waterproofing a driver board

[aljsk8]

hi

i want to make a driver board waterproof

its a buck board that you can run a few leds off

can i just melt wax all over it - or will that ruin it?

any other options??

thanks

Alex

 

[jtr1962]

Wax wouldn't ruin it since it's not an electrical conductor but a better option is to encapsulate the entire board in epoxy. As a bonus that would increase shock resistance.

 

[altis]

You can buy cans of spray on conformal coating.

 

[aljsk8]

hi - when you say epoxy - do you mean any epoxy resin type glue (2part)?

thanks

Alex

 

[WildChild]

hi - when you say epoxy - do you mean any epoxy resin type glue (2part)?

thanks

Alex

Probably! I did this on a modded MagLite but I used Artic Alumina 2 part epoxy to cover all the electronic of the board, before glueing it in the LED heatsink.

 

[jtr1962]

hi - when you say epoxy - do you mean any epoxy resin type glue (2part)?

No. I'm talking about a special encapsulating epoxy designed specifically for this purpose although the 2-part stuff would probably work OK. In your case for one board it's overkill, and you would need to put the board in some kind of case to hold the epoxy while it's setting. Conformal coating (available from Mouser) would probably be a better option.

 

[TorchBoy]

I would also expect wax to soften or even melt as the board warmed up, depending on what the board did and how hot it got, of course. And how close it was in proximity to other hot items.

 

[MidniteTweeker]

I'm kind of in the conformal coating camp myself. This is the kind of use it is intended for.

If the board is potted with epoxy, then it's possible to get into all sorts of potential issues with differences in thermal expansion causing damages to fragile components, traces, etc. For example, if epoxy flows underneath a component, cures, and then later expands due to heating.

While epoxy potting is commonly used, proper design & material selection & most importantly, endurance testing, is important.

The conformal coatings I've seen all remain flexible.

MT

 

[yellow]

theoretically even salt water should not short out.

Spray some paint over the circuit and ready
(or epoxy, or ...)