NightPainter Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 Anyone have any experience/ recommendations with applying a conformal coating to the electronics of there off the shelf firing system? I have a 32 cue Superbfire wireless system and I would like to open it up and spray a conformal coating on the electronics to extend the life of the system as well as give it some moisture protection. I'm not sure which would be the best to use for this application and what if any parts I should NOT coat. Thanks in advance http://www.masterbond.com/industries/conformal-coatings
oldguy Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 http://www.ellsworth.com/conformal.html You might ask the "doctor" in the link above.
warthog Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 (edited) Night Painter, I have the same system. I am not sure I know what the reason for doing this would be, is this stuff like a non-conductive paint? My case is pretty well sealed against the elements so al long as I don't immerse it in water, I don't foresee any troubles there, even with condensation. Looking at what is visible when you open it up, it seems there aren't any items I would want to coat with this sort of thing. Would this not cause a heat build up by insulating the circuit board and component in a way that would hold heat in rather than letting it freely dissipate? I think this would be a bad thing myself. I am always open to learning though. I did read the linked page but I am still feeling the same way. Maybe you could give me some pros and cons then between us we can figure the rest out. Edited January 27, 2012 by warthog
NightPainter Posted January 27, 2012 Author Posted January 27, 2012 Thanks guys It's a moisture barrier that will slow corrosion and it has little if any effect on heat, if that helps. So far I have learned that it may be a waste of time for this particular application....but the jury seems to out on that. I know absolutely nothing about electronics and next to nothing about firing systems. Here's where I got the idea from.. http://www.remotefiringsystems.com/ On the video he talks about coating the superbfire electronics to protect against moisture. They did a few aftermarket tweaks to the superbfire and a conformal coating was one of the tweaks.
warthog Posted January 27, 2012 Posted January 27, 2012 http://www.firingsystems.us/ bought mine there, looks to be cheaper there to boot. I will also say that the customer service is top notch. Thank you for telling me what this stuff is all about. I am going to watch that video and see if it addresses anything I feel might be worthwhile for me to do. I haven't had a lick of trouble with mine or using mine except the one time I forgot to program it to the remote (the first time I used it). That was a little embarrassing to say the least. Since then though I have had great results with but one misfire, I broke the filament on the Talon installing it and didn't realize it.
NightPainter Posted January 29, 2012 Author Posted January 29, 2012 I purchased my superbfire at the same place you did.....firingsystems.us The link was to show where the idea for a conformal coating came from. I have not purchased anything from remotefiringsystems.com to date.
lighthouse Posted March 17, 2013 Posted March 17, 2013 Usually you apply conformal coatings to the circuit board only. So you will have to take you firing system completely apart. Depending on the product you purchase, you can either spray it on or you can poor it on then spred it around using a paint brush. don't worry about trying to get it under the mirco chips the coating is to protect the solder and copper tracks on the circuit board. most conformal coatings dry very quickly so you can be reassembling within an hour or two. Conformal coatings are usually clear and once dry it will be difficult to see. However, you can check you work by shining a black light on the circuit board. The coating will show up neon white. What to do with all that left over conformal coating? I know, write that secret star comp on the wall. This way only you can read it, with your handy black light.
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