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About:
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A dry cabinet, also called dehumidifying cabinet or dry box, is a storage solution used to protect sensitive items from excess humidity. These devices are used across many industries, but they are particularly popular for sensitive camera equipment storage. The main issue dry cabinets serve to fight is fungal growth. Cameras and camera lenses are susceptible to fungus given the right conditions – darkness and excess humidity.
Dry cabinets come in various shapes and sizes and there are different technollogies available. For example, there are Standard Dry Cabinet, Dry Nitrogen Cabinet, Baking Dry Cabinet, Optional Configuration or even Dry Cabinet Custom-made Solutions. As opposed to it's name, a dry cabinet's purpose is not to provide an environment devoid of any humidiy, as this might actually be detrimental to the equipment encased within. Much like a cigar humidor, the dry cabinet’s job is to maintain an optimal relative humidity. Most dry boxes are equipped with a hygrometer to allow you to check the humidity level inside.
How does a dry cabinet work?
Dry boxes can be broadly divided into two categories: active and passive. A passive model utilizes a dessicant inside an airtight sealed box, and typically offers limited control over the humidity level. These boxes require no electricity to operate, but need regular dessicant changes (or reactivation for multiple-use dessicant), especially when activelly used. Therefore, a passive dry box is a good solution when power consumption is an issue, for example in an off-the-grid application. For regular home use, an active dry cabinet is generally a simpler and more effective solution.
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