Winter Set up?

[jhautz]

Originally Posted by Serum

pure water?

I thought the most pure water had no resistance?

I think what you are thinking of is that pure water does not conduct electricity. This would be infinitely high resistance.

Zero resistance would be a perfect conductor

[monel_funkawitz]

I am an electrical engineer and repair technician by trade, so I have some insight on this thread.

99.99% of the time, water itself (Especially on low voltage) does not cause the circuit to blow. This is referring to regular water (With no elevated levels of salts or metals) I had a old cd player that I removed the cover to, and would lay it in a bucket of water for a few minutes while I taught a class. I would then remove it, fling the water off with a snap of my wrist, clean off the lens, and play some CD's.

Usually what happens (Especially in circuits above 95 volts) is the water dissolves some of the salts, metals, or contaminants on the board and creates a highly localized area of high conductivity, and THAT is what blows things. Remember, water is a very effective solvent. It may not attack oil, but it attacks salts and metals with the voracious appetite of a teenager at Taco Shack. Transistors get driven into saturation, gates are driven way over their current rating, MOSFETS receive 50+ volts to their gates, etc. At low voltages, this kind of damage is not as common but it does happen. At 14 volts and water having 15,000 ohm resistance per 0.080 inch (Probably not real common though. It is usually either much higher or lower than this in real life) that would equal 0.0009 amps current draw and 0.013 watts. This is hardly enough to do ANY kind of damage, unless the parts are already running at or above spec.

This, however, does not address water damage that occurs from parts flash cooling, physical damage from water, water physically getting into IC's, or detuning of RF circuits. This is just the conductivity aspect of it.

Pure water + simple salts + copper = Flashy, bangy, smokey, no worky.
Higher voltage = Less likely no worky.
Pure water with no access to salts or metals = Anti-flashy, bangy

[monel_funkawitz]

I forgot to address the thread. :007:

Just make your truck, electronic wise, the same as you would run in a rain storm. Waterproof the receiver and ESC (I use baggies with rubber bands). Lipos will not work as well in the cold, so I would go with NIMH or Nicad. Run lighter shock oil (I use 10w) Run spiked tires if possible, and weigh the ass end of your truck down with lead wheel weights or whatever. Cleanup sucks.

Once you run a few times like this, it gets old. Run your trucks in the summer, work on 'em in the winter.

[jhautz]

Originally Posted by monel_funkawitz

I forgot to address the thread. :007:

Just make your truck, electronic wise, the same as you would run in a rain storm. Waterproof the receiver and ESC (I use baggies with rubber bands). Lipos will not work as well in the cold, so I would go with NIMH or Nicad. Run lighter shock oil (I use 10w) Run spiked tires if possible, and weigh the ass end of your truck down with lead wheel weights or whatever. Cleanup sucks.

Once you run a few times like this, it gets old. Run your trucks in the summer, work on 'em in the winter.

Why does it ''get old''??? To me what gets old is staring at my trucks all winter hoping for a break in the weather and a chance to get out and run a few packs. Most of the time I am stuck in parking lots only cuz I don't want to get into the snow for fear of frying something. Anything I can do to get more run time in the winter months will be welcome to me.

[BrianG]

I know it got old for me because I was always breaking various plastic parts - A-arms, steering knuckles, rims, and even bulk heads. Of course, it helps to not hit things, but I know the plastics are far more brittle when it's cold out...

[monel_funkawitz]

It gets old, because for all the screwing around, a 10lb car does not go for crap in a foot of wet snow. Go a few feet, get stuck, spin. Give it a little foot nudge... go a few feet, get stuck, spin.

Light powder snow is a little better, but I'd rather take my trucks down to where I work or at the local school and run them in the gym in the winter.

[jhautz]

Originally Posted by BrianG

the plastics are far more brittle when it's cold out...

Good Point!!

Originally Posted by monel_funkawitz

Go a few feet, get stuck, spin. Give it a little foot nudge... go a few feet, get stuck, spin.

Light powder snow is a little better,

Yea... I wasn't planning on trying to run when its too deep out there. That doesn't sound all that fun.