Just realised that this person has passed away :( Seemed like a great guy. Life is short - enjoy what you have and your loved ones around you.

Sam, you were one of my most favorite youtubers growing up and you influenced many of my new hobbies.... id just wanna say that fpv stuff have improved a lot and is slowly becoming more accessible.... rest in peace my guy

R.I.P Samm, you will remain in our hearts forever

wowww you've had much better luck than I with conformal coating... then again I used acrylic. I'll have to try silicone coating asap

Guy in the truck at 5:02, "Hey, Samm!"

Rip this legend

excellent. you got the hang of flying these things real quick

Hey! Great video!! I use that stuff too, although I will probably use it more often now, after watching your video. Also, this particular brand of conformal coating can be seen with an ultra-violet light after it is applied. I use the UV light from a UV "5 second" glue kit to see were the coating is and to see if I have missed any spots, works well! Thanks for sharing your stuff! M

Great video, and great flying. Rest In Peace, Samm💜

This is a copy and paste including several snippets from articles, blog posts, and instruction Tutorials I’ve written over the years. Sorry for the rambling and I hope this helps someone I’m just an electronics geek with a somewhat respectable lab… Who repairs industrial control and automation equipment… Also restore and recalibrate test gear. And big into the laser Hobby. Anyway… Dealing with industrial equipment… I’ve come to learn a lot of things about waterproofing electronic stuff. Since I see hundreds and hundreds of industrial modules every year for repair… I’ve got a decent understanding of how it works. First of all… it’s a good idea to soak the board down really good with 100% alcohol or denatured alcohol. Then scrub the heck out of it with one of those small 1 inch disposable paintbrushes. Then give it another good soaking of alcohol with the board vertically so that it can drip off and take all the contaminants with it. Or better yet use an air compressor to blow off the contaminants and the alcohol. I buy 100% Iso alcohol by the gallon for about $15. And I keep it in a squeeze bottle on my workbench. (One of those squeeze bottles with a 90° angled tip that can be operated with one hand.) I use over a half a gallon a month at least! It really improves my work and I couldn’t live without it. There are a lot of waxy and oily residues that can come on new circuit boards… So degreasing really does help the adhesion and only takes a few squirts of alcohol and a few seconds. And the alcohol evaporates quickly taking any moisture with it. Second.... and probably most important. Try preheating your circuit boards before coating. They can handle a lot of heat But only need to be good and warm. Somewhere around 100 to 150°F would be plenty. This will help the epoxy flow in and around all of the components, And it will also adhere WAY better to the board. Also the longer cure time epoxy the better because it maintains much more flexibility. Some thing like 30 minutes is good, 60 minutes is better. Don’t get me wrong… I go through gallons at five minute epoxy every year and I love the stuff. But the faster the cure time, then the more brittle it will be. And with any vibration, it may can easily begin to pull away from the board or individual pins if it’s extremely rigid. So flexibility is great. Also when it comes to silicone… Be sure you get NEUTRAL cured silicone instead of acid cured. acid curing silicone will smell like vinegar and release acetic acid when curing. Therefore easily damaging copper and tarnishing other metals. Over time it will devour component legs and traces. Also, check out a product called “never wet“ made by rustoleum. You can spray that shit anywhere. On pcb’s, inside of power tools, on bearings, windings of a motor, Inside a brushless fan or motor, on your clothes, on your phone, hell I’ve even opened up GoPro’s and soaked the insides with this stuff when I was going to be in a precarious environment...... literally anywhere. It’s extremely thin (similar to a regular clearcoat…) But it’s hydrophobic and really is like magic.… Check out some of the videos demonstrating it. It really is amazing stuff if applied correctly. Another wonderful off-the-shelf product which is available to regular folks… Is flexseal. Yes I know it’s gotten A laughing with all of the infomercials on TV… but it really is an incredible product and cheap/readily available. Before flexseal, something similar was only available in large quantities by industrial chemical companies. But for $13 you can purchase a can of spray flexseal… or even the thicker caulk like tube. And its dang near bulletproof. If you’re worried about the epoxy pouring off the sides of the board… Then use tape or to make a dam around the board. In other words, stick the tape to the edge of the board with the sticky side facing in towards the circuitboard. Wrap the tape all the way around the board and leave the excess sticking up to make a damn so that you can fill it with epoxy. it leaves a nice perfect perimeter all around the board. Or if you’re wanting to cover the front and back of the board… the even better… Suspended the circuit board off of the table a little. Like the thickness of a coin or something similar. Then you can build a dam all around the board leaving a few millimeters extra on the sides of the board so the epoxy can flow over the top and down in under the board. That way you don’t have a bunch of open edges of epoxy that water can work its way under. But you’ve encapsulated the entire module in one slab of epoxy. If you use the dam building method… simply use some slices of cardboard like a cereal box… And a hot glue gun to build a little perimeter or wall around the board… Using another piece of cardboard or your work bench/table as a base to glue the dam to. The exact size you want. I would probably use a small plastic box a few millimeters bigger than my circuitboard. That way you can pour a little epoxy in the bottom, set your circuit board down into the box on top of the epoxy and spacer, and continue to pour epoxy on top of the board until it pours over the edges and connects with the epoxy around the sides and bottom. A small Tupperware container or any random little plastic box the same size should work fine. Once it’s cured you can pop it out and you’ve got a completely coated/padded module. But instead of a huge brick of epoxy it’s a thin coating with no seams or edges. That covers the entire front back and sides of the board in one smooth gel like coat. Just be sure to watch some acrylic/resin or mold making videos. And be sure to wax your Tupperware container/mold so that it can be removed and doesn’t stick in there. If it’s going to be some thing that’s really abused, then swap out all of your connector screws and crimp terminals with stainless instead of regular steel. And clearcoat any heat sinks or metal that isn’t coded in epoxy. It Makes a huge difference because the smallest amount of corrosion can easily spread under the coatings... wick will begin to delaminate it from the circuitboard. Any type of corrosion or patina whatsoever… Weather The white powdery oxide that forms on aluminum. Or rusting steel.... copper that’s formed a patina… it all Poses a huge hazard to the water resistance of a board. That’s the most common failure point I’ve seen which breaks down the waterproof barrier. For example… The white powder that forms and oxidizes on aluminum. That stuff somehow creeps up under and conformal coating with ease. Like it’s not even there. And most importantly…Keep in mind that NOTHING is waterproof. It may be water resistant but it’s better to leave it a bit exposed so you can dry it out later. The only exception is if you’re willing to completely pot it in a solid brick of epoxy. but then it’s completely unserviceable and it adds a lot of weight/cost. it’s always best to leave certain things open so they can be dried out after a mishap. Whether you leave it out in the sun on a dry hot day, or bake it at low to mid temperatures in an oven. the best methods for drying I found… Is 100% alcohol or denatured alcohol. Soak the entire board, transformer windings, motor windings, soak everything. It will bond to the water and draw it out as it evaporates quickly. Even then… I still put it in the sun While in front of a box fan.....or bake it in the oven. Just to be safe. This is a large cut and paste from several different articles, blog post, and instructional‘s that I’ve written over the years. Sorry for rambling… Hope this helps someone.

