saying of all time, one of my fav movie back to the future
Man you are really great!
Nice video as always :)
Tha nail polish idea is brilliant, no messy silicon spray
Wow, what an early upload!
Nice video! Likes and Subscribed!