Water Ingress Failure Analysis of Whistler II Unit

Due to a water ingress failure of one of the Whistler II Units during testing by the Army Evaluation and Testing Center (ATEC), we examined the failed unit and performed testing at the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to ascertain the mode of failure. Our primary interest was to determine potential flaws or vulnerabilities in the design. We discovered that there is no reason to believe that the unit would have failed if it had been tested in its proper configuration; specifically, we have concluded from our testing that the unit must have had its audio adaptor removed during the ATEC testing and that the battery door was likely not fully secured. Our results also indicate that the audio connector and battery door latching design present vulnerabilities that should be addressed to reduce the risk of water ingress. The original document contains color images.