Background
In the past we have had issues with debris on our boards causing inaccurate measurements, particularly on the AFEs. This caused battery faults when in fact the battery was completely fine. We want to avoid these false positives to increase the reliability of the car. During regular car operation, filtering out these particles would mean decreasing the airflow through the electrical enclosures, thus diminishing our cooling ability - this may be fine. However, the electrical enclosures are open very often for debugging/replacing/upgrading boards, so we would like the protection to be part of the board itself.
We are not necessarily expecting liquid to spill on the boards, but it can (and has - FSGP 2019, and I’m sure earlier as well) happen, since we do clean our solar array by spraying water on it and potentially have to drive in the rain during competition.
What is 'conformal coating'
Why use it, alternatives, etc.
Could we just fully seal the electrical enclosures?
Types of ‘conformal coating’ / potting
Types of board coatings - list descriptions, advantages, disadvantages, purchase links
Type | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages | Price / Purchase links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Silicone | ||||
Acrylic | ||||
Clear Nail Polish? | ||||
Would a 3D printed cover be appropriate? | ||||
Potting Materials |
Recommendations by industry experts?
What to watch out for
Trapping debris on the board - it has to be completely clean before
Rework (manually fixing solder joints on the board) effects - how hard is the coating to remove
Does it actually work? - look for reviews, actual tests