5:09 oh look maaaa It's snow quad angel :D

Great video, thanks for making this. I loved your flight footage too. As I understand it, the acrylic version isn't as flexible or resistant to heat, so the silicone conformal coating seems better for FPV applications.

the quad at the end: "yaaaaay I am playing in the snooooow"

I use plasti dip on my circuit boards. Its rubber feel like material but its in liquid form when applied so it makes like one thick rubber mat over the board. Its also easy to peel of since mine is black (u can get other colors too, to mach your build) Its cost effective, my jar cost like 35 euros and its half liter and it is going to last me forever. It is also much better in my opinion to have some solid color than transparent since in that way you can be sure that every component on your circuit board is covered with it. It also doesn't ruin your welder tips since you can peel it off if needed and be sure there is none of it left on the solder joint section.

I didn't realize they were so fast and responsive. It's like a remote viewing experience. I need one! I'd want more than just a conformal coating though. A triple layer protection protocol, like conformal coating on the bare components, layer of flex seal, then something similar to a cell phone case.

Best (how to) waterproof video on KZfaq! Thanks for sharing!

I have a jar of this stuff, and was contemplating using it on every component... just wasn't sure about the soldering of repairs later - you definitely answered that question :) great video!

Damn those quad angels !! 😂

Super new to FPV, but I found your videos early on... the one thing that stuck with me, besides how helpful you are, you have quite the narrators voice.

I believe it's people that share your sense of where is an appropriate location fly that have led to model aviation becoming very close to illegal here in Canada.

Two things you could use this for, 1. Driving in third person as if it were a video game, 2. Clearing the snow off your yard, very, very, slowly.

Dielectric grease on the connectors would be good too. Used in automotive applications to waterproof electricals.

lol, doing the Snow Bunny hop at the end! just shared ur video with fb RDU FPV, recommending a local flyer to use his wing to record people with speed and exotic cars while they drive. and, i mentioned the chemical and ordered a bottle of MG Chemicals 422B-55ML Silicone Conformal Coating, 55 ml - thank you!

Thats the most entertaining drone flying ive ever seen !! Shame to read about the bad news tho ... RIP dude.

