Waterproof esc really

[Freakyliciousfishy]

Ok so here's the deal I run in snow and the esc's run great till it thaws

First one blx 185 toasted after 5 runs... dried out now and kinda works again

Bought a castle mmx8s now this one seemed great till the positive power pin on the board broke off now waiting on castle rma

Aquired a kraton seemed fine ran in snow twice..
Firma 150

Then bricked ...I think that ones a goner

Bought a hobbywing something nonsensored 150 amp suppose to be waterproof... to hold me over till I get the castle back
Well this morning no real snow bashing just ramped off some heavy packed snow/ice piles before work barely got snow on it...

But I got to use it 2 hours later bam it's fried

Now I got another rma to deal with... and a non running car ....

So I'm thinking of trying a boat esc at this point...

Yes I realize the blx 185 and firma 150 and the hobbywing are all the same esc now.

But I didn't realize it till I bought the hobby wing...

I guess I'm trying to figure out where to go from here... debating on trying to find another castle.. what is the internet input on this

 

[talion2020]

I think moral of the story here is that esc’s are in fact water resistant rather then water proof.

 

[rotauq]

Maybe a good idea to minimize snow/water to reach the esc, like taping the body/chassis, mud guards, protection covers,...

 

[Jerold]

Are you sure it's a water infiltration issue? You will need to pull the ESC apart (voiding your warranty) and look for contamination or see if the manufacturer will give you the failure analysis report.

Also there are a ton of videos on how to waterproof your stuff and most of them show you how to clean up your car afterwards. Leaving all the contaminants in there is bad. I would start by blowing everything out with air. Then pull all your connectors and clean them with electrical contact cleaner as well. In fact you can probably hose down the ESC with it too. It should wash all that junk away.

Also you might be dealing with some sort of thermal cycling issue where the ESC is hot and the wires are cold and brittle? Plastic connectors don't do well in extreme cold.

 

[Freakyliciousfishy]

@talion2020 no poop I get they are not 100% waterproof but poop man a little snow shouldn't be an issue ... that was kinda a penis response...

@rotauq your right and I had been running panty hose over things on and off... I guess its just going to have to be a must... thanks for the reminder

@Jerold on the blx185 yes I know it was water intrusion cause it's out of warranty anyways so I your it down to dry it out ... and it has gone back to normal function much to my surprise but I won't use it at this point cause I know it's comprised

As for the firma 150 haven't tore it down yet ... I don't have a warranty with it cause it was aquired second hand anyways may get to it one day...


But at this point I'm staying away from hobbywing cause I expect at least a little better

The castle held up to the water just fine and still worked with an external bec... so I think I'm going to get another but maybe the mmx (for sensored) or mm2 (not sensored - from what I can tell) ...

Not a castle fan boy but may end up being one with the current experience/situation...

And most days I do blow the truck down after use but I don't alway remember the canned air when I leave the ...

 

[talion2020]

@talion2020 no poop I get they are not 100% waterproof but poop man a little snow shouldn't be an issue ... that was kinda a penis response...

@rotauq your right and I had been running panty hose over things on and off... I guess its just going to have to be a must... thanks for the reminder

@Jerold on the blx185 yes I know it was water intrusion cause it's out of warranty anyways so I your it down to dry it out ... and it has gone back to normal function much to my surprise but I won't use it at this point cause I know it's comprised

As for the firma 150 haven't tore it down yet ... I don't have a warranty with it cause it was aquired second hand anyways may get to it one day...


But at this point I'm staying away from hobbywing cause I expect at least a little better

The castle held up to the water just fine and still worked with an external bec... so I think I'm going to get another but maybe the mmx (for sensored) or mm2 (not sensored - from what I can tell) ...

Not a castle fan boy but may end up being one with the current experience/situation...

And most days I do blow the truck down after use but I don't alway remember the canned air when I leave the ...

Easy buddy. I figured i should tell you that since you went through 4 esc’s doing the exact same thing

 

[Moirae]

I've been in the snow with mmx8s/spektrum 150a/max6 and have had zero problems with either so far. brb knocking on wood haha.

 

[Michael24]

I've been running a Surpass 120amp in ridiculous amounts of powder,wet,icy conditions oh poop the temps are well below zero as well. It's still going strong just UNPLUG YOUR FAN! I smoked a couple esc too. I think doing that and drying them close to the fire or heater gotta help. REMOVE FAN COMPLETELY!