Testing a low cost waterproof connector

Discussion in 'Electrical & Radio' started by jadfer, Dec 14, 2016.

  1. jadfer

    jadfer Well-Known Member

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    I always found it odd that for years in our hobby I keep hearing that what we do in our hobby has never been done before.. boats shooting other boats with bb's and sinking.. YES.. waterproofing electronics, motors in water, pumps, dc electronics, electronic switches.. etc.... NO.. its been around longer than the hobby in some cases. I never understood why some folks go to EXTREMES to invent new ways of doing things.. that usually fail.. in order to either 'do it my way' or save money. I have been guilty on both counts and in my search for faster build times and maximizing battling I have been working on better 'dry' boxes for my radio and electronics.

    I say 'dry' box because no matter what I have used.. they usually get at least a tiny bit of water in them, until recently when I switched over to tiny plastic project boxes .. but that is another thread for another time.

    My current radio box has 6 output wires for relays/solenoids, an input ground from battery, and three female servo plugs for the ESC, Receiver Battery, and Rudder. I wanted to cut all this down into a single connector with servo extensions or just 1 big connector. I could find connectors with 2 pins up to 10 at very affordable prices but not much beyond that. To do the entire box I would need 6 pins for relays and solenoids, 6 pins for ESC and Rudder, 2 pins for power, and perhaps 2 pins for battery. 16 total!!

    So I recently purchased this: 8-Pin Waterproof Connector because I wanted to reduce the number of connectors that I have been using and stop trying to re-invent the wheel. I already had a manual crimper for servo pins so I decided to try them out. They are hard to figure out initially but overall the wire has a rubber stopper that when inserted into those tubes you see on the connectors, blocks any water from entering (in theory). There is also an orange gasket that goes inside of the connector that collapse when you connect the pieces together that forms the seal.

    These connectors are reasonably sized so I could have two of these connectors running out if the box. However I would rather order another set of a different color housing in that case so that I don't get confused, perhaps gray housings or a different type altogether to make sure there is no accidental cross-connection.

    I also purchased some potting epoxy for some ESC's I need to waterproof so I plan to seal the rubber connector on each wire with potting epoxy basically creating a block of epoxy around the end of the connectors and wires .. or I may just goop it.

    I have already been asked.. WHY?

    Why not just waterproof the parts and lay them in the boat? I don't like spaghetti in my boat.

    Why not make a little platform and suspend them out of the bottom of the boat? In a big boat that is fine but in a smaller boat like mine it was in the way and I couldn't remove it. A box can be unplugged and removed.

    I normally don't like connectors but the Brouhaha has taught me that even waterproofed receivers can get corroded pins.. servo plugs.. etc. So I put most and if not all of the connectors into the box and with 1 or 2 waterproof connectors.. the problems should be minimized.

    I will also be reducing the total connectors from 7 to 4 or 7 to 2 depending on the final design.

    so I will post pictures of progress as I move along and plan to run this or another based on a mini-din waterproof connector at the Brouhaha.

    50345872788__8BD97BED-3B29-4F6E-8E17-673113C16168[683].JPG IMG_3660[681].JPG
     
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  2. jadfer

    jadfer Well-Known Member

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    I forgot to mention this whole quest... and it has been a long hard journey... started as a result of troubleshooting receiver and firing board issues in the past. I had all the parts on a little platform and in the process of identifying the issue.. had to cut all hold-down ties, just to try figure it out.... and I missed the sortie anyway. With a 2 spare boxes... I just unplug the box, plug in a new one, and troubleshoot the old box at the hotel. At a local battle it may not matter but when Bob is CD and he wants 120 sorties on Saturday.. you don't even have time to hit the can.
     
  3. NickMyers

    NickMyers Admin RCWC Staff

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    Depends
     
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  4. WillCover

    WillCover -->> C T D <<--

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    I will put in a request to the SUPREME ADMIRAL KAS that the port-a-potties be place facing the pond at 2017 NATS;)
     
  5. Bob

    Bob Well-Known Member

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    Hey it's only 6 sorties. If we used duct tape to sheet we could do another 4-6 sorties in a day.
    Make sure your stuff works or is easily fixed. More time on the water, more fun for all. At PPB this year we had 12 or so ships on the water for a weekend. Did 6 sorties each of two days and left the pond by 4-4:30. Very few breakdowns, the ones we did have were easily fixed. This is normal for us. We all build close to the same way and can easily share parts and help troubleshoot.
    Breakdowns suck, so build your ship well and don't breakdown.
     
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  6. jadfer

    jadfer Well-Known Member

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    No worries... I wear polyester shorts to battle.. they dry fast
     
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  7. jadfer

    jadfer Well-Known Member

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    Here is the second waterproof connector I am looking at, the mini-din 8 pin waterproof connector - though there are others like it on Amazon that are cheaper but would be delivered well beyond my availability window (this year!).

    My initial thought is AWESOME!!!! The connector is very small (picture shows it in comparison to deans plug and Anderson power pole) and would not be a problem sitting to the side of the ship. The wires are all color coded and pre-tinned with solder so all you have to do is match up the wire, solder it together, and heat shrink it and you are done. It would be less time than assembling the previous connector I looked at, and this is small enough to have up to 2 of these attached to 1 box. The leads are about 6 inches on each side and there is a screw top on one side that you screw down to keep the connector plugged in and sealed. There is an orange o-ring inside the connector that seals it. The connector housing is keyed so you can only plug it in one way but the key is very small and as the pins are tiny I am a bit worried about damage. My vote for durability, at this point, goes to the other connector but I will work on testing the plug / un-plugging of this connector to see what happens.

    Overall this new connector would make building radio boxes and what I call the 'trigger circuit' much much faster. I will post more information later.

    IMG_3662[739].JPG IMG_3663[741].JPG