6 min of my life well spent :D great video

if you are in the UK the product "EFSC15ML CONFORMAL SILICONE COATING" will do the same job :) no affiliation here.. just used it on my own quads

Rip buddy still watching you

My flat is about the size of your storage cupboard, I need to move to USA.

4:34 nature : Wire pop out while going backward* my brain : OMG DON'T DO THAT AGAIN

Ha ha! I Suggest conformal coating in your jet pack vid then realize you're the original guy that taught me to use it! 😀.

West Washington is a way better place to fly than boring Illinois. Bringing my quad out there this year when visiting family. I'll probably hit every tree though. lol. Awesome video and thank you for all your research, trials and time putting all this together for all of us. I'm ordering this coating today and applying it this weekend.

Thank Samm, nice flying, glad to see a crash, I was just asking how does he not hit those wires, I would hit them every time like a magnet, and then you did. LoL, nice to see others crash some times too! I use that stuff because I was burning out esc boards all the time. using the brush had 50/50 results. worked a few times but then the boards torched. the brush was way too messy for me and I guess I missed spaots some how, so I now us a small compressor and hobby air brush to apply it very nice finish and it works great. A little extra work but looks neat and works great. anyway thank agian and keep em flying!

Good to know that conformal coating does the job. Enjoyed the shots from Mt. Rainier!

Samm man, thanks giving this a try to waterproof a doorbell ringer/camera. RIP

Used the same coating on tinyhawk freestyle, almost no issues after many crashes into deep snow. Only after 5-6 crashes in a row, when the board is really full of melting snow the vtx may start showing black lines. After drying everything is ok again

Conformal has been around for a long time. It's proven and the best way I recommend to waterproof electronics short of potting.

We use conformal coating at work a lot, and a handy tool I use is an "orange stick" to scrape coating off if it's thick. I think I got them at Mouser, but you can whittle your own I suppose.

You're a ridiculously talented pilot!

Loved the jumping in the snow at the end.

I can see this working very well for wet conditions but wonder about water proof, as in dumping it in a pond or other body of water. Have you tried that? I've already ordered a bottle regardless, looks so much better than CorrosionX or epoxy. Good stuff as usual Sam. I'm jealous of your quickly learned flying skills, those dives through the mountain road trees were awesome.

you weren't driving the car and piloting the quad at the same time, where you?

You Make Great Content Man R.I.P :(

Nice video but It screwed me up when I heard your 3D printer "Singing" in the background because I had my 3D printer going while I was watching and I was like "WTF is going on with my printer?" then I realized I was hearing two at the same time, haha. Also what did the guy say in the red car who was driving by?

Holy crap that's fast. i like the Driving shots.

Holy shit...you know your waterproofing's good when you can just dig through massive chunks of snow with the drone and not drown it. Lmao

My quad+GoPro bounced into a creek the other day. This would have come in handy haha. Only lost a single ESC though

Very nice video. That is just what I need. I live in Portland, so I need waterproofing.

I know you're not going to be able to read this but a big thank you for this video!

For all the people confused and asking about acrylic vs silicone. DO NOT USE acrylic. Not only does it lack resistance to heat... it also does not flex. when it dries it dries HARD, so any time you crash or cause any kind of vibration or jolt you get cracks in the acrylic and it WILL FAIL! Silicone not only handles the heat better, it also flexes with jolts and crashes. It also adheres better to itself than acrylic... So when you solder and re-apply you get a nice thick SINGLE layer... instead of multiple layers that have hardened on top of each other, again causing cracks. It is important to get the silicone conformal coating... or you are wasting your time and money. Hence why Le Drib did not like the stuff. he used acrylic and of course it failed. Do it right, and never worry again!!

Awesome video! I've had this stuff on-hand for a couple months now but I've only been using it now because of the snow. Great to see an in-depth video on just how resistant it is. Cheers! :)

I've used the spray on lacquer. I think I'm going to try this stuff for ease of application and lack of mess.

Yesterday I flew on a large field where the grass had just been cut. The time before that I flew on a field with a baseball field with some type of slimey algae growing in the infield. Of course I crashed in both and they were a mess to get out of all the nooks and crannies in the boards. If I had waterproofed the quads, couldn't I just take them home and run them under the water to clean all the gunk out of everywhere? That would have saved me a whole lot of time and effort! It was tedious! To me, that's one of the biggest benefits of waterproofing, if you guys think I could flush the gunk out with a faucet dunk...

Hehe, love that snow jumping with quad. Hey thanks for sharing this. Can't wait to try it out.

Lol at the quad jumping in the snow ahaah

this stuff is awesome! I have been using it for quite a while and have had no issues at all. awesome flying from the moving car. if you have a black light that coating will glow if you shine it on the part so you can see if you missed anywhere or after working on it to be sure you didn't scrape any off

Nice! Now I dont need to stop flying this winter...

