Tech – Page 17 – Tech Evaluate

Hello everyone, we wanted to talk about what IP ratings are for dust and IPX are for waterproofness for Cell Phones and Cell Phone Accessories in particular which leads to Headphones and Earphones. The reason for this article is because as we research products and we want to understand and what we consider to be the best in reliable waterproof earphones and accessories. Train and Swim for Triathlons Triathalon Training I used to train and swim for triathlons back in the Electronics Dark Ages of the late 1980s and early 1990s and at that time we did not have waterproof earphones like they do today. It would have been so nice to have music or a book in your ears with those long hours in the lap pools. Instead, we did the old-fashioned way and just "thought" through our swim practice and looked at the bottom of the pool for hours. There are also more personal reasons. After I moved to Alaska I was fishing in the ocean, not once but twice dunked two different iPhone 6’s in the ocean and a bag of rice was not the answer to save them. They both died and I destroyed both of them. Some expensive mistakes to make, more learning moments for me, and a great way to tell a short silly story. Looking Down on the Ocean Bottom So I am out in the bay near my home in Homer Alaska, standing in the ocean with water up to my waist and fishing for Silver Salmon in chest waiters and what I thought was a good somewhat waterproof jacket. I had caught a really big Coho Salmon and was reeling it in and when I finally got the fish to me it slipped out of my hand and I dropped it. Ahh!!! Well, the caveman's brain kicked in and I thought “Big Fish must get” and went face down in the ocean and underwater to get it without thinking (Now that is excited). Well, I got the fish but drowned my iPhone in my chest coat pocket and so my hunt for Waterproof Cell Phone Accessories began!! Fish Wondering? IP rating for your Cell Phone According to Samsung – “If you have an S7 or newer, you can be as adventurous as you want because your phone is equipped with protection from water, dirt, and grime. An IP (Ingress Protection) rating is a universally accepted measurement for dust and liquid resistance. The phones we mentioned all have an IP68 rating.” Samsung X 10 According to Apple – “iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes). iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, and iPhone 7 Plus have a rating of IP67 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 1 meter up to 30 minutes). Splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear. Liquid damage is not covered under warranty.” Apple iPhone Please see some of our other interesting articles "Swim Training Bone Conduction MP3 Wireless Headset IPX8 Waterproof" and "Is Water Damage Covered Under Your iPhone’s Warranty?" Let’s Get Technical What is the IEC or International Electrotechnical Commission Standard 60529 mentioned above? According to the IEC - IEC 60529:1989 Applies to the classification of degrees of protection provided by enclosures for electrical equipment with a rated voltage not exceeding 72,5 kV (This is a lot more than a Cell Phone!!). It has the status of a horizontal standard in accordance with IEC Guide 104. The IEC Standard 60529 measures to protect both the enclosure (smartphones aluminum case or housing such as plastic headphones) and the equipment inside the enclosure (electronics, speakers, camera lens,etc...) against external influences or conditions such as: Mechanical impactsCorrosionCorrosive solvents (for example, cutting liquids)FungusVerminSolar radiationIcingMoisture (for example, produced by condensation)Explosive atmospheres This protection extends to protection against contact with hazardous moving parts external to the enclosure (such as fans), are matters for the relevant product standard to be protected. IPXX Rating to keep out the Vermin!! Degrees of protection provided by enclosures (IP Code) This Leads to What Is an IP Code? The IP Code, International Protection Marking, sometimes described as Ingress Protection Marking, classifies and rates the level of protection provided against intrusion (invasion) or opening access protection, (for this article in relationship to electronics) dust and water. The standard was created to provide users more information. For example, a cellular phone rated at IP68 is "dust resistant" and can be "immersed in almost 5 feet of freshwater for up to 30 minutes". *Please note that it is not saltwater but freshwater. IPXX Diagram IP indicationFirst digit: Solid particle protectionSecond digit: Liquid ingress protectionIPSingle numeral: 0–6Single numeral: 0–9MandatoryMandatoryMandatoryIPXX Letters and Numbers Description IP codes have the format IPXX. The first number in the sequence signifies the degree of protection against the entry of foreign solid objects like dust or sand. The range of available numbers is 0–6 please see below. The second number signifies the degree of protection against the entry of moisture and may be anything from 0 through 9. The letter X may be used as an alternative for zero or the third digit. The protection is greater as the number is higher. IPX Number Codes Diagram Explanation That is why we see IPX8 in waterproof earphone advertisements instead of IP68 like in the Samsung description of their IP Protection for their Cell Phones. The first number - Description of access or ingress limit of foreign solid objects like dust The first numeral in an IP code indicates the degree of protection from solid foreign objects. ≥50.0 mm diameter object ≥12.5 mm diameter object ≥2.5 mm diameter object ≥1.0 mm diameter object Dust-protected Dust-proof The second number - Description of access or ingress limit of moisture or water The second numeral in an IP code indicates the degree of protection from moisture. Dripping water: vertical Dripping water: 15° tilt Spraying water Splashing water Jetting water Powerful jetting water Temporary submersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter or 3.2 Feet Continuous