Maker Pro
Maker Pro

Durable flipflops and other counters?

Mathew

Aug 20, 2019
6
Joined
Aug 20, 2019
Messages
6
How sensitive are genereally flipflops and other counters to moister, coldness etc.? I have a Johnson counter (CD4017) and I need it to withstand outdoor usage, even rain and degrees below zero. Is that possible to achieve in a reliable way? Is the best option to insulate it?
 

Harald Kapp

Moderator
Moderator
Nov 17, 2011
13,700
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
13,700
You'll have to impregnate your board with some kind of conformal coating or seal it by immersing it in epoxy. Standard components (and pcbs) are not suited for the operating conditions listed by you without providing additional protection.
 

AnalogKid

Jun 10, 2015
2,884
Joined
Jun 10, 2015
Messages
2,884
The manufacturer's datasheet for the exact part you have will have temperature ranges for both storage and operation. CMOS devices generate very little internal heat, so you cannot rely on insulation alone to protect it from extreme low temperatures.

Beyond that, as above, most reliability issues come from the physical environment - solder quality, pc board and device pin surface contamination, etc. There are spray-on conformal coatings in a small can similar to hair spray. Acrylic is good, urethane is better.

Because coefficients of expansion for the pc board and the device package are different, temperature cycling, especially rapid changes in temperature (called thermal shock), can lead to board and trace cracking.

Is the board going to be exposed to the elements (rain and snow), or in a protective enclosure?

ak
 

Mathew

Aug 20, 2019
6
Joined
Aug 20, 2019
Messages
6
According to the manufacturer the minimum drifting temperature is -55 °C. It will not get below -40 °C in my application.

In order to make it withstand moisture and rain, I’ll make an enclosed environment for it by putting all the electronic components into a box and fill that box up with epoxy.
 
Top