IP code: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:37, 12 February 2024

Revision as of 20:06, 16 February 2024

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== Origin of the letters IP ==

In the original IEC 60529 standard from year 1976, the letters IP are used without providing an explanation, and referred as "characteristic letters".<ref>{{Cite book |title=IEC Publication 529: Classification des degrés de protection procurés par les enveloppes – Classification of degrees of protection provided by enclosures |publisher=[[International Electrotechnical Commission]] |year=1976 |edition=1st}}</ref> In the next editions of the standard, from years 1989 and 1999 respectively, the IP is explained to denote "international protection" on both French and English pages. According to the Finnish national committee of the IEC, one possibility is that the abbreviation is a combination of English word ingress and French word pénétration which stands for ingress, anotherbut possibility is the combination of "Instrument" and "Protection" since one objective for IP rating is to provide information about how well the instruments inside a case are protected from the ingress of foreign objects. Findingfinding the correct answer would however require doing a historical study on the 1970's standardization, which is difficult because the experts preparing the original standards are probably retired or deceased.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SESKO: Frequently asked questions (in Finnish) |url=https://sesko.fi/yhteystiedot/usein-kysytyt-kysymykset/ |access-date=2023-08-22 |website=sesko.fi}}</ref>

==Code breakdown==