50.000 plus km of motorcycle navigating (using Navigon) - so of that in hard rain with the BA "slightly" unprotected ....
So it doesn't like rain or vibration ...
Besides losing the two screws visible on the left and right top edges of the phone, another problem cropped up.
On a recent 6 hour ride, the main connector suddenly became intermittent. I have always hated that connector and I believe it's one of the weaker points on an otherwise less than quality device -but I digress.
I know how quickly the battery will empty using BT and the backlight all the time so I tried to jiggle the cable to get it to work while I was driving. It was not possible, and to add insult to injury, the intermittent connection kept interrupting the MP3s playing and would sometimes cause the SD card to crash, requiring a hard reset. Ugh.
In the hotel I was able to rig the connector so that the device would charge and the next day while at work I figured the device was toast anyway so I took a look inside.
4 screws out from under the battery compartment, and another three screws to get the mainboard loose enough so I could see the connection.
I found the connector so loose that with the slightest touch it fell out in my hands.
Apparently, all of the solder joints had been loosened by the rainwater.
I think this should be a caveat here for all devices left in the rain. I understand that rain water or distilled water is very "agressive". You may be able to get your device to work again. For a while.
I don't think toilet water or moisture from tap water is as bad.
- but again I digress.
Before I went any further, I went out and got an O² XDA-III. HAving safely restored my ability to communicate, I proceeded with the fiddeling.
I was actually able to get the connector resoldered onto the board using a 25+ (pre SMD) year old soldering iron. I actually don't believe it myself but it still works.
I was also able to correct an annoying rattle the phone had almost since I bought it.
The telephone antenna is a raised plastic piece on the back of the board. That raised piece forms a box in which one of the screws for the board onto the frame was "stored". Don't know how it got there but I guess the production people at HTC should listen up.
Well I thought it was fun. anyway.
I accidentaly put my rhodium in the washing machine (forgot to check my jeans pockets) and it was in there for a few minutes.
When I noticed I took out the battery, SD card and sim card and dryed everything with a towel. I then put it in a bowl of rice for day (read that tip online somewhere) to drain out any excess moisture.
It seems to be completely dry now from the outside, although I can't say for sure about the insides. It still won't turn on.
Any ideas? or is my brand new Rhodium dead?
you get points for positive thinking.
sorry to say, but your toy has had it.
woeds said:
Any ideas? or is my brand new Rhodium dead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds to me like you need to make use of that insurance policy that you sensibly bought for your TP2.
I read somewhere on xda forum that sometimes wet devices would turn on after a couple of days...
If you're not in a hurry, maybe wait some time... but don't hope too much
Wow! got to be more careful next time. This is a very expensive phone. Got to take real good care of it.... "Handle with care"
I guess wait at least 72 hours before turning it on back again and not before that.... else will be RIP.
btw, if your phone is "ON" while in the washer...forget about, get a new one.
One thing to try, sometimes batteries will self destruct and save the phone. Get a replacement and see if it powers up, I know that worked with one I took into the pool a couple years ago.
A hiardryer on very low heat setting normally works quite well for removing moisture
Damn, that's a bummer...
I'd try someone elses battery, but wouldn't expect miracles to happen...
how you didnt know is beyond me! i hope you get it sorted and take more care next time i dont believe it
White rice trick
Here is a trick, take out the battery and put the phone in a bag of white rice. Make sure it's completely covered with rice!. Leave it there for at least 72 hours.
This trick worked on my wife's iPhone. It was revived after being completely dead for 3 days.
Hope it helps.
dam man! thats bad luck!
i hope you use a top brand softener with it other than that it would be sacrilege
one of my phone fell in the toilet once, i removed the battery and took it apart and the washed it with alcohol [not the drinking type] after a day drying it worked just fine.
some phones will work without the battery if connected to the charger. You could try that to see if it's the battery. If you're willing to take it apart there's a spray technicians use to remove all moisture. I've been told never to apply hear (so if you use a hairdryer use one with a cold setting), and yeah, just wait, make sure it's gotten rid of ALL the moisture, and hope for the best. If all the moisture isn't gone, you could short circuit it by trying to turn it on.
My charmer fell into the toilet one evening when I was very drunk. It went of immediately but being too drunk I took it home and left it as it was. The next morning I gave it the hairdryer treatment but it still didