Waterproofing Pixels

Note About Waterproofing

Sandevices.com the manufacturer of the E680-E682 Series Pixels Controllers has the following note.
"There are additional considerations for outdoor displays. The first is waterproofing. Bear in mind these comments refer to the popular Chinese‐made pixel strings. First, it’s important to understand the original purpose of these pixels. They were designed to be installed in digital signs, pushed in from the back of the faceplate of the sign, in a pretty closelyspaced grid. So, they are relatively waterproof, as in designed for outdoor use, but there originally intended application doesn’t subject them to direct rain or snow because they are pretty‐much shielded by the sign enclosure.

The weak spot is that there are two sets of wires going into each pixel, two 3 or 4‐consuctor flat cables. These two flat cables are just pressed against each other and they enter the pixel through a single hole in the silicone. The problem is that there is no silicone between the two sets of wires, and this not only creates a potential entry point for moisture, with a ‘hanging’ string, the weight of the string will tend to pull the silicone apart slightly, allowing a larger path for water entry. Some pixels are made from a pretty stiff silicone, others are made from silicone that’s a lot more flexible. Those made from the stiffer silicone are probably more inherently waterproof, but those made of the softer stuff do lend themselves to some additional waterproofing by a quick shot of hot melt glue between the two sets of wires. The silicone is soft enough that you can just jam the tip of the glue gun in, forcing the wires apart a bit, then you shoot in a dab of glue, and when you remove the gun the silicone snaps back and seals everything up tightly. I personally ran 40 strings of pixels this year, about 20 of each type. I did do the hot‐melt glue waterproofing of the softer pixels. All strings survived the season."

Waterproofing Pixels Videos

There are several videos of different methods to waterproof pixels.
Plastidip Diping Pixel strings in Clear Plastidip
Liquidtape Injecting Liquid Tape into the back of Pixel Nodes

Waterproofing Supplies

Available from numerous vendors including McMaster Carr
Clear UV Resistant Plastidip
Liquid Tape
Solvent to thin coatings
Syringe to inject into back of nodes
GE Silicone II Clear Silicone Caulking (Neutral Cure)
Hot Glue

IP Ratings

Items can be rated based on a standard classification system called an IP Rating. IP stands for Ingress Protection. While many Chinese manufacturers claim various IP Ratings, many people are suspect of the ratings claimed.

The IP Rating is a two digit number, like IP68. The first number is a measure of the physical protection the unit provides to solid objects. The second number provides a measure of the protection from liquids.

Solid particle protection

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

Liquid ingress protection

The second digit indicates the level of Protection of the equipment inside the enclosure against harmful ingress of water.

Level	Protected against	Testing for	Details
0	Not protected	—	—
1	Dripping water	Dripping water (vertically falling drops) shall have no harmful effect.	Test duration: 10 minutes Water equivalent to 1mm rainfall per minute
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.	Test duration: 10 minutes Water equivalent to 3mm rainfall per minute
3	Spraying water	Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical shall have no harmful effect.	Test duration: 5 minutes Water volume: 0.7 litres per minute Pressure: 80–100 kPa
4	Splashing water	Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effect.	Test duration: 5 minutes Water volume: 10 litres per minute Pressure: 80–100 kPa
5	Water jets	Water projected by a nozzle (6.3 mm) against enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.	Test duration: at least 3 minutes Water volume: 12.5 litres per minute Pressure: 30 kPa at distance of 3m
6	Powerful water jets	Water projected in powerful jets (12.5 mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction shall have no harmful effects.	Test duration: at least 3 minutes Water volume: 100 litres per minute Pressure: 100 kPa at distance of 3m
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).	Test duration: 30 minutes Immersion at depth of 1m
8	Immersion beyond 1 m	The equipment is suitable for continuous immersion in water under conditions which shall be specified by the manufacturer. 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 it produces no harmful effects.	Test duration: continuous immersion in water Depth specified by manufacturer