This is a read-only archive of an earlier blog posting. Reasons for the
change are at http://blog.sensicomm.com.
The permanent version of this post - with comments (if any) - is at
http://sensicomm.blogspot.com/2010/11/saltwater-immersion-testing.html
Saltwater immersion testing
I've been working on a project that uses a custom
A/D-FPGA board to generate and process sonar signals. Basic
functionality is working, so the client took it to the dock for
some live testing.
The testing included an "unscheduled"
saltwater immersion experiment, with power applied to the board no
less.
It was recovered after 24 hours; effects on the
circuit were not beneficial.
So far, it looks as if the
flash memory and A/D converters survived with just minor corrosion
on the leads. The FPGA is interesting: definitely nonfunctional,
and there's a pit where the epoxy case is crumbly. I suspect that
the 1.2 volt switching regulator went out of range and fried the
FPGA core.
Next time we plan to use a waterproof
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