| Water proofing your crap! |
| If you want to drive in the snow, mud, sand(needs same setup as water), or anything else that is damaging to delicate electronis, follow this guide. Some things to remember before you start: water voids most warranties, and no matter how well protected things are, they will get wet. So dont run in snow unless you can afford all new running gear for your car or vehicle. |
| Servos: servos are pretty easy. I dont recomend using balloons because they trap just as much water as they repel. What i do is put silicone sealant between the case sections, theres usually 2 or 3. Put a coat of sealant on the inside and outside of your wire pigtail. Then put a drop on each hole before putting the screws back in. Put a teflon washer on the output shaft, then a thin steel washer. This should keep water out pretty good. |
| Reciever: Baloons may work here, but again i dont recomend them. If you have a box, its easy, seal up all the holes with silicone, and your done. If you dont have room for a box, put a baloon over the reciever, zip tie it, put some vaseline in the neck, and zip tie that in. Then put another baloon over that and zip tie it, and you should stay dry. I have also ripped baloons open before too, so be carefule when installing the reciever, keep it away from hot or moving parts. Another idea is to make the esc case described below big enough for the reciever too. |
| Nitro Motor: You need a cover for the head so it doesnt become packed with snow or mud. You also need one to keep mud and water off your filter. You can buy pre-covered filters, but im too cheap so i just make my own. I usually use 8 oz dixie cups, there cheap, easy to mount, and there prefectly shaped to cap an air filter. I just cut a hole in each side, and use 2 zip ties to hold it to the filter or the chassis. Electric Motor: I used kyosho motor covers, but tower stopped selling them. Most motors will do fine in water, but mud and dirty water will get into the comm and brushes. Just wrap some electrical tape over the wires and hood, or find kyosho motor covers. They came in the usa-1 kit. |
| ESC: the ESC...the biggest pain you will encounter. It seems no matter how hard i try, I cant keep an esc dry. I always end up crashing into a puddle upside down with the esc falling out, or something. Ok, anyway you will need some plastic boxes that almost fit into each other, but the smaller one must hold the esc. I found 2 tuperware style containers that work nicely. anyway, put the esc in the smaller container with the face up, and drill a few small holes level with the heatsink. cut a piece of screen the same size as the larger container, and attach it to the bottom of the esc box. then attach the screen to the opening of the larger box. You may need a cooling fan over the esc too. This doesnt work in total submersion, but it will keep snow and mud out pretty good. |
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