Surely you have seen in some technical characteristics something about military grade certificate. In this article you will be able to understand what exactly that is and if these devices are really worth it or if it is a simple claim by the manufacturers to sell more. In addition, you will learn about all the types of certificates of this type that can be applied to electronic devices, their meaning, as well as the differences with the IPxx certifications that you will also have observed in many other devices.
Military grade certificate: what is it
The military grade certificates they are proof that the device passes a series of harsh tests such as those that would be made to devices intended for military use. In this way, the products for this sector are of better quality and reliability, since on the battlefield it can mean the difference between defeat and victory. They cannot be allowed to fail out of the blue, and are built to withstand extreme conditions of humidity, dust, temperature, etc. Therefore, if a device has one of these certificates, even if it is not really for military use, it will have passed a series of quality control tests that will make that device more reliable. In short, it can be worth it, if having a MIL-STD certificate does not mean paying an exaggeration for the product.
Types of tests for the MIL-STD-810G
Military rank certificate with the MIL-STD-810G standard It is one of those that you will have seen applied to technology products. Well, for the devices to obtain this certificate they will need to pass a series of tests, specifically 29 hard tests to see if it resists the maximum demands that could be given on the battlefield. These tests are:
| Method No. | Method No. | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 500 | 500,6 | Low pressure (altitude), subjected to a chamber where the pressure is low to check that it resists. |
| Procedure I | Storage / Air transport. They are also subject to the conditions that would have to be transported in an air medium such as an airplane. | |
| Procedure II | Operation / Air transport. Similar to above. | |
| Procedure III | Quick decompression. On the other hand, a rapid decompression is also carried out, to verify that it resists this type of decompression that occurs in scuba diving. | |
| Procedure IV | explosive decompression. | |
| 501 | 501,6 | High temperature. They are subjected to tests with very high temperatures that could occur in a battle to see if it resists. |
| Procedure I | Storage. | |
| Procedure II | Operation. | |
| Procedure III | Tactical – awaiting operation. | |
| 502 | 502,6 | Low temperature. Again, it is verified that the device tolerates very low temperatures, below zero, to see that it tolerates wide operating ranges. |
| Procedure I | Storage. | |
| Procedure II | Operation. | |
| Procedure III | Handling. | |
| 503 | 503,6 | temperature shock. The temperature shock tests are different from the previous constant temperature tests, in this case they are rapid increases to verify that the device resists this type of stress. |
| AI Procedure | Unidirectional shock by constant external temperature. | |
| IB Procedure | Single cycle extreme constant temperature shock. | |
| IC Procedure | Constant external temperature multicycle shocks. | |
| Procedure ID | Shocks to or from controlled room temperature. | |
| 504 | 504,2 | Fluid contamination. That is, in this case tests will be carried out to see that the device can work with certain fluids. |
| Procedure I | aircraft systems, whole wheels and tracked vehicles and water craft, etc. | |
| Procedure II | Small arms systems, clothing, boots, gas masks, gloves, non-lethal ammunition and other ammunition, binoculars, flashlights, small arms tripods and other materials | |
| 505 | 505,6 | Solar radiation. They are also exposed to different radiation such as solar radiation to see their behavior. Other devices of other standards also go through ionizing radiation tests, the so-called RH (Radiation Hardened), although this is not the case. |
| Procedure I | Cycles (heating and minimal actinic effects) | |
| Procedure II | Steady state (actinic effects) | |
| 506 | 506,6 | Rain. Rain conditions are also simulated in the laboratory to see how it can tolerate it. |
| Procedure I | Rain and projected rain | |
| Procedure | Exaggerated | |
| Procedure | Goteo | |
| 507 | 507,6 | Humidity. Of course, it must also withstand extreme humidity conditions, with high or low RH. |
| Procedure I | Induced (storage and transit) and natural cycles | |
| Procedure II | Aggravated | |
| 508 | 508,7 | Fungal resistance test. |
| 509 | 509,6 | Salt spray, another interesting test, since salt can cause serious problems in electronic devices with the residues it leaves on the circuits. |
| 510 | 510,6 | Sand and dust. In this case, the penetration of this type of projected particles is tested. |
| Procedure I | projected dust | |
| Procedure II | projected sand | |
| 511 | 511,6 | explosive atmosphere. |
| Procedure I | explosive atmosphere | |
| Procedure II | Blast Containment | |
| 512 | 512,6 | Immersion. In this case, the device is submerged in a liquid to see how it would behave and how deep it can last. You already know that one atmosphere is equivalent to one meter. Therefore, resistant to 5 ATM is equivalent to 5 meters of depth without suffering damage. |
| Procedure I | Immersion | |
| Procedure II | wading | |
| 513 | 513,7 | Acceleration. Acceleration tests are also carried out, this especially designed for the mechanical components or moving parts of the device. |
| Procedure I | structural test | |
| Procedure II | operational test | |
| Procedure III | Crash Hazard Acceleration Test | |
| 514 | 514,7 | Vibration. Vibrations can also cause breakdowns due to breakage, especially if combined with sudden changes in temperature. |
| Procedure I | overall vibration | |
| Procedure II | Loose cargo transport | |
| Procedure III | Large Mount Transport | |
| Procedure IV | Assembled aircraft shop, captive transport and free flight | |
