Waterproofing RC Electronics Using a Hot Glue Gun

This is another method of waterproofing your RC electronics and does seem to work well. The method of putting the receiver inside a balloon and cable tying it is also good but can fail if the car is under water for a while. One advantage of this method is that you still have access to the plug sockets if you need to change anything. A disadvantage is that the plug sockets are open to mud and sand etc. so you could even use both methods on the same receiver. I usually buy ESC's and servo's that are waterproof from the factory but occasionally end up with some that aren't. Receivers tend not to be for some reason. I don't think that there is a disadvantage to using hot glue on a circuit board. Doesn't seem to have damaged anything so far. Many thanks for watching. Please like and subscribe and all that stuff :-)

[@MarkBryanRC]

Pete - you are a GENIUS! I love my glue gun and use it for so many things, but I never thought of using it for waterproofing! Now I am gonna have a go at some of my electronics with the glue. Brilliant idea mate, thanks very much for sharing! Hope the beer is on the go already - enjoy your Saturday evening mate!

[@PeteWylieRC]

Thanks mate. Well I'd done the Matteo method with the Araldite before but that stuff is a bit of a pain with all the mixing and poking it on with a stick. I just thought that the glue gun was worth a go and it did indeed work. I have looked on KZbin and people have used it to waterproof electrics before but didn't see anyone doing RC electronics so thought it was worth a share. Anyway beer is on the go and got a friend over to watch Strictly so I'll catch you soon 😀🍺🍺

[@roypomfrey8312]

Great vid pete, wish I had time to watch it before yesterday's bash, could have saved my wheels lol, was a great day even if it was bloody cold lol

[@PeteWylieRC]

Yeah I think this is a good method of waterproofing as the balloon method does sometimes fail. The receivers do come back to life once dried as I tested one to check it does die in the water (which it did unsurprisingly). Yes good fun was had with the RC's yesterday. Was a little bit chilly but a good job we are all big tough chaps 😁

[@philwhiting5625]

This is great! I might try the glue gun and build up a layer underneath the body pins on the Lunch Box tub when I build it.

[@PeteWylieRC]

That's a good idea. I used Abro Steel on mine but I've got another one I've just built so might try the glue gun on that. Looking at KZbin there seems to be an awful lot of things you can do with hot glue. Thanks for your comments 😀

[@NordicRC]

Good thinking, Pete! I've actually had the Araldite sitting here for a long time ... maybe ever since Matteo did his video, and never gotten around to trying it out. Would love to try with the GoolRC receivers I have. Looks the same as the FlySky you have. Maybe I should try hotglue instead.

[@PeteWylieRC]

Yeah I got the Araldite and I did do one of my RC receivers and it worked great but I never did it again as it seemed like a bit of a faff. The glue gun seems easier as there is no mixing and you just have to squirt it on. Good luck if you do try it out. It is that season when you can't avoid the wet ground so the more methods of waterproofing we have the better. Thanks for watching Mikael. Hope you are having a lovely weekend 😀

[@alexthompson8307]

Nordic RC Visions hi, I’m new to Rc but had other experiences in trade related solutions & none adhesion methods like shrink wrap work well & less messy, but allow the feelings to return to the finger tips

[@hollyhillrc]

Wish I'd seen this sooner. Too late for today's soggy bash. See you soon ! 😀👍👍

[@alexthompson8307]

Holly Hill RC gets silica to bathe the elecs maybe not too late to save elecs

[@alexthompson8307]

What about shrink wrapping then capping the ends with the glue. Also use a washer with glue to strengthen the wheels

[@PeteWylieRC]

Both good ideas. Many thanks 😁

[@PeteWylieRC]

Although I was just thinking that shrink wrapping is only really suitable where you don't need to get to any plugs or buttons. Doing the receiver with glue carefully on the circuit board means that I can still use the plug connectors and the reset button as normal. Also on the ESC I have left the heat sink uncovered. If you have a circuit board that you don't need to get at then it would be ok to encase it completely. Cheers for now 😀

[@littleraptor9898]

can i waterproof my esc with it? i saw somewhere that you shouldnt apply hot glue to circuits that operate at 100 or more kHz frequency. at what frequency do 45A ESCs usually run?

