"IP 67 in mated condition"
As we are progressing with the project, some additional experiments are becoming possible.
First - our IP67 connector assembly (consisting of socket and enclosure mount ) is - according to the documentation- only rated IP67 when connected. Let's see what will happen otherwise...
Test setup is as before: enclosure with paper towel inserted (to quickly identify water ingress), this time with the connector socket installed
is submerged in the water
as we can see, water can enter through the connector, leaving enclosure after test in the state like below:
not good.
Fortunately, our mount is in the standard industrial M12 format, so we have proven remedies for situations like that.
M12 connector cap
Our Molex M12 connector mounts are of threaded variety, so we have inner thread and a gasket
so we can use standard M12 threaded connector caps. Connector filled with such a cap is shown on the photo below:
This time test result is quite different
with no observable water ingress at the end
So we have an easy and cheap solution for not-always-connected sockets exposed to the elements.