Walking on the side of the road then a drone pops out of the snow right in front of you!LOL

I laughed out loud at the end where you were bouncing in the snow. Wow! Great clean product. The CorrosionX was MESSY. I used 30 Q tips trying to get the goo off.

Awesome, might try this myself. Loving your videos btw, your narration style reminds me of rcflighttest a lot.

That has made my mind up completely. I'm getting that coating. Oh yes!

brilliant. my favorite part of the vid was at the veary end were the quad was jumping in and out of the snow :)

i like the idea but this product 422B contains xylene​, toluene and acetone. The thinner looks to be straight acetone. Though it's suppose to be meant for electronics, circuit boards etc, my concern is it eating away at some component they got cheap and installed on the boards. You never know... Also for best results it's calling for baked/heat curing. Off the top of my head I believe the temp they recommended for heat curing was 65C. Not positive about that number so check first. I'm looking at a couple others that don't contain the harsh solvents. Though i may still go with MG Chemicals 422B. Thanks for sharing your findings and build for waterproofing. Cool vid.. no pun intended. 😀

Plastik70 does a similar job and you can get it at Conrad if you live im Germany or somewhere else where Conrad exists.

awwe, he loves to play in the snow

Very nice vid. Thanks a lot. I just ordered my bottle of 419C... I killed two quads due to humidity already, that's already too many!

Lol those little jumps at the end. 😂😂

OK, coating my beater kwad, 3-4 coats of acrylic ( silicone sold out) The weather is ugly here, NEED TO FLY!! I'll check back in after flights.

Rip you legend mate

I think one issue, even if the silicone actually resist high temp on its own, is the electronic cannot cool as well. Might not be an issue for the FC, but the ESC will get hotter faster, and might fail (or stop working) sooner, depending on their safety threshold on temperature. Likely not much an issue when flying in the winter time.

I have been using clear lacquer over the years on my homemade PCBs. This product looks similar to the thin layer of 'potting' compounds used in most automotive ECUs. Great for sealing out dust and moisture. Have you noticed any increased temperature in the components in dry conditions?

Great Tutorial Video, On how to Waterproof Electronics!.........................

College Ave sure looks great without construction lol

I thinkg waterproof is a must, because even on grass field, a lot muddy water(most conductive)

Damn this is awesome, and your quad tricks are dope too.

Great pilot man

1:56 osd is always helpful!

don't forget about your camera, I used liquid tape for mine all the way around everything up to the edges of the lens. also, don't put conformal over switches or push buttons in the Vtx. I filled my Vtx with corrosion X inside the heat shrink, then liquid taped the ends and connector... my quad should be fully submersible now. too nervous to test still.

I'm going to do this to my Rc P-51D Mustang latet. Still seeing if I can fly it well. First doinb fpv for me. You will be missed.

Are the motors already waterproof or did you coat those too? What about the little 2 pin connectors? Do you reconnect those and then coat them? Or is that what you were saying to do with the WD-40?

Thank you sooooo much, this is exactly what i needed this is what i have been looking for for so long. You are the best.

Cool video and nice tip with the waterproofing. I wish I knew about this before I splodged liquid tape all over my Naze and PDB.

Subbed. Great info. This will be excellent for this moonsoon weather we have, this side of the world. Now to find some...

That’s Some good damn flying

dude that was epic! lol loved it, I'm gonna watch a few more videos but this is probably the technique I'll use. thanks so much

oh look there is a drohnebunny in its natural habitat xD

"and also because I like the look of naked circuit boards" 😂 only sam

I always wondered about resoldering after applying conformal coating - thanks for the tip at 1:33. That powerline at 4:37 must be hard to see while night flying.

Great stuff Sam. Gonna try this stuff out. Cheers

I used Rust-Oleum never wet before, it works pretty good but I think I'll try to scare some of this stuff up and use it instead.

try checking the coating under UV light, to see if its well coated;)

really great flying!!!

look at that whirley bird play in the snow!

I am going to use self-fusing silicon tap + silicon sealant for ESC, epoxy for LC filter + Capacitor, silicon sealant for FPV Cam, corrsionX for VTX and FC

MG Chemicals is about 5Km from my home ...great place and awesome PLA :)

Thanks for all the links.

Nice :D I tried the CorrosionX (HD) method and it works, but it attracts all sort of dirt and dust. Did you do something with your camera lenses to prevent them from getting wet? That was my biggest problem flying in dense fog - the lense was sprinkled with water droplets within seconds and I was glad that I knew the area very well^^

I Would love to have the Stuff here in austria. we have so much Snow, But we can't buy it here.. :(

That's so awesome, I just ordered a bottle of that stuff!

thats so cool flying man i love it