How can I make a K-pro water resistant?

[Payne]

I'm running a K-pro in an Ariel Atom. Bottom line is that there is nowhere in the car that is dry, so I have to mount the ECU "outdoors"

I'm planning on running it vertically behind the drivers seat mounted to the firewall. It's the most protected place I can find.

Where is the ECU vulnerable to water? Just at the USB port that Hondata adds? Could I just RTV the USB cable permenantly to the K-pro to make that area waterproof?

Thanks,
Jason

Where I'll mount the ECU:


No dry areas!

[Hondata]

Where does Ariel normally mount the ECU?

Even if you seal around the case and wiring, the connectors are not water resistance. ECUs which are waterproof, like from the 2006+ Civic, have a rubber seal around each pin in the connector, and the case has not open screw holes.

The best thing to do is to find a waterproof plastic case and mount the ECU in it so that the wiring enters from the bottom, and then mount the case somewhere where it will not get water splashed from underneath.

[Payne]

Where does Ariel normally mount the ECU?

Even if you seal around the case and wiring, the connectors are not water resistance. ECUs which are waterproof, like from the 2006+ Civic, have a rubber seal around each pin in the connector, and the case has not open screw holes.

The best thing to do is to find a waterproof plastic case and mount the ECU in it so that the wiring enters from the bottom, and then mount the case somewhere where it will not get water splashed from underneath.

Ariel uses 06+ ECUs and mounts them on the firewall.

I'm building a custom setup myself to pass CA smog, and using a PRB ECU. I'll find a waterproof box then and seal in the wiring.

Thanks for the help!

Jason

[Corey872]

Neat car...always thought it would be fun to have one as my 'other' vehicle. Might get a bit breezy in kansas winters.

If you really want 'bullet proof', you could get a waterproof box and put waterproof panel connectors on the side of the box. The ECU would have a short pigtail of wires from the panel connectors on the inside of the box and be totally sealed inside. You'd put new waterproof connectors on the wires outside and they would then plug into the panel connectors on the outside of the box.

If you go 'very good' you could try a big blob of silicone on the wires, but I think water will eventually work it's way in. Though maybe not enough to matter.

[Floppie]

The problem with that is that if it isn't a perfect seal, once water gets in, it won't be able to really dry out. Unless you can keep all water out, you might be better off leaving it as-is. I might be wrong but it's something to think about.

Now, my question would be - is cooling not going to be an issue? They're computers, after all, and processors generate heat. I know they don't have fans so I'm assuming they have a pretty low TDP to begin with (like an ARM tablet or something), but would completely sealing off any possible airflow still allow them to safely run for long periods of time?