| 515 | 515,7 | acoustic noise. |
| AI Procedure | Diffuse field – Acoustic noise of uniform intensity | |
| IB Procedure | Diffuse Field – Direct Field Acoustic Noise | |
| Procedure II | Grass Incidence – Acoustic Noise | |
| Procedure III | Resonance cavity – Acoustic noise | |
| 516 | 516,7 | Shock or impacts. |
| Procedure I | functional shock | |
| Procedure II | Shock during transportation | |
| Procedure III | Fragility | |
| Procedure IV | drop during transit | |
| Procedure V | Shock during impact hazard | |
| Procedure IV | bank management | |
| Procedure VII | pendulum impact | |
| Procedure VIII | Catapult launch and drop | |
| 517 | 517,2 | deflagrations. |
| Procedure I | Near field with current settings | |
| Procedure II | Near field with simulated configuration | |
| Procedure III | Medium field with mechanical testing test | |
| Procedure IV | Far field with mechanical proof test | |
| Procedure V | Far field with thermodynamic stirrer | |
| 518 | 518,2 | Acid atmosphere. Acid is corrosive, so this test makes sure the device works well for a while in this type of atmosphere. |
| 519 | 519,7 | Impacts with firearms. |
| Procedure I | Direct reproduction of impact with measured material | |
| Procedure II | Stochastically Generated Material Input/Response | |
| Procedure III | Stochastically forecast material input based on preliminary design | |
| 520 | 520,4 | Temperature, humidity, vibration and altitude. All combined, since it is not the same to submit them to each one separately than combined. |
| Procedure I | engineering tests | |
| Procedure II | Support and operations flight | |
| Procedure III | Test in mixed environments | |
| 521 | 521,4 | Ice formation / freezing rain. |
| 522 | 522,2 | Ballistic shock. |
| Procedure I | Ballistic hull and turret, full spectrum | |
| Procedure II | full-scale ballistic crash simulator | |
| Procedure III | Limited spectrum, light crash machine | |
| Procedure IV | Limited Spectrum, Mechanical Shock Simulator | |
| Procedure V | Limited Spectrum, Midweight Crash Machine | |
| Procedure VI | fall from a table | |
| 523 | 523,4 | Vibroacoustics / Temperature. |
| 524 | 524,1 | Freeze-thaw. |
| Procedure I | diurnal cycle effects | |
| Procedure II | fogging | |
| Procedure III | rapid temperature change | |
| 525 | 525,1 | Time waveform compilation. |
| Procedure I | SESA replication of a measured material field tracking input/response | |
| Procedure II | SESA replication of a specified field trace input/response using analytics | |
| 526 | 526,1 | Rail impact. |
| 527 | 527,1 | Multiple drivers. |
| Procedure I | time criteria | |
| Procedure II | Frequency criteria | |
| 528 | 528,1 | Mechanical vibrations of material on board. |
| Procedure I | environment vibration | |
| Procedure II | Internal Excited Vibration |
IPxx protection
Do not confuse the certificate of military rank with the IP degree of protection. This international standard certifies that the device can resist dust and liquid. In this case, IP stands for Ingress Protection, and identifies this standard that measures the ingress of certain particles. And it is usually followed by two numbers, the first refers to solid particles and the second to liquid. If it does not resist, an X is used to indicate it. Sometimes it may have some extra, indicated by a letter after the two numbers (IPXXL).
The larger the number, the greater degree of resistance. For example: uterine
- IPX6: in this case, solid particle tests have not been carried out, but liquids have. Specifically, the 6 indicates that it can resist high pressure jets without suffering damage.
- IP58K: this standard does include both, on the one hand the 5 indicates that it is protected against dust. It cannot be prevented from entering but it would not be a problem for the device. While the 8 is indicating that it withstands a complete and continuous immersion under water without suffering damage. And, in this case, no water should get inside the device because of its sealing.
- IP3X: This other case has grade 3 dust protection, and not liquid protection. It means that it can protect against particles with a diameter of 2.5 mm, but not fine particles.
More information - Wikipedia
Products with MIL-STD and IPxx
Finally, you should also know some recommended products that have this type of protection and that can be great for those who subject them to more extreme conditions, such as athletes, or those who are looking for more resistant equipment. Some examples are:
DOOGEE V20
One of the most resistant mobiles on the market, with military grade certification. With 5G connectivity, a 6.43″ screen with AMOLED FHD resolution, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of flash memory, 64 MP triple sensor main camera + 20MP night vision camera, 6000 mAh, octa-core SoC, Android 11, BT, WiFi and NFC, as well as IP68 and IP69K protections.
Ulefone Armor X9 Pro
The Ulefone Armor X9 is another alternative to the previous one, also with military grade certification. It has Android 11 as the operating system, 4G, 8-core chip, 4GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal memory, 5.5″ IP68 screen, DualSIM, 13 MP triple underwater camera, and 5000 mAh battery.
HONOR Watch GS Pro
As a rugged smartwatch you also have this HONOR. With multisport, 25 days of battery life, GPS, 1.39″ AMOLED screen, IP68, heart rate meter, etc.
Amazfit t-rex
As an alternative to the previous one, also with military-grade protection, you have the Amazfit T-Rex, another of the best smart watches. This is prepared for sports, with a sleep monitor, heart rate monitor, pulse rate, call notifications, GPS, and resistance up to 5ATM.
ASUS TUF Gaming X570 Pro
Finally, there are also other components with military-grade protection, like this motherboard from ASUS. This motherboard includes socket AM4, WiFi 6, 14-phase VRM, LAN, USB 3.2 Gen 2, RGB lighting, PCIe 4.0, integrated Realtej S1200A card, etc. And, of course, its capacitors are the most resistant.