submersion in water Protection against close-range high pressure, high-temperature spray downs. IPX8 WaterproofBone Conduction Headphones Further, Explanation of IPX Waterproof Standards So to further explain IPX Waterproof Standards for Water Resistance, Sweat-Proof, all the way to Waterproof for all of us analytical nerds. IPX-1 Protects against falling water Equivalent to .19 inches of rainfall per minute for a duration of 10 minutes.IPX-2 Protects against falling water when tilted up to 15 degreesIPX-3 Protects against spraying water - Water spraying up to 60 degrees from a vertical position at 21 gals/min at approximately 11 PSI for 5 min.IPX-4 Protects against splashing water - Similar as IPX-3 as water is sprayed at all angles. Sweat-Proof refers to IP’s second digit 4 up to 6, ranging from splashing water to water jets.IPX-5 Protects against water jets - Water projected at all angles through a .24 inch nozzle at a flow rate of 26 gals/per min at a pressure of approximately 4.3 PSI for 3 minutes from a distance of over 9.5 feet.IPX-6 Protects against heavy seas - Water projected at all angles through a .49 inch nozzle at a flow rate of over 211 gals/per min at a pressure of 14.5 PSI for 3 minutes from a distance of over 9.5 feet. Definitely Sweat-Proof!!IPX-7 Protects against water submersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter or 3.2 Feet.IPX-8 Protects against water submersion for generally up to 3 feet or more in-depth - This equipment is suitable for continual submersion in water under conditions which are identified by the manufacturer.IPX-9 Protects against close-range high pressure, high-temperature spray downs and water jets. Smaller specimens rotate slowly on a turntable, from 4 angles. Larger specimens are mounted upright, with no turntable required, and are tested freehand with a water temperature of 80 °C for at least 3 minutes at 1450 PSI at a distance of approximately .49 feet. IPX Ratings in Headphones, Earbuds, and Bone Conduction Headphones In all sorts of headphone applications, we have an IPX rating from IPX1 to IPX8. We have never seen IPX9 in headphones as it unlikely that you would need them. You will probably never have close-range 1450 psi high pressure, high-temperature spray downs jets against your head. Waterproofing is usually more important than dustproof in headphones but it also stands to reason that if they are waterproof then they are most probably dustproof so the IPX rating should be more than sufficient for you. You usually don’t care about the waterproof rating in over the ear headphones that audiophiles prefer. You do care about waterproofing in sports, work, or outdoor activities from rain to swimming where your investment won’t be damaged. If you are jogging, running, or training IPX3 to IPX6 is probably more than adequate. If you are swimming IPX7 may work but we recommend only IPX8. Earbuds Wireless Bluetooth An Additional IEC Standard For Sound System Equipment - Headphones and Earphones Aftershokz Titanium Mini Bone Conduction Headphone IP55 Rating on Packaging The IEC standard – “IEC 60268-7:2010(E), is applicable to headphones, headsets, earphones, and earsets, intended to be used on, or in, the human ear. It also applies to equipment, such as pre-amplifiers, passive networks, and power supplies which form an integral part of the headphone system. It specifies the characteristics which should be included by the manufacturer in specifications and relevant methods of measurement. It includes a classification of the different types of earphone, mainly characterized by the way in which the transducer is coupled acoustically to the ear, and a classification code which may also be used for marking. Some More Important Dust and Water-Resistance Tips From Samsung for Your Cell Phone If you are headed to the beach or waterpark, you can take comfort knowing your phone can keep up with you since it has a high IP rating. Just make sure not to drop the phone in the ocean or while you're going down a waterslide.https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-211534/ Keep these tips in mind when you're facing the elements: Whenever your phone gets wet, dry it thoroughly with a clean, soft cloth.Do not expose the phone to salt water or ionized water. If your phone is exposed to salt water, wash the phone with fresh water, and then dry thoroughly with a clean, soft cloth. Otherwise, when it dries, salt may accumulate and block the primary microphone, earpiece, or external speaker.When drying off your phone, be sure to pat the earpiece (top front of the phone), primary microphone (bottom of the phone), external speaker (bottom of the phone), and the power/accessory (USB) interface connector with a clean, soft cloth to remove as much water as possible.When making a call immediately after your phone is wet, the microphone may have water in it, which may lower the volume that the other person will hear. After drying off the phone, allow the phone to air-dry before making a call.Physical damage to your phone, such as chips and cracks can significantly reduce its ability to resist dust and water.” So there you have it; enough geek talk to wind your watch for a while. Trying to decipher what we see out there in the world, advertising, on the internet in general, and even on Amazon. Sometimes we see things that are just not true and not necessarily in the United States but sometimes in advertising in other countries or sometimes it just is not enough information or they forget the IP Rating altogether. We hope it is helpful. References: https://blog.iec.ch/2018/09/ip-ratings-for-waterproof-phones/https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00077679/https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207043https://www.iecee.org/dyn/www/f?p=106:49:0::::FSP_STD_ID:2447https://webstore.iec.ch/preview/info_iec60529%7Bed2.1%7Db.pdfhttps://www.nema.org/Standards/ComplimentaryDocuments/ANSI-IEC-60529.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Codehttps://webstore.iec.ch/preview/info_iec60268-7%7Bed3.0%7Den.pdf