Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Radio Equipment => Topic started by: tigertiger on June 26, 2009, 07:06:15 am
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A few weeks ago my least favourite boat >>:-( took on some water and the Rx stopped working. >>:-(
It was fresh water and has now had plenty of time to dry. Still not working. <:(
It is definatley the Rx, I have replaced it and everything else works fine.
It is a Futaba 2ch 27Mhz Rx.
Is the Rx R.I.P.? <:(
Or is it possbile to resurect it. :embarrassed:
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I've managed to revive some servos and receivers by washing with soapy water then safety solvent (meths, turps, etc).....
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Gin is the best I can muster. %)
How do you wash them?
Immerse and rinse?
Dismantle first and use cotton buds?
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Drink the Gin as you get your wallet out to buy a new receiver!
I take the receiver apart and scrub it with one of the kids toothbrushes..... %)
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I've retrieved an Rx from a sunken boat, washed it out with fresh water, dried it and it worked fine. It's only a pcb inside so as long as there has been no physical damage to it it should be OK. The danger is that whenit gets wet one or two components may have shorted out and it's fried but I would take it apart and scrub it up carefully with a toothbrush and some warm soapy water. Rinse it off with clean and dry it thoroughly.
You may be in with a chance and have got nothing to loose!
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This is your best shot:
Dismantle and remove from the case, wash it in clean warm water and scrub with an old toothbrush to clean the soldered side of the pcb. Now, carefully scrub around the component side, paying particular attention to cleaning between the legs of the components themselves and be quite thorough about this. Wash the set in running warm water from the tap and immediately immerse it if methylated spirit to remove the water. Shake out the meths from the set and gently warm and dry it with a heat gun till the board feels warm then leave it in a warm dry place for a few hours.
If that doesn't cure it and bring it back........ it's knackered!!
The secret to resurrecting immersed sets is to immediately remove the power, keep the set immersed in fresh water till you get home and immediately carry out the above procedure. If the set has been allowed to stand around and dry out, there's a good chance you will lose it since oxides and other conductive deposits form on the pcb and on the plastic component bodies These deposits will conduct between the component legs. It is very important to use the methylated spirit wash cycle as this removes the water after washing and prevents conductive films forming during the drying process.
The circuits most affected by these conductive deposits are the Rf (radio frequency) sections of the set and these will die immediately as they are particularly sensitive.
Remember too, that when drying out the set, although the board and components may appear dry, the small coils which are enclosed in small metal cans may actually still hold some water so leaving it to dry out in the warm for a few hours is important.
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Cheers Chaps
I have to dash off to Beijing tomorrow morning, until next week, but will give it a try when I get back.
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Hi tiger tiger i know this might be a little late but i imerse all of my electrics in a product called INOX (basically its a oil silicone based lubricant and non conducting) i leave all bit's for my boats RX, Esc's and the such and i have no probs if they get dunked i do not blow the Inox out after dunking and this stuff is also extremely good for running in motors .
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Hi Bob
It sounds like another product that goes by the name of Electrolube.
Is WD40 non conductive I wonder.
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We used to use a substance much like WD40 as a water dispersant in terminal blocks on top of poles. The initial script was to use a silicone spray to repel moisture, but after a while it became obvious that the stuff not only stopped water getting into the structure of the terminal blocks, but also was very good at keeping in unwanted water that was already there, hence the pre-application of the WD40-like substance.
The procedure of dunking in clean water, then using a fairly pure cleaning alcohol to thin out the trapped water followed by prolonged gentle drying is the best to go for - and if that dont work, its kippered. Those thin little wires inside the IF cans dont take much corroding away. Nothing user serviceable in there.
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I take the receiver apart and scrub it with one of the kids toothbrushes..... %)
having immersed the brush in turps your kids teeth must be a bit suspect. Is that the social worker at the door... :police:
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Bitter learnt lesson 127. Don't use WD40 (or anything like it) on electric or electronic stuff!
(Electrolube on contains oil, good for old switches etc, but to be avoided on anything electronic.)
(Safety solvent is like Isopropyl alcohol, evaporates quickly and completely, meths, turps, of a good malt whiskey will suffice!)
( The one I currently use, by the gallon, is CGP Service Aide Solvent Cleaner.)
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The one I currently use, by the gallon, is CGP Service Aide Solvent Cleaner
Also marketed as Tesco Basics Blended whisky......
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IT LIVES!!! O0
After taking it apart I was very surprised by the amount of green scum that was not only covering the back of the board, but also under the board in the box.
But a quick scrub with the toothbrush and all is clean.
Dried it off with Chinese rice alcohol, 56% abv. and let it dry in the sun for an hour.
and it all works again.
So thanks for all the input and help chaps. :-))
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The one I currently use, by the gallon, is CGP Service Aide Solvent Cleaner
Also marketed as Tesco Basics Blended whisky......
hey its ok with a large bottle of ginger ale, :D
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TT,
Very glad to hear it - gives us a warm glow even at this distance
My seawater-soaked radio gear is fine, too - I just did the freshwater wash without alcohol
andrew
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That will be £9.99 GBP please. O0
What happened to the other 44% of the rice alcohol?! :P
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That will be £9.99 GBP please. O0
You can dock it from my wages {-) %)
What happened to the other 44% of the rice alcohol?! :P
I drank it
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I drank it
And now you will come back to life too? :o
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You ain't finished matey, next stop is a range check...and a vibration check! I know you're not going to fly this set but the last think you want is a model (especially a fast one) which starts glitching when it's doing it's thing out there on the water.
Glad to hear she's up and running again, it's not simply the fact that one saves ones self a bit of dosh, it's the satisfaction of saving something from the skip. When I used to think back to how much these things cost years ago or how much input we had to put into constructing them, it seems such a shame to sling em out for the sake of a little effort.
Well done that man, that is what I call 100% true re-cycling at it's best! :-))
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Sounds like your equipment survived... 8)
Here is something I wrote up a few years ago... :-)
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153344