RC Car - How to Prevent Water Damage to Your RC Car

The RC Car and Radio Control Racing Web Site

Water and Electrical Components Don't Mix

rain.gif (2672 bytes) For some reason people insist on driving their RC cars in the rain, snow, or through puddles. You should never do this. Do you take your stereo into the bath with you?

My first recommendation is not even put your electronics in the position to get wet but if you do manage to get water on to your electrical components it is not the end of the world. Generally speaking it is not the water that does the damage, it is the corrosion that occurs because of the water so as long as you dry your electronics right away there should be no damage.

If you get water into any electrical components of your car there are simple steps that you should follow to prevent damage.

First, remove the electrical components from your car.
Second, open them up and dry them with a dry towel.
Third, dry them further using a hair dryer (on low, you don't want to damage the components with heat). Make sure you use every angle to ensure the circuit boards are completely dry.
Fourth, as a precautionary measure, leave the electrical components apart and lay them out on a dry towel overnight to ensure they are completely dry before reassembly.

nov-cyclone-tc.jpg (9202 bytes) The next day, reassemble the components and test them. There is no guarantee that this will work but it usually does. If you leave the water to evaporate on its own, it will cause corrosion to the components and destroy the device so be sure to stop driving immediately and solve the problem. Don't put your car aside and "deal with it tomorrow".

Remember, as I said earlier, the best method of dealing with water is to avoid it but if the problem arises you will know how to fix it.

Let's take off a few tenths per lap,

"PRO"