# Kapton Tape or Electrical Tape



## JoeG (Feb 3, 2013)

Would it be the same thing if I isolate a motor using electrical tape as it would be using Kapton tape? Why do people us Kapton tape to isolate a motor?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I use Kapton tape for stuff like insulating tender shells for TMCC upgrades of O-scale stuff. The big difference is Kapton tape is much thinner than electrical tape.


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## gregc (Apr 25, 2015)

tape, in general, creates strong electrostatic charges when pulled apart. Electrostatic charge will often damage certain types of integrated circuits and shouldn't be used on printed circuit boards with certain types of integrated circuits

But if you need to use tape on such boards, Kapton tape can be used because it does not create electrostatic charge when removed. I had a board with dozens of probe wires attached. Kapton tape was wrapped around the board to hold them in place.

Motors aren't sensitive to electrostatic charge, but DCC decoders may be. Sometime you use what's handy.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

There are different types of electric tape. There is the cheep stuff that I have seen has a habit of coming loose in a short time. Then there is the stuff that coast $5 a roll that last. Issue is that if it has been on to long it tend to leave the adhesive behind.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Kapton tape doesn't leave anything behind, we used a ton of it in Aerospace applications.


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## JoeG (Feb 3, 2013)

Im sure the electrical tape I have is the standard cheep stuff. I can see having the sticky residue left behind can be problematic on the DCC electronics and chassis. Its apparent why Kapton is used for electronics from what everyone is saying.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

kapton is much more heat resistant than most, i use it occasionally for masking pcb's for solder bath process's,


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