If you happen to fly in humid or moist situations, it’s essential to guard your electronics from potential water injury. Enter the Flywoo X30 Waterproof Superhydrophobic Spray. This revolutionary product guarantees to offer an easy-to-apply, efficient answer for waterproofing your drones and different electronics. On this overview, I’ll share my hands-on expertise with the Flywoo X30, detailing its utility, efficiency, and total effectiveness.
For extra data on silicone conformal coating, take a look at my information: https://oscarliang.com/waterproofing-drone-electronics/
What’s Flywoo X30
The Flywoo X30 is a superhydrophobic spray designed to waterproof electronics by creating an invisible barrier that repels water. Not like conventional conformal coatings, which could be messy and time-consuming to use, the X30 is available in a handy spray bottle, making the appliance course of simple and hassle-free. After making use of, water simply beads up and rolls off the handled floor, preserving the parts dry.
Get the Flywoo X30 Spray from:
Every bottle accommodates about 56.7g of the superhydrophobic spray liquid.
First Impressions
Opening the Flywoo X30 spray, you discover a compact, odorless spray bottle. The appliance course of is simple, requiring only a few sprays to coat a small flight controller. One standout function of the X30 is that it doesn’t depart a sticky or greasy residue. As a substitute, it varieties a refined white solid as soon as dried.
Flywoo X30 Spray Shut Up
With conformal coating, it normally leaves a shiny and sticky texture on the floor of your FC, which might collect mud and filth over time.
Silicone Conformal Coating Shut Up
Under are some photographs evaluating the looks of flight controllers with Flywoo X30 and typical silicone conformal coating. Earlier than Making use of:
After Making use of: Left is Flywoo X30, and proper is silicone conformal coating.
Usually, when FPV drone parts get moist, water sticks to the PCB till it dries. This poses a danger of harm as a result of electrical brief circuits.
After making use of the Flywoo X30 spray, the water varieties a bead when it comes into contact with the board and rolls off the floor. And it’s fully dry!
Efficiency Testing
Many customers have examined the X30 by spraying it on their tiny whoops and dipping them in a bucket of water. Personally, I don’t suppose that is the most effective methodology as a result of even with none waterproof remedy, your whoops can nonetheless work when submerged in nonetheless water for a brief time period (I attempted it).
What I actually needed to check was whether or not the X30 creates a barrier that stops the move of electrical energy, stopping electrical brief circuits. In my testing, I lined the ends of some wires with X30 spray and others with silicone conformal coating, then checked the continuity with a multimeter.
As anticipated, the standard silicone conformal coating created an efficient barrier to stop brief circuits with only one coat.
Nevertheless, even with three coats of X30 spray, it didn’t absolutely forestall brief circuits—present might nonetheless move when the wires touched frivolously. So, whereas X30 can repel water, it doesn’t cease brief circuits. Due to this fact, I wouldn’t name this product “waterproof.”
When flying in humid situations or gentle rain, this product may work, however don’t anticipate it to avoid wasting your drone if you happen to crash and submerge it in water, particularly in salt water. It’s nonetheless very possible {that a} brief circuit can happen and injury the drone parts.
Software Course of
Making use of the X30 spray is extremely easy:
- Preparation: Guarantee your electronics are clear and dry earlier than utility. Apply in a well-ventilated room or exterior.
- Shake the Bottle: Shake the bottle a number of instances earlier than spraying.
- Spraying: Maintain the bottle about 5-6 inches (12-15 cm) away from the floor and apply a light-weight, even coat. Spray at completely different angles to make sure it reaches all of the small gaps.
- Drying: The coating ought to start to dry nearly instantly, forming a skinny, barely white layer. Enable it to dry fully for 10-20 minutes. For added safety, apply a second and even third layer.
It’s beneficial to use no less than three coats to attain the specified impact. In accordance with Flywoo, it takes about 2.5g of the spray to coat each side of a flight controller thrice. So a bottle of 56.7g lets you coat roughly 20 flight controller boards.
Sensible Ideas
- Soldering: You’ll be able to solder over the sprayed space with out points. Not like thicker conformal coatings that may make soldering troublesome, the Flywoo X30 permits for straightforward soldering of connections.
- Reapplication: If wanted, reapplying the spray is simple. Merely clear the world with a brush and spray once more.
- Spraying Connectors and USB Port: In my testing, spraying connectors and USB ports didn’t have any unfavorable results—they continued to operate after a number of coats with out overlaying.
- Avoiding Barometer: Though Flywoo claims the X30 spray doesn’t clog the barometer gap, I like to recommend overlaying it with a chunk of tape simply in case.
Simply Detachable
The Flywoo X30 Superhydrophobic spray coating seems to be simply detachable. When rubbed with a Q-tip, the coating comes off with out a lot effort, and the skinny layers fall off like snowflakes. This may be each a bonus and a drawback. For a extra everlasting answer, conventional conformal coating continues to be the way in which to go.
Making use of X30 on Digital camera?
I believe the X30 could be helpful for FPV cameras—not simply the circuit board, however the lens too. It prevents water droplets from forming on the lens, which might disrupt imaginative and prescient. If you happen to’ve ever flown in humid or foggy situations, you understand how annoying this may be. Though it creates a white layer on the lens, a single coat is adequately subtle to be acceptable—higher than having no imaginative and prescient in any respect.
Doesn’t Fill Small Gaps
The spray applicator makes it simple to coat your electronics with out having to disassemble the drone. This can be a large plus for anybody trying to shortly add some water resistance to their tools.
Nevertheless, spraying this coating doesn’t fill all small gaps like conventional silicone conformal coatings. If you would like full water-sealed safety, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, you must nonetheless use silicone conformal coating.
I raised the priority with Flywoo, and so they urged dipping the complete FC within the X30 liquid. This is smart, however it will require a big amount of the product (and it’s not low cost), and you’ll nonetheless must disassemble your quad to do that, so why not simply use conformal coating?
Flywoo X30 Spray Shut Up
Well being and Security
Flywoo has confirmed that the spray complies with Chinese language security requirements, indicating that dangerous substances don’t exceed normal limits. Nevertheless, the associated paperwork are in Chinese language, and no English information sheet is on the market in the mean time.
Whereas the spray has no odor, in contrast to silicone conformal coating, it’s all the time sensible to deal with such merchandise with additional care. Apply it in a well-ventilated space, ideally carrying a masks and gloves.
Conclusion
The Flywoo X30 Superhydrophobic Spray gives a sensible and easy-to-use answer for including a layer of water resistance to your electronics. Whereas it’s not an alternative to conventional conformal coatings by way of sturdiness and full waterproofing, it excels in situations the place ease of utility and non permanent safety are key.
Get the Flywoo X30 Spray from:
For extra data on silicone conformal coating, take a look at my information: https://oscarliang.com/waterproofing-drone-electronics/