$1,000 Spray Makes Gadgets Waterproof

Rio writes "A new $1,000 spray claims to protect notebook computers, iPods, cell phones and other electronic gadgets from liquid, making them completely waterproof, a Local6.com report says. A creator of the technology said it could be used for emergency first-responders, bio-medical devices and historic preservation." This might be a bit of a flashback from last year.

Comments

In other news

[Bender0x7D1]

In other news...

Millions of gadgets have shutdown, or been damaged, due to overheating.

Good one

[Dan East]

I just don't see how this can work. It has to do one of two things. It either keeps water out, meaning that it covers and seals every opening that leads into the device, or it somehow coats every surface of the device, inside and out, including all circuit boards and components.

So, if it seals the device, how does it know what openings have to be there? Blackberrys (at least my pearl), iPods, etc have power and headphone jacks. So it is only waterproof until I have to plug something into it, rupturing the film? How long will this stuff last before it ruptures on its own due to normal use (like pushing keys on a keyboard). What about battery compartments and other doors on the device? My Blackberry has a door over the MicroSD slot that I open frequently.

The other option is to coat all surfaces inside the device. What about things that have to be left open to the atmosphere to allow humidity to exit, barometric pressure to equalize, etc? I own a Yaesu VX-7R handheld transceiver for amateur radio. This device is fully submersible. One problem they had with the first batch was the waterproofing sealed the inside of the device off from the atmosphere, which would cause a pressure differential against the speaker during barometric changes, which would reduce the amount the diaphragm could travel, resulting in reduced audio output. They fixed it by installing a valve that would equalize pressure. Now that problem occurred in a device designed to be waterproof. Just imagine the problems this would cause with typical gadgets.

Underwater telephony

[dj245]

This is very true. My current phone is waterproof/dustproof/drop proof, but that doesn't mean you can make calls underwater. I tried making a bluetooth call with the phone in a glass of water, but even a small amount of water kills the signal completely.

Re:Underwater telephony

[Solandri]

Let me try that again.

Most people don't realize, a Faraday cage doesn't need to be made of metal, it only needs to be made of a conducting material. Water (especially salt water) is a pretty good conductor. The only RF which can pass transparently through water has wavelengths thousands of km long. So instead most underwater communication is done via cables or acoustically.

Re:Awesome.

[Beardo the Bearded]

If you're going that deep, you'll want to take at least 3 iPhones with you.

If you were a tech diver, you'd either find this hilarious or you'd nod your head thinking, "Yes, at least 3, or two iPhones and one of a different brand."

The question is, of course, what they mean by waterproof.

Do they mean it's IP68 rated, submersible at depth for long periods of time, or is is merely IP65, splashable and washable?

Is it just "water resistant"? Have they sent the products out to be tested? Is this just snake oil?

Some of us take "waterproof" very seriously, and want to know exactly what it means.

Interestingly enough, the two specs that they list, MIL-PRF-38534 and MIL-PRF-38535, don't appear to have a damned thing to do with waterproofing. They're about component reliability, and there are several grades under each category.