Serious question about wet electronics

[Maximilian]

Just a hypothetical situation... lets say someone has put something like their DVD player in the freezer for it bit (it dosent matter why) and its been in there for an hour or so, in coming out its got condensation on it, how long will it be before it can be plugged in again? Would it be a good idea to sit it near a heater for a while to dry it out?

 

[sonambulo]

Overnight, at least. At least.

edit: We can help you much better if you simply tell us what device was put into the freezer.

 

[PottedMeat]

Originally posted by: Maximilian
Just a hypothetical situation... lets say someone has put something like their DVD player in the freezer for it bit (it dosent matter why) and its been in there for an hour or so, in coming out its got condensation on it, how long will it be before it can be plugged in again? Would it be a good idea to sit it near a heater for a while to dry it out?

lulz.

I'd let it sit out for a few hours - until you can't see any condensation left.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Put it in the microwave for 10 minutes, that'll take care of it.

 

[effowe]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Put it in the microwave for 10 minutes, that'll take care of it.

This, it will dry it out and let you use it normally again.

 

[funkymatt]

Originally posted by: MagnusTheBrewer
Put it in the microwave for 10 minutes, that'll take care of it.

make sure you put it on defrost!

 

[woodie1]

It'd use the oven to dry it out.

 

[rudeguy]

I have worked in the electronics industry for 9 years and can tell you for certain that the only way to safely do this is to take a can of hairspray and spray it into the vents of the unit. Immediately after you do that, take a very small torch and point it into the vent.

 

[Acanthus]

To be totally safe, id take the cover/case off of the unit and let it dry overnight, make sure nothing is wet or even damp when you plug it in.

If you plug it in, even off, while its wet, it's junk.

 

[Maximilian]

The overnight option seems best, maybe a bit longer. Thanks for solving my hypothetical problem.

 

[DeliciousTacos]

Originally posted by: PottedMeat

Originally posted by: Maximilian
Just a hypothetical situation... lets say someone has put something like their DVD player in the freezer for it bit (it dosent matter why) and its been in there for an hour or so, in coming out its got condensation on it, how long will it be before it can be plugged in again? Would it be a good idea to sit it near a heater for a while to dry it out?

lulz.

I'd let it sit out for a few hours - until you can't see any condensation left.

Now be honest, did you put your DVD player in the freezer?

 

[Lurknomore]

Put 1 quart of oil into dvd slot. Oil and water don't mix- oil will displace the water and lubricate your parts. The fan will thin the oil so that it flows freely from the rear fan slots.

 

[Crono]

Use WD-40 (displaces water) and let it dry overnight.

 

[Eli]

Condensation should be ion-free.

 

[imported_Relentless]

Plug it in, turn it on and see what happens. Either that, or immerse it in vegetable oil and drain as much as possible.

 

[Eli]

On another note,

My brother accidentally washed his Blackberry.

Needless to say, it doesn't work anymore. So I took the liberty of buying some distilled water, and giving it another bath.

What do you think the chances that it will work are? Going to let it dry out for another few days.

 

[imported_Relentless]

Originally posted by: Eli
What do you think the chances that it will work are? Going to let it dry out for another few days.

It's fucked. Simply.

 

[Baked]

I came in here thinking y'all was talking about using a vibrator in the shower.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Eli
On another note,

My brother accidentally washed his Blackberry.

Needless to say, it doesn't work anymore. So I took the liberty of buying some distilled water, and giving it another bath.

What do you think the chances that it will work are? Going to let it dry out for another few days.

i'm sure it shorted out, what do you think distilled water is going to do? damage is already done. and i'm sure the quality of distilled water you buy at the store is not completely ion free.

 

[IronWing]

Get some non-iodized table salt (iodine is corrosive) and blow it into the vents. Salt is a desiccant and will absorb any remaining moisture in the chassis.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: Eli
On another note,

My brother accidentally washed his Blackberry.

Needless to say, it doesn't work anymore. So I took the liberty of buying some distilled water, and giving it another bath.

What do you think the chances that it will work are? Going to let it dry out for another few days.

i'm sure it shorted out, what do you think distilled water is going to do? damage is already done. and i'm sure the quality of distilled water you buy at the store is not completely ion free.

The distilled water will help remove the soap deposits that could be continuing to short it out.

It was on when it went through the wash though, so your point may still stand. It's worth a shot.

The LCD still comes on and displays the no battery installed icon, but it only gets about 1/50th through bootup before it resets again with a battery installed.

You do realize that all PCBs are washed in distilled water at some point during the manufacturing process? It certainly won't hurt anything. And I'm sure there are a few ions floating around in there, but nowhere near as many as in soapy water.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: Eli
On another note,

My brother accidentally washed his Blackberry.

Needless to say, it doesn't work anymore. So I took the liberty of buying some distilled water, and giving it another bath.

What do you think the chances that it will work are? Going to let it dry out for another few days.

i'm sure it shorted out, what do you think distilled water is going to do? damage is already done. and i'm sure the quality of distilled water you buy at the store is not completely ion free.

The distilled water will help remove the soap deposits that could be continuing to short it out.

It was on when it went through the wash though, so your point may still stand. It's worth a shot.

The LCD still comes on and displays the no battery installed icon, but it only gets about 1/50th through bootup before it resets again with a battery installed.

You do realize that all PCBs are washed in distilled water at some point during the manufacturing process? It certainly won't hurt anything. And I'm sure there are a few ions floating around in there, but nowhere near as many as in soapy water.

that maybe be true but i'm sure the distilled water that PCBs are washed in has been through de-ionizers that are much better than the ones used for the grocery store distilled water but let us know how it turns out.

 

[Mark R]

Depends what it is.

If it's condensation it can get in underneath chips - this is a particular problem with the new chip-scale packages, because the connections are underneath the chips, so water here can cause corrosion and shorts. Unfortunately, as these chips have very little clearance from the PCB, it can take a long time to dry any water here.

If the electronics have been very wet or immersed in water, it can take weeks for the space under chips to dry fully.

Easiest thing to do is put it in a warm space, like the airing cupboard for a few days - optionally in a sealed container with some dessicant, e.g. silica gel.

Probably best not to put it in the oven - although the electronics will probably be fine, you don't say what the device is, and something like a DVD player may have optics which may be damaged by temperatures in excess of 70 C.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Mark R
Depends what it is.

If it's condensation it can get in underneath chips - this is a particular problem with the new chip-scale packages, because the connections are underneath the chips, so water here can cause corrosion and shorts. Unfortunately, as these chips have very little clearance from the PCB, it can take a long time to dry any water here.

If the electronics have been very wet or immersed in water, it can take weeks for the space under chips to dry fully.

Easiest thing to do is put it in a warm space, like the airing cupboard for a few days - optionally in a sealed container with some dessicant, e.g. silica gel.

Probably best not to put it in the oven - although the electronics will probably be fine, you don't say what the device is, and something like a DVD player may have optics which may be damaged by temperatures in excess of 70 C.

What do you think of my little Blackberry/Distilled water experiment? Any chance in hell of saving the device?

 

[olds]

Originally posted by: Eli
On another note,

My brother accidentally washed his Blackberry.

Needless to say, it doesn't work anymore. So I took the liberty of buying some distilled water, and giving it another bath.

What do you think the chances that it will work are? Going to let it dry out for another few days.

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