Stupid question

Okay, as I was sitting looking at my boat I was pondering the task of how to build a water free box for my reciever and servos, and it hit me...how about using zip lock containers. So, has anyone tried to use these and if so what were the results?

 

I was thinking of using one of the new Lock & Lock for my water retaining box on my new build and decided to just water proof my electronics going the easier and safer way out I got sick of opening mine all last year and drying stuff []

 

I have lock tight boxes which were pretty good, I drilled out holes for wires on the side of the box. Just make sur you seal the holes up good and it would not hurt to put vasline on the rubber gasket to get a better water tight seal.

 

You can definately use the "lock and lock" boxes. When you drill holes in it, drill them as close to the top of the box as possible, run the lead extensions through and then seal the holes with either marine or plumbers' GOOP (We use plumbers) since they are designed to work in water. As long as the box is not under water for an extended period of time, it shouldn't leak. Mine didn't even after a ram that put a silver dollar size hole in my bow. It also doesn't hurt to water proof the servos and reciever if possible. It adds a second layer of protection.
Hope this helps,
J

 

Water will find wick its way through stranded wire eventually.

What I've done in my watertight (Otterbox) boxes is to drill & tap #4-40 holes for higher-current connections, such as power & return. Then, install a screw from the inside out, with some silicone to help seal. Lugged wires connect via the screw.

For low-current (i.e. servo) piercings, I drill a 3 * (however-many) matrix of small holes on 0.1" spacing, & install a solid header block in the holes. Solder wires onto the inside pins (all + & - can be wired together, which makes it a lot easier), then thread through the holes & stick with silicone. Inside, connect common + & - to the appropriate screws, run the 3rd (signal) lead to the receiver (single wire in a servo plug. Then, just plug servos/extensions directly into the pins on the outside of the box.



I've gone over to waterproofing for later builds, but I've still got a couple of ships with waterproof boxes built this way. They work very well (i.e. never had a drop get in, or corroded wiring) & I haven't had any particular reason to refit anything.

JM

 

Putting screws in your box like this leads to fires. I've seen 3 of them because of this. Some bb or screw or nut or some other random chunk of metal shorts out the screws. Also the ring connectors will corode and put resistance into your circuit, waisting power.
The boxes where always water tight though, even after the fire was put out.

 

Wrong. There's nothing inherent about drilling & tapping through a box that leads directly to fires. Any fires you've seen haven't been because of terminals through the box; they've been because the job was done poorly. I've never had a fire (at least, not from the cause suggested). Maybe it's because I space things well-enough apart so that there wasn't room for a bearing to lodge between & short them. I also try to keep loose screws, nuts, etc. bouncing around in the hull to a minimum. Even if it were a real issue, it could be countered pretty easily with an insulating cover over the "hot" terminals, like what you can see on the battery cables of just about any car these days. Worst case, paint some ScotchKote over it/them after securing if you feel that it's necessary to have loose hardware laying around in the hull.

I've never had a corrosion problem, either, but there's potential for that with or without a watertight box, with or without drilled/tapped holes. It's also pretty easy to keep in check with reasonable maintenance, too, at about the same level as it takes to keep waterproofed electronics ship-shape. That's still a heck of a lot less than what could be expected from corrosion in the wire itself. I figure it works out about the same, either way, as far as maintenance goes. The biggest downside I've seen to using Otterboxes is that they don't come in the exact sizes I need.

JM

 

I agree with Bob, I've also seen fires with similar systems to what john recommends. You could put all the + on one side & all the - on the other...

I prefer short wires through the (otter) box with connectors on the (water) side. I usually go with the red/black square ones, from LHS. See my Tirpitz build thread..

 

In all the years I have been batteling I have never lost a servo or receiver to water.I dip or scotchkote all my servos and I epoxy all my receivers 2.4 gig the 75mghz I dip in liquid tape or tool dip They are so much easier to replace that way than a water [resistant box]Bob amend had a box at nats and all the bolt connections had coroded even though they were under silicone.We had proper voltage but because of the high resistance corosion no motor would run. If built and executed properly a water resistant is great, for me it is not worth the space and effort.

 

It must be tough being green but I agree with the frog []

 

A poor man's method of protecting the receiver is using 3 or 4 sandwich baggies each one rubber banded where the leads are, and hang it upside down in the boat. I agree that W/P boxes are a waste of time and troublesome. Different strokes for different folk though.
Danny

 

I've never run a water-resistant box in any of my boats. I considered one, once, and even took the time to design it and test-fit it. Then I found I could fit in more batteries without it, and cancelled the idea. In later projects, I simply haven't had room. Despite this, I've never had a problem with water. I just have to plan ahead and prepare. For shallow water, o-ringed servos like the Traxxas waterproof servos or the Hitec low-profile servo are great. For deeper water, drill holes in the case and coat the circuitboard with skotchkote. Receivers can be skotchkoted or epoxied. And always have rubbing alcohol in your tool box.

I'm one of the "weird" people in my club, because I actually use water protection. Many skippers go unprotected, and they still don't have any problems. It just takes them longer to recover after a sink.

 

I studied the box that Rob Stalnaker made for the tirpitz I bought. I know he has sunk several times and there is no evidence of a fire on the outside of the box. He uses a similar method as John is recommendign with the screw posts. So I have questions:

Corrosion - what if the screws are stainless?
Alternative to same design - I like the simplicity of the design of the screws. I can add ring terminals to the ends of my wires and bolt down. I can change at any time. What would be a good alternative?
Sealing - What if the screw posts were covered with marine goo prior to a battle? I have to do that with the stern deck anyway. I have to peel it off in order to take the deck off.

Thanks