Ion-Mask Coating Could Make Waterproofing Electronics Easy

Engadget is reporting that a new chemical coating, originally designed to repel toxic vapors and liquids from soldiers' uniforms, may be the solution to small waterproof electronics. "The Ion-Mask is a special invisible coating that is chemically bonded to the device and repels water. It should allow waterproofing to make it into devices that are too small for the seals that are usually used to do the trick. Devices can have joins and gaps coated for a general level of water repellence, or have individual components treated for even more protection."

Comments

Lame

[Anonymous Coward]

This would take all the fun out of the old hairdryer-in-the-bathtub prank.

Re:Lame

[pwnies]

Not necessarily. Hairdryers generate heat by sending an electrical current through a filament to heat it up, but that filament directly accessible through the wide nozzle of the hair dryer. This ion-seal doesn't prevent electrical current from touching water, it merely prevents water from seeping through small holes or cracks in a device. With the wide nozzle of the hairdryer, water could still easily flow directly into the filament - which means you can still check to see if your buddies reaction speed is up to par.

Re:Lame

[emeraldfoxx]

either way you'll still get a splash out of the bugger. Viva la Revolution!

quite useful

[pwnies]

Considering that I just sent my iPod through a ride in the washing machine, this could be quite useful. Not only for waterproofing, but also for cleaning electronics. Sure you can send your keyboard through the dishwasher, but you still have to let it dry for quite a while. It'd be a nice way to clean more intricate electronics as well.

Re:quite useful

[jimmyswimmy]

I don't know why this is a big deal for the Slashdot crowd. Might be nice for keeping the water out of my sneaks, but for electronics? Conformal coatings (like Humiseal) have been around forever... they're just expensive and make rework miserable.

Don't think this would work all that well on entire systems. Remember, most battery-module interfaces are connectorized. If you overcoat the connector, you will reduce surface contact between the connector sides, which increases electrical resistance. In other words, a little jiggle on the connector and your device resets itself.

If they don't waterproof the connector, no problem, but then you destroy the battery when the phone or ipod or whatever goes in the toilet. Which is better than losing the whole device, but most consumers won't know the difference. Or they use waterproof connectors which are bulky and expensive and don't belong in the middle of consumer equipment.

Re:quite useful

[oggiejnr]

As far as I am aware the cheap ones simply act as connection changers and allow for keyboard manufacturers to create PS2/USB keyboards with only one connection on the end. The keyboard has to decide to what port it is connected and uses the appropriate protocol. The expensive ones actually change the protocol between USB and PS2 so the device doesn't have to be USB aware.

Other applications...

[illegibledotorg]

I guess this could be nice in the "small device" application that they mention, but other bigger devices come to mind:

- Ever ruin a laptop by spilling soda on it? It might still be sticky, but you wouldn't fry the motherboard.
- Ever tried waterproofing an outdoor AP or camera? You have to be very aggressive -- this could make things easier.

It would be great if this stuff came to market like a Rustoleum-type spray.

Re:Other applications...

[blankinthefill]

I thought of this too, but it brings up some important things to consider first: 1. Will the treatment inhibit heat transfer? Does it even stand up under heat? The article was pretty vague on that point, but if the answer to the first one is yes, or the second one is no, then that would limit its functionality greatly when expanding it to uses outside those mentioned in the article, namely phones. 2. Cost. How much does it cost to do this? and, more importantly, would there be a way to do it yourself, or to bring something in somewhere and get it done for you? If the is prohibitive, then it also lowers the usefulness, but if its cheap, easy to use, and you don't have to have a contract with them to get it done... this could end up being a pretty nice addition to ANY portable electronics.

Vaporware

[inflamed]

Having read all the available literature on this process, I feel it's fair to call it vaporware.

This would have been good to have on Christmas Eve

[ip_freely_2000]

...when I dropped my phone into the kitchen sink.

Surfactant resistant?

[G4from128k]

Although this coating may make something waterproof, I'd doubt that it makes the device surfactant-resistant. Soapy water (in the shower, tub, sink, or washing machine) does not have the high surface tension or tendency to be repelled by hydrophobic substances that I'd bet this coating depends on.

Of course, I could be wrong and would enjoy an informative post that proves that this coating can survive suds.

Shoes and Insurance

[writerjosh]

This article elaborates on how it would work with shoes/clothing:

"Rather than absorbing water and dirt, moisture will instead bead off the surface of the specially-designed shoes."

And then another advantage (for insurance companies at least) is the insurance angle:

"For electronic devices, protection from water is also important. Water damage is one of the top reasons for insurance claims on mobiles, with more than 1.2 million being dropped in lavatories, drinks or put through washing machines last year."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2007/12/30/scitech230.xml

Perhaps this could also be an eventual replacement to protect servers and other vital machinery without the cost and danger of Halon and similar gases.

Could it be?

[hyades1]

Is this anything like that "Girl Repellent" stuff that Trekkies spray on themselves before going out to singles bars?

What if??

[iknownuttin]

What if you coated your face with it?

Then you'd be the man in the Ion mask!

Thank you! And have a Happy New Year!

alternative to seals

[tverbeek]

It should allow waterproofing to make it into devices that are too small for the seals that are usually used to do the trick.

Have they tried baby seals?

Re:Bwootoof Re:quite useful

[darthflo]

The Nokia 6250, while being quite a brick, tends to easily survive six foot drops onto concrete. Mine actually did survive some thirty-or-so foot drops onto grass and stone ground. Even being throwing it at people wouldn't hurt it. What finally killed it was playing half an hour of water cell (didn't have a ball handy) with it's rear cover not properly fixed.

Not waterproof...

[blue l0g1c]

I'll bet my eye teeth that it will be rebranded as water resistant before it hits the market, because anything that is being touted as waterproof will be instantly chucked into a sinkful of water as soon as it is out of the packaging, and the company won't want to take responsibility for the ones that fail. I miss the days of "Waterproof."

I just want to know.......

[Penguin Follower]

I just want to know when I can use this to water proof my PC for water cooling! :D