Waterproof PCs Explained

Water is the enemy of electronics.

One fateful night after putting my laundry in the wash I realized I couldn’t find my phone.

I didn’t think too much of it and figured I’d just look for it later.

Well, as I lifted my clothes out the wash I heard a loud, thud, and guess what, there was my phone lying in the bottom of the washing machine.

“Arrggghhhh.”

All ended well and I left the phone out to dry for a day or two and it started just fine (my bank account thanked me for saving it the expense).

Now don’t be like me and just leave this up to chance.

Why invest in waterproof?

Yep, I said, “invest”.

The more waterproof you need, the more the device will cost. Parts need to be of higher quality and there is less tolerance.

Of course, this depends on the application, but here are a few places where some level of water protection could play a role.

Frequent water contact:

It goes without saying that any place which has frequent exposure to water would need a waterproof panel PC for day-to-day operations.

Intermittent water contact:

These are often machines that are exposed to water during cleaning. One method would be to just be careful, but it’s safer to just be prepared.

Some examples…

Milking System

This system is covered in our milking system case study, but essentially a panel PC was simply attached to the machine that is used for milking cows.

In day-to-day use, the system is almost exclusively exposed to extreme amounts of dust, which can be amply covered by less protection.

In this case, however, it is important that the machine can be washed down. During these cleanings, the computer can be exposed not just to water, but to high-pressure water.

By using a higher IP rated computer, they can circumvent possible accidents.

Building Automation

The needs of a building automation system are much less in terms of waterproofness.

They are installed indoors and mounted onto cabinets.

Panel PCs in the system that are accessed by users regularly may have dust protection, but only limited water protection.

Usually enough to withstand wiping down with a wet cloth or handheld cleaner, but not much more.

They are primarily designed to keep dust out.

You can read more about this in the building automation case study.

Car Wash

The water in a car wash is limited to the inside of the wash.

Having a fully waterproof computer is optional, and you would probably get away with a panel PC with a waterproof front panel only if the back is protected by an enclosure.

Adding a panel PC with an enclosure requires an enclosure to be created as part of the washing equipment.

The advantage of using a standalone waterproof panel PC is that it can be attached directly to the machine without worrying about needing further water protection.

Self-payment Kiosk

These are typically placed in covered areas and so have limited water protection.

But they do get grubby fingers on them all day long, and they will often be rubbed clean with little thought to the delicate electronics within.