[@PeteWylieRC]

Hi. I think it's ok with low power ESC's like the Tamiya with a 7.2v battery but probably not a good idea with a high power system as it might get hot enough to melt the glue. I have tested this extensively with the receivers but not so much with the ESC's as I tend to buy the ones that are waterproof from the factory.

[@neonuser2345]

I wanna do this, but would the glue be hot enough to melt some solder joints?

[@PeteWylieRC]

I'm not an electrical engineer but I'm pretty sure that the glue melts much cooler than solder. I've done this waterproofing method many times without issue. Thanks for watching 😀

[@dontneedone990]

Would it work for a mn99s and could i fully submerge it in water and it would still work?

[@PeteWylieRC]

Haven't got one but you should be able to use this on any circuit board that doesn't get hot. This video is only a suggestion. There are various ways to waterproof electronics. Never a good idea to totally submerge your RC even if the electronics are waterproof. Ruins the bearings for a start!

[@rcaddictgarage]

Ive i always wondered if i can do this... I was just to scared to try it thinking the hot glue would be conductive and i might short circuit something.

[@PeteWylieRC]

Well I had a job lot of receivers which weren't very expensive so I thought what the heck, I'll give it a go! Seems to work ok so hoorah! Many thanks for watching and commenting 😀

[@Zeioth]

With silicon you are vulcanizing. It's safe.

[@namolokaman2393]

One additional advantage over using epoxy is that the ethylene-vinyl from glue guns can be _fairly_ easily removed with rubbing alcohol, which won't damage electronics either ( though IPA can potentially remove or thin silicon grease on moving parts ). However, this method, from what I have read, won't hold a seal forever. The proper way to waterproofing electronics being the use electronics-grade silicone adhesive sealant.

[@philldownes8685]

Hold on a minute....... the Board is now water proof, but what about the pins where the servo's plug into..... if you have water over all these then it can burn out because you will be connecting positive and negative through all the pins....... or did you glue these as well when off camera ?

[@PeteWylieRC]

Hi there. Thanks for the question. You are right that the pins will still get wet but it doesn't matter with this low voltage. The receiver stops working when water gets on the components on the circuit board but the pins and plugs can get wet without issue. What I'm doing here is similar to what manufacturers do to make receivers or ESC's waterproof. The plugs between your battery and ESC aren't waterproof either. It's worth saying that if you had an RC submarine then you'd probably want to waterproof everything thoroughly to avoid corrosion of the electronics. One of my lipo batteries did puff up after the car went in the sea! All I can say is that I've used this hot glue method a load of times without issue. If you want to protect the whole thing then you can secure it in a balloon and zip tie it which is what I used to do.

[@usamanawaz1126]

Hy sir what wattage of glue gun is sufficient for this purpose that u r doing in video and for other rc electronics? And does high wattage glue gun will cause issue(melting etc) on rc circuit boards? cos more wattage means more hot glue...

[@PeteWylieRC]

Hi there. The glue gun is 10 watts. I've also got another one that is 20 watts. Both seem fine for this. I probably wouldn't use this method on the ESC despite what I say in the video because it might get hot enough in use to melt the glue. Having said that it's been fine with the Tamiya one and 7.2 volt battery which doesn't really get very warm.

[@usamanawaz1126]

@@PeteWylieRC Thnx for elaborating and explaining sir!!! But sadly I have a dual glue gun that's 60 watts on low and 100 watts on high😕 Will 60 watts do the purpose? or is it more than required and I have to buy a lower wattage gun for waterproofing rc electronics and stuff like that?

[@PeteWylieRC]

​@@usamanawaz1126 I'm not sure to be honest. I'm thinking that it would be ok as they probably all melt the glue at a similar temp.

[@usamanawaz1126]

@@PeteWylieRC Thnx I think I should go with 60 watts if it'll serve the purpose than OK else I'll buy a lower wattage gun Thnx a lot sir for helping me out stay blessed ❤️

[@steve-rw7ty]

did you have any issues with heat in esc that might melt the glue and unseal? great idea. I was gonna try corrosion x, but this is cheap,and fast. thanks.

