Hi, got a brand new core some weeks ago, after I got the power board coating set, last weekend I started to coat the power board, but there was none! It obviously is on the left side (of Yarbo), upright perpendicularly, and appears coated with a clear stuff, instead of an open circuit mounted horizontally, so I re-attached the parts again, and decided to wait for any recommendation.
Does the generation I obviously got need any coating?
The power board should be right behind the module and lift motor on the bottom. Clear conformal coating is not flexible. You should apply the sealant kit. It is flexible. I’ve seen newer or refurbished machine mount this up and facing inward but those have had a black sealant fully encasing the wires and board.
I think you’re right to hold off. If it’s not horizontal like @bryan.wheeler’s pictures and is now vertical (I heard rumblings of this hardware change, haven’t seen it or a picture), then maybe @Yarbo-Forum can confirm whether, yes, this is a hardware change people are seeing now, and if any coating is required.
Pictures would help.
It won’t hurt to apply it.
The issue is this lip, when the board is flat.
Snow will accumulate, melt, and then freeze and melt and freeze and melt and and and…
And with ice doing what ice does, it’ll make every micro-fissure into a crack, and make every crack into a canyon. Hilarity ensues once the cracks reach the board and the water shorts everything out.
If your board is mounted sideways, instead of face-up (as in this image), the risk is lower because the water won’t pool. But if the lip is still there, then water can eventually find (and expand) any gaps.
Pull the battery, make certain everything is dry. You can remove the core’s cover, pull the three connectors off the core’s cover and move it completely out of your way, as well as remove the actuator. The power board comes off with 3 simple screws and becomes much easier to work on.
The board will need to be level while the goo cures. Expect that to take about two days. Remember to protect it from rain while curing.
Jay has a great video that’s a bit longer than it needs to be, but it details almost everything. He does not remove the core’s cover, but life is easier if you do. He also leaves the board screwed down to the chassis, which is fine, but life might easier if you remove it. Remember you can pop the three connectors off the core’s cover to slide the cover out of your way. Then the only thing holding the cover will be the HALO and GPS pigtails, which you’ll know how to replace as soon as you see them, if yours ever get trashed.
Time needed to do this is probably 20 minutes your first time, and 9 minutes your second time. That should tell you how much time is spent on being too precise with the goo. Biggest pain is cleaning the board, THAT wants to be done thoroughly. The goo will self-level after you apply it. Just have it where it needs to be, and it’ll go where gravity takes it. You’ll want to use enough goo to crest over that little lip.
No lip, no pool of water. Squishy goo, no ice turning fissures into canyons.
So if no one objects (Yarbo people?) I assume no coating will be necessary?
Then next question: for what good use the protective coating can be taken? I hate to throw away brand new things…
Looks like your power board is the new design and coated in the full black coating and rear mounted. That other board has a conformal coating on it. I’ve been contemplating coating that one myself, but it’s less likely to be an issue since it’s not a cup and up and further back inside the unit. @Yarbo-Forum would it void the warranty or be unadvised to coat the board to the top right of the unit with the sealing kit?
This one is the power board.
@Yarbo-Forum can probably find out if they recommend putting the goo on that one.
You do not need to apply the power board coating set to your new core.
For cores with the vertical power board design, we have already applied protective treatment during manufacturing.
After confirming with our team, there is no need to apply the sealing kit to that board.
Thank you for checking with us, and please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions!
I have the same design (the new upright design) but I was also sent the sealant kit. Was that for something else, or was it sent by mistake? There weren’t any instructions in the box.
We’re sorry for the confusion. They are sent by mistake and you do not need to apply it to your rover with the new design.
I have yet to receive the sealant kit. Is there someone I should contact?
Does your power board look like this?
If so, reach out to support@yarbo.com to check on the status of your sealant kit.
Otherwise if it has a black coating and or is mounted horizontally and not on the bottom of the core, you don’t need the kit and are good to go.
Mine is horizontal but is almost completely filled with the clear stuff. Do I still need to add the coating I received?
Yes, that’s just the conformal coating. The white flexible sealant the send out is made to go on top of that. I also recommend coating the wires, plugs, and especially around the heat shrink tubing. They give you plenty, so once you get the bottom coated well and overflowing some move on to the rest.
Any recommendations on HOW to clean this up in order for the sealant to stick?
I feel like pressure washing is out of the question. 
Compressed air? Very very gently, you don’t want to break any of those power wires…
Tim
I used a leaf blower and a hose. Couldn’t make much headway with a portable vacuum. The water hose is not recommended but it was necessary. Would not recommend any pressure. If you do this, inspect the board and make sure you don’t have any air bubbles beforehand or cracks. If you do, I’d reach out to Yarbo and make sure you don’t need a replacement.
I made sure it was good and dry before reconnecting the battery and turning it on to drive it into the garage. I then used 90% isopropyl alcohol with qtips and cotton pads to clean up the board even more. After it was thoroughly cleaned inside and outer casing, I let it dry for hours and then applied the sealant making sure to coat all the way up to wires and fill in the gaps in the heat shrink tubing (which I also hit with a heat gun beforehand).
Compressed air with a shopvac to grab what is dislodged. Maybe a toothbrush or wood / plastic stick for agitation.
Then alcohol (Whistlepig works best) for you and isopropyl w/ Q-tips for the board.
Make sure the core is on a table for the sake of your neck. Drive it up there if you have a ramp.
That black plastic lip that runs around the board makes a 1mm deep pool of water in winter. When the resulting freeze/thaw cycle occurs, over and over and over, hilarity ensues. So, you have two objectives -
And that’s pretty much it. If water finds a gap, it’ll become a chasm when it freezes.
