How Sensetive To Water Are Modern Electric Cars

[Stu74]

I am just getting back into the hobby again after a long time out(havnt got my own car yet).I used to drive my cars in any weather and never had any problem driving fast through puddles.If i remember right i sometimes used to bag up the servos and reciever etc if the weather was really bad.

My son has just got a new car for christmas and i am a bit nervous of him driving it in the snow so he hasnt had much chance to use it yet.His car has the new style esc rather than using 2 servos like the cars i used to have.

The esc looks to me like water could kill it quite easy.

Should i water proof all the electric parts with small plastic bags or just not take the risk and wait for the snow to go before i let my son take his car out?

[lee1980]

I am just getting back into the hobby again after a long time out(havnt got my own car yet).I used to drive my cars in any weather and never had any problem driving fast through puddles.If i remember right i sometimes used to bag up the servos and reciever etc if the weather was really bad.

My son has just got a new car for christmas and i am a bit nervous of him driving it in the snow so he hasnt had much chance to use it yet.His car has the new style esc rather than using 2 servos like the cars i used to have.

The esc looks to me like water could kill it quite easy.

Should i water proof all the electric parts with small plastic bags or just not take the risk and wait for the snow to go before i let my son take his car out?

Im pretty sure the stock tamiya esc and most are not water proof, some are splash proof etc, best ones are m-troniks totally waterproof and i think cheapest is around £17 so

a bargain, i say maybe use a cover over the tamiya esc for now and then order an m-troniks asap!

[tamiya monkey]

we stick everything in balloons, witht the esc you would be better with a proper waterproof one, ive had tamiya esc's wet in past and never damaged them, i would just put them upside down somewhere warm.

[Stu74]

My sons car isnt a tamiya but i am sure the esc isnt a waterproof 1 so i will look at getting an m-tronics waterproof esc just to be safe.

I think my brother used to cover the servos and receiver with small balloons when we were kids and i used to use small bags with cables ties.

Just wondering now is there a waterproof on/off switch available out there?

[Stu74]

Had a good look on the net for m-tronik escs with not much luck.I found a few on e bay but they wernt cheap all over £60 wich is more than i want to spend on my sons car wich was only £90.

Can anyone recomend a website that sell mtronik stuff so i can have a look.

[tamiya monkey]

try modelsport

waterproof 12 turn limit esc here or 20 turn limit here

there mtroniks re-badged

[loaded]

I ran my Boomerang through absolutely anything 23 years ago, never stuttered. Last week running a Porsche Cayenne with a modern ESC and new radio gear through the snow and the wet got to it within 2 minutes.

Paul.

[Raman36]

Remember: Nothing is water proof. Water resistant only

Good rule of thumb: electronics and water don't mix

Make sure your ESC and receiver are kept away from water... Also avoid salt water at all costs. Salt corrodes electronic circuits instantly, just a drop an your motor contacts will turn green and you'll have to use a dremel steel brush to get it off.

My P-47 Thunderbolt decided to fly solo auto pilot on its maiden flight 6 months ago.. Landed in a creek. ESC contacts were all GREEN.. and completely fried from salt water corrosion. Luckily receiver was ok.. servo contact turned green.. used amonia to get the corrosion off.

[cubsfan2009]

Use a Traxxas XL-5 (blue case) ESC and Traxxas servo and you will be waterproof. Put Rx in a balloon or if you have the room you could use a Traxxas waterproof receiver box. ESC has a 15 turn limit and can be found on ebay fairly cheaply.

[Stu74]

Thanks tamiya monkey i will have a look at model sport.

Even with a water resistant esc i will still encourage my son to keep away from puddles and deep snow.

[loaded]

Thanks tamiya monkey i will have a look at model sport.

Even with a water resistant esc i will still encourage my son to keep away from puddles and deep snow.

Snow is your friend :-) Enjoy is while it lasts, this is TransSiberia rallying at its best...

Paul.

[skip665]

This is my Lunchbox after a whole day of in and out of muddy puddles and it never missed a beat once - the ESC is a standard Tamiya and the receiver just a basic 27Mhz Acoms...

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...76&id=21533

[markbt73]

Sometimes it's easier to keep the snow away from the parts of the car where the electronics are. I used to run my old black-tub RC10 through pretty much anything, and all I did was put some foam weatherstripping tape along the sides of the tub and electrical tape over the unused holes in the tub. The tight fit of the body kept the snow and mud out. If your car has a nice snug-fitting body, this may be all you need. Just don't actually dive nose-first into a deep puddle, and it'll be fine.

As for the on/off switch, I can't imagine that melted snow (which is just about the cleanest water possible) would have any effect on it at all. Usually it's the dirt or minerals (especially salt) in the water that cause problems for electrical switches.