[@PeteWylieRC]

Well I only did this method on the low power Tamiya ESC's that I run with NiMH. Higher power ones would possibly get hot enough to melt the glue. I tend to buy brushless sets that are waterproof from the factory. Many thanks for watching 😀

[@matort4720]

Would it work with crawlers

[@PeteWylieRC]

Yeah I don't see why not

[@zyb1797]

can I use hotglue on USB soldered connections?

[@PeteWylieRC]

I'd imagine you could use it on anything low voltage that doesn't get hot enough to melt the glue. Thanks for watching 😀

[@zyb1797]

@@PeteWylieRC yeah i tried it. video helps

[@hosannapraisedelacruz7824]

can i use glue gun to water proof my led lights?

[@PeteWylieRC]

Yes you can 😁

[@cw-01creations46]

1st!!!!!!!!!!!!! Again hahaha. Good tips to try if you go out in wet weather, which we do often. Now I need to get me a glue gun an sum sticks!

[@PeteWylieRC]

Well done mate! Yeah you can't avoid going out in the wet in the UK as we will find out tomorrow for sure! Yeah the glue gun is a useful bit of hobby kit. I have an idea to use it to attach the bed to the Lunchbox pickup body which I will discuss with you but I think will work ok. Anyway, I've got the batteries charged so all good to go. Let me know if you guys get delayed but we'll aim for noon. Thanks for your comments mate 😀

[@cw-01creations46]

@@PeteWylieRC Ahhh yes, good old British weather, it can't be beaten for a soggy day out of mud-plugging RC fun. I'm just charging up my batteries now for tomorrow, rebuilt the Green spiky basher this afternoon and sourced a 9v for the led's, gotta pick Roy up @ 9a.m so should be good for high noon tomorrow. Don't forget Del's box for tomorrow as he threatened to turn up but we'll play it by ear, haha, and could you please bring your speed tester thingy-ma-jig ready for some drive-bys? Cheers Ears. See you later.

[@PeteWylieRC]

@@cw-01creations46 hi Pete. Great to see you guys on Sunday. Much fun was had. Thanks again for the gift. I'll leave it wrapped till 2020! I have started editing the footage from Sunday and realised that I only have 1 usable shot of your Mad Bull. In all the mayhem I wasn't keeping track of what I had taken shots of. Anyway we can hopefully get out again in the new year and do more justice to the Mad Bulls. I'm going to do the Lunchbox footage as a separate video so the one that will be out this week is mainly Roy's Mad Bull and that dog!

[@cw-01creations46]

@@PeteWylieRC Afternoon Young Man, it's funny but every time I take a new build out, I seem to have technical difficulties with it. The Orange one had the battery selector switch break on the esc and the battery didn't hold its charge for the Red one hence not using either of those but I do believe Derek had a good ol' drive of the Hot Pink job. At least 1out of 3 worked, that's the main thing. I wasn't expecting such a big box from you as it filled up my boot. I'm putting all my boxes under the tree at the wknd. I washed the van and the majority of the glitter paint came off so maybe it's time for a repaint in dark Terminator Green... Watch this space... I'll be sure to test the All-agro before coming out to play next time!! Had a fantastic day out despite the cold and hailstones and definitely worth every minute of the drive down to you.

[@userou-ig1ze]

had to watch the intro in 0.25x speed to truly appreciate its awkwardness

[@PeteWylieRC]

Oh it's just awful 😂

[@matort4720]

what if the electronics get hot and the glue melts broken electronics cheaper but less realiable

[@PeteWylieRC]

Hi there. The receivers never get hot and I've done this on all of mine without issue. Haven't had a problem with the ESC's either but I've only used it with low power Tamiya ones. Thanks for your comments 😀

[@limelime132]

Well that didn't work. It comes smoke from the receiver after the hot glued it at 03:33..

[@PeteWylieRC]

There is just some bubbling because the terminals aren't waterproofed. I think it's electrolysis or something like that. Anyway, absolutely no harm done and it still works perfectly. I guess if it was going to be permanently under water then it would be best to seal everything up completely but this is fine for an RC car. I've done all of mine like this and they work fine. Thanks for your comments