Circuit board protection from the elements

[Hayden]

I have some led strips that I want to protect and thought of spraying them with circuit board lacquer as being for circuit boards it wouldn’t corrode and protect it that bit better… right?
I have a lot of strips that are the weather proof ones like silicon coated but as you can see in the photo the silicon goes brown after awhile and the copper tracks start to corrode.
Some of the leds are ws2812 and they go dark under the silicon and sometimes fail. Now is that due to the silicon being acidic or something?
Just wondering if I get the non-weatherproof the raw strips and spray them with circuit board lacquer would I get better lifespan?

Any thoughts on this? anything better?
Thanks so much

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[Osvaldo de Banfield]

Depends on climate and use. I saw several industrial devices in which the lacquer became conductive with high voltages available in such a power devices, and caused an important explosion, and difficulting the repairment of them.

 

[JonSnell Electronic]

This is what I have and most of industry uses.
It does not attract moisture and definitely does not get conductive with age.
It washes off with acetone or IPA.
ERDCEO.75L | Electrolube Clear 0.75 L Can Conformal Coating for Protect Printed Circuit Boards | RS Components

 

[Mark Tillotson]

You mean silicone, not silicon - quite a difference! I suspect its UV light damage causing discolouration, and this style of LED strip isn't weatherproof at all. I've some old LED strip left on a reel that's starting to craze with age (not discoloured as its been on the reel away from sunlight).


Turns out this stuff isn't very durable - though this may have improved.


To protect against UV needs a coating designed for the purpose, not just a regular conformal coating, I suspect.

 

[RJM1]

You might want to look here.
The Essential Guide to Conformal Coating | Techspray