Has anyone tried to waterproof their metal detector with a nano-coating?

[UncleMatt]

Hi All,

I am curious is anyone has used a nan-coating to make their metal detector or pinpointer waterproof? Companies offer to make your cell phone waterproof with this technology, and I am curious if it works just as well with metal detectors. The idea is to apply a very thin, water-proof nano-coating to the inside electronics, so even if water gets in no damage or compromise of functionality will occur.

More on that : Want a better way to waterproof a phone? Try nanocoating - CNET

A company that does this : Leaders in Liquid Repellent Nano-Coating Technology | P2i

If you have any relevant experience with this, please sound off here

 

[DDancer]

I read about this some time ago. Didn't consider its use on a detector however. My thought on it is that the coating that's proposed is not intended for rough environments such as those we put our machines thru. It might be useful for internal circuits as a moisture guard but I don't see it being practical at this time for use in the field. Water proofing a phone is a great idea and I'd be inclined to have my phone treated however I doubt the coating will survive the washer but might come in handy after a toilet dunk. *hopefully its number one and not two one would have to deal with* Hahh!

 

[UncleMatt]

The only thing they coat is the circuit boards, and internal electronics. So it doesn't matter how hard you use your metal detector, unless you are working without an outer casing. It should still provide the same protection it offers cellular phones when it comes to waterproofing. I may send them an older detector and run a test with this.

 

[DDancer]

I cant see as how that would hurt a bit Might take a little of the fear factor out when you get caught in a down pour or are concerned about high humidity enviroments.

 

[UncleMatt]

On their website they show a phone submerged for four hours with it on the whole time, and no damage afterward. It literally insulates the circuitry from water short circuits.

 

[CA Gold Hunter]

If its anything like the "Never Wet" that is sold at home depot it will only work for a few days and isn't permanent.

 

[Nugs Bunny]

I saw this on Youtube and they demonstrate how well it actually works. The company in the video I watched teamed up with Rustoleum.

Superhydrophobic Coatings | Corrosion Control & Waterproof Coatings | NeverWet
Rust-Oleum® NeverWet® Liquid Repelling Treatment


They treat an I Phone at the end of the video.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Hello Everyone,

An interesting thread. If it is for the electronics only, you would have to disassemble parts of the detector to apply. Will this violate (if it still applies) the warranty? Make it more difficult to repair? I am just thinking out loud.

Nevertheless, a very interesting product!

Regards,

 

[UncleMatt]

No, this is not one of the hydrophobic coatings like you can apply to cloth, its a nano-coating. It can't be washed off as far as I know, it is permanent. If you have more questions, call the company and let us know how they answer your question.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

We use a product called Corrosion-X for the receivers and electronics of our radio-controller seaplanes - they get some splatter and an occasional dunking. It gives some water protection to the electronics. Mostly it prevents the damages caused after the circuits and connectors get wet and the salts and minerals dry in and on the components.

CorrosionX

Note I have not tried it on my detector electronics - but have saturated several radio receivers, servos and ESC (electronic speed controllers) which have printed circuits and computer chips as sensitive as those of a detector. Worked great with them. Several pilots in my club do the same.

 

[RobRieman]

We used Conformal Coating at work to protect circuit boards from the weather. If you have something dismantled already it works great. Comes in a spray can.

A Conformal coating is a protective chemical coating or polymer film 25-75µm thick (50µm typical) that 'conforms' to the circuit board topology. Its purpose is to protect electronic circuits from harsh environments that may contain moisture and or chemical contaminants.

 

[lockster99]

We use something called Enduroshield where I work to coat and seal glass. Semi permenant....7 year warranty. Might try a few tests on that.