salt air electronics & computers
 

Any comments on protecting complex electronics, eg computers. on live
abboard sailboats ?

"wblakesx" wrote in message
ups.com...
Any comments on protecting complex electronics, eg computers. on live
abboard sailboats ?


http://www.pelicanoem.com/survival_stories.htm

John Cairns

Hello,
next time you are in town and park your car in some spot with a parking
meter note the maker and origin of that meter.
Good chance it says JJ.MacKayParking Meters. (New Glasgow, Nova Scotia,
CANADA)
Most of these devices have same pretty fancy electronic boards inside.
This company is not a big entity but when it comes to ensuring performance
of their stuff, they do what many other electronic board/ equipments
manufacturers should, but most don't .
CONFORMAL COATING of sensible CB's; makes all the difference. That's what
they do.
I know, cause I designed and built it. And it works.
Saltspray no problem, high condensing moisture no problem, polluted air no
problem, rapid temperature swings no problem. They hate recalls and this
treatment is worth it.
From what I know, I bet that most devices found on board are not treated
that way and have potential failure rate at a time when you really need
them.
Guarantee is one thing but solid manufacturing to preclude any trouble
is better.
Too much crap working fine in show room conditionen but not fit for the
real tough places.
Next time you buy ask how CB's are protected! (Potted, coated, dipped etc)
Outer plastic covers are only temporary sufficient.

So watch out friends. mikl

Hmmm

I was thinking more of salt air causing damage...

noe- very intellesting! How do I get some? I'd like to see promo lit
too.

You bet! i would like to save my puter too!

I had to learn the hard way. One day I was getting into Saint John in heavy
fog. I was in between two containers' ships. Everything was going well when
suddenly my VHF stopped and my navigational equipment became erratic. I
finally made it to the reversing falls and had to wait for the next slack
time. When I got home I evaluated the situation and came to the following
conclusions:
In coastal areas where there is much heavy fog the situation is quite
different.
The wet saline atmosphere penetrates electronic equipment. Also the
temperature variation between nights and days produce high humidity. This
promotes corrosion and builds up on contacts, cards and chips. The ambient
environment in a home does not vary as much so high quality seal is not
that important. On a sailboat the ambient environment is not the same.
When buying electronics for your sailboat It's more prudent to get
electronics build to Mil Standards or its equilvalent.
This standard calls for superior sealing and the ambient air to be extracted
from the equipment and replaced with nitrogen. As an example Magellan GPS
are using IEC-529 IPX7 specifications for waterproof standard.


"wblakesx" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hmmm

I was thinking more of salt air causing damage...

For conformal coatings etc check out electronic components supplier :
spray, dip or brush on.
I would not recommend anyone to attempt this procedure unless they are
sufficiently familiar with electronic circuit boards and rework of those.
Issues like masking of displays, connectors, heat sinks etc and of course
preventing static to sensible components must be taken in account.
Also you don't want to break seal if item is still under warranty.
But a good electronic service shop should be capable to upgrade your device,
especially if they understand functions and can run before and after tests.
cheers mikl

"wblakesx" wrote in message
ups.com...
noe- very intellesting! How do I get some? I'd like to see promo lit
too.

Anyone have any ideas on how much this costs for a computer?

actually PorLoc might be excellant for this, Very thin coat, excellant
adhesion and apparently impervious to water