FL Camino and IP67 FAQs

You're kidding, right?

Nope.

The FL Camino caught my attention and that's why I came to your website. I'm not really familiar with your industry. So who's Phoenix Contact?

Phoenix Contact is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacturing of electrical connection, electronic interface and industrial automation technologies. Phoenix Contact USA, one of the company's first international subsidiaries, was established in 1981 in Harrisburg, Pa.

What were you thinking?

Phoenix Contact has a lot of unique solutions for applications requiring IP67 ratings. So we were looking for a similarly unique way in which to demonstrate these solutions. Of course, when you start thinking about unique solutions, it's hard to get more unique than that legendary half-car/half-truck: the El Camino.  

Whether folks love them or hate them, people seem to have very strong opinions about these vehicles and they certainly get a lot of attention. We thought this would make it the perfect "vehicle" to showcase the full capability of Phoenix Contact in applications requiring IP67 and beyond.

What does IP67 mean?

An IP number is used to specify the environmental protection of electronic equipment and enclosures. IP stands for 'Ingress Protection'. The IP number is composed of two numbers, the first refers to the protection against solid objects and the second against liquids. These ratings are determined by specific tests. The higher the number, the better the protection.

First Number

0	- No protection (Sometimes X)
1	- Protected against solid objects up to 50mm³
2	- Protected against solid objects up to 12mm³
3	- Protected against solid objects up to 2.5mm³
4	- Protected against solid objects up to 1mm³
5	- Protected against dust, limited ingress (no harmful deposit)
6	- Totally protected against dust

Second Number

Second Number
0	- No protection (Sometimes X)
1	- Protection against vertically falling drops of water (e.g. condensation)
2	- Protection against direct sprays of water up to 15 degrees from vertical
3	- Protection against direct sprays of water up to 60 degrees from vertical
4	- Protection against water sprayed from all directions - limited ingress permitted
5	- Protected against low pressure jets of water from all directions - limited ingress permitted
6	- Protected against low pressure jets of water, limited ingress permitted (e.g. ship deck)
7	- Protected against the effect of immersion between 15cm and 1m
8	- Protected against long periods of immersion under pressure

But I like El Caminos! Did you guys "mess up" a collectible car?

Not at all. It is not a "matching numbers" car, had seen a lot of miles, and was a long way from collectible when we found it.  But the frame was fairly rust free and the body was in pretty good shape making it a perfect candidate for a "resto-mod". We like El Caminos too and this is why we wanted to do this project.

I've previously seen demonstration vehicles for industrial products, but they are usually in a van or an RV. Why not something like this?

We've already been there and done that. We have Infomobiles that focus primarily on IP20 products traveling the country. For an IP67 product demonstration, we were looking to do something a little more "outside the box".

So what are the Phoenix Contact industrial products you integrated into the FL Camino?

Use the interactive Flash animation to learn about all of the Phoenix Contact products that were integrated into the FL Camino.  Click on the green callout circles for more information and page links.  The non-clickable blue circles show some of the automotive modifications to the vehicle.

Who did the automotive work and fabrication on the FL Camino?

Creative Car Tunes in Lemoyne, PA.  http://www.creativecar-tunes.com/

Why "FL" instead of "El"?

The FL stands for our "Fieldline" IP65/67 Machine Mount I/O products - which are included and used on the vehicle.

Is it for sale?

Probably not, but you could always make us an offer.

Can it come visit me?

Maybe.  The USA is a big place, and there's only one FL Camino.   So we can't take it everywhere.   Keep an eye on the upcoming event schedule to find out when the FL Camino will be coming to a neighborhood near you.