Does anyone have any insight on how
water tight
an IPX8 rating is? I'm investigating a new insulin pump, and all of the ones I'm looking at have a
durability rating
or something. The one I'm particularly interested in (http:/
Thanks!
Actually, there is a firehose rating. IPX8 is about as good as it gets. However, there is some wiggle room in that I've seen components to meet IPX7 but not IPX5 - the rating scale is not necessarily sequential.
ingress protection
. The following digits ('characteristic numerals') indicate conformity with the conditions summarized in the tables below. Where there is no protection rating with regard to one of the criteria, the digit is replaced with the letter X.
First digit
The First digit indicates the level of protection that the enclosure provides against access to hazardous parts (e.g., electrical conductors, moving parts) and the ingress of solid foreign objects.
Level Object size protected against Effective against
0 — no protection against contact and ingress of objects
1 >50 mm any large surface of the body, such as the back of a hand, but no protection against deliberate contact with a body part
2 >12.5 mm
fingers or similar objects
3 >2.5 mm
tools, thick wires, etc.
4 >1 mm
most wires, screws, etc.
5 dust protected
ingress of dust is not entirely prevented, but it must not enter in sufficient quantity to interfere with the satisfactory operation of the equipment; complete protection against contact
6 dust tight
no ingress of dust; complete protection against contact
Second digit
Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.
Level Protected against Details
0 not protected —
1 dripping water
Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect.
2 dripping water when tilted up to 15°
Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure is tilted at an angle up to 15° from its normal position.
3 spraying water
Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect.
4 splashing water
Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.
5 water jets
Water projected by a nozzle against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.
6 heavy seas
Water from heavy seas or projected in powerful jets shall not enter the enclosure in harmful quantities.
7 immersion up to 1 m
Ingress of water in harmful quantity shall not be possible when the enclosure is immersed in water under defined conditions of pressure and time (up to 1 m of submersion).
8 immersion beyond 1 m
The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer.
NOTE: Normally, this will mean that the equipment is hermetically sealed. However, with certain types of equipment, it can mean that water can enter but only in such a manner that produces no harmful effects.
Additional letters
The standard defines additional letters that can be appended to classify only the level of protection against access to hazardous parts by persons:
Level Protected against access to hazardous parts with
A back of hand
B finger
C tool
D wire
Further letters can be appended to provide additional information related to the protection of the device:
Letter Meaning
H high voltage device
M device moving during water test
S device standing still during water test
W weather conditions
Thanks Wikipedia.
If I remember correctly, most of our GPS units are IP67 - but I've certainly seen them fail the firehose (waterjet)
Thanks Jake. This looks like it would work. The thing I like about my 12 year old pump is that its built like a brick Sh!thouse --its never broken or malfunctioned on me.
It just doesn't have all the features that the new pumps have now.
IP67 is a pretty low standard, I think its essentially the product sitting in a bucket. It does not account for much spray.
I remember talking to Garmin once and their IP67 ratings do not cover spray. As a matter of fact, I was told my IP67 unit is not covered for direct rain which Garmin states can reach 60 mph. Garmin recommends the spray bag.
Im not too fimiliar with the IPX ratings, however Im not sure that a rating of
8
means you also get the protection of
1
through
7
.
Use a spray bag.
That would be ideal, however, getting a spray bag around a device that attaches to my abdomen might be a bit daunting.
So a drysuit wouldn't qualify? Sort of a big spray bag, isn't it?
I gotta hand it to your determination...
drysuit is indeed a solution, except in the middle of the summer. The drysuit would cause excess sweat, and then the patch adhesive would separate prematurely.
Tad, You are a pioneer! I don't trust those ratings. You may remember Gary and Bill and their VHF tests. Them I trust! I had a nasty cut on my foot a few years back, and got some
waterproof bandages
at the pharmacy. They held up through some wild sailing out on the wire for about 4 hrs. The cut opened up after some running on the beach to rescue a friend, but I think the bandages were still intact. If the pump is small enough, perhaps you could contact the bandage manufacturer, and get some that would cover it.Keep us posted. I'm sure your experience will provide a lot of valuable info for others in your predicament. PS: Let me know when you want to claim that beer I owe you. Maybe we can get Chris to join us. <img src=
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during the tybee I used two infusion sites, both covered with tega-derm (think of shrink wrap for your skin) and didn't have any problems.
There are ways of keeping it dry but I've found that water will go where it wants, and the body can build up moisture from the inside if trapped.
As for that beer, I severed relations with my client in Waltham due to them being an unprofitable venture. So I don't know when I'll make a return to the area unfortunately <img src=
alt=
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I have a friend who works at Insulet. Contact me offline and I will get you his email. BTW, they claim you can wear them while swimming. I would be more concerned that it would fall off before it would allow water in.
hobienick at gmail dot com