I just got the last pieces I need for my projector and started building last night... I'll start my PLOG soon. I've got a quick question:

Does high heat paint conduct electricity? I'm painting the frame I've built for my LCD, so the edges of the panel + the screws that hold down the circuit boards will come into contact with painted surfaces. Should I cover these areas with electrical tape?

Thanks in advance!

As far as I know there aren't any that conduct electricity. Double check with a continuity test to make sure though. If you happen to come across any that do conduct electricity I'd like to know to make my own membrane switches cheap.

Thanks very much!

I read the label and saw the paint contains a little lead, which I knew shouldn't be a problem, but it set of the faintest of warning bells in my head.

I'm not much of an electrician -- what's a "continuity test?"

Well, even if the paint doesn't conduct electricity, I would not consider it a good insulator as it can be easily scratched and compromised.

Not sure about the high heat but krylon does conduct electricity.

Well, to be on the safe side I think I'll electrical tape-down the areas that I'm going to screw into. It'll provide a bit of a cushion for the circuit boards attached the the LCD anyway.

Thanks again!

I'm giving the paint 24 hours to completely dry. In the meantime...

Does particle board (MDF) shrink & expand with temperature changes the same way that other wood does? The way I've cut the LCD frame makes it a fairly snug fit.

I've tried different krylon's before without any luck. Which one conducts electricity?



It doesn't suffer from thermal expansion nearly as bad as some other materials. It's easier to take away than to add so remove any material as needed. If you happen to remove too much polyester fillers like Bondo work quite well, but they stink to high hell. So make sure you work in a ventilated area if you use it. It's good to leave some tolerance at any moving parts, your fresnels or glass to keep from warping or cracking it.

Hyper,

krylon's ultra flat black. I make electromagnets and every time they get sprayed with this they short out.

Thanks Moose! I'm having trouble finding a cheap small quantity solution. I tried to make my own aquadag, but can't get it to work. Are you sure the keytones in the paint aren't just breaking down the insulation on the magnet wire?

Wouldn't zinc spray coating be appropriate? You can get sprays that have fairly high concentrations of zinc. Not as cheap as paint though.

[edit] It's hard to tell how well it would adhere to a membrane.
Actually this is probably better:http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/841.html
It's available in many electronic supply stores as an EMI protective coating.

hyper, Yea the coils are cast in an epoxy and are finished with paint just to dress them up. the only exposed sections are the power hookups and ground. I can get a reading with the multi even when the paint has dried for days. I can break the curcuit by masking off 1/8" around the power tabs.For the coils to pass they need to be able to hold atleast 1000 volts ground test with minamal leakage. with the paint touching the tabs it trips out as soon as I start the test.
I have no Idea if this will work for your needs but just to show some caution for use within the projectors.

Last night I checked the MSDS for Krylon's Ultra Flat Black product number 1602 and found four different formulations containing microcarbon. This evening I stopped by wally world and picked up a can. I think they must have changed the formulation again. I can't get it to conduct no matter what cure I try. Any ideas?

Thanks DeathRay. It may have to come to that. I wanted the cheapest carbon solution, but I could definitely make that work. I'm wanting to make a custom thin backlit membrane switch for my Hami. I'm starting to think I'm getting way too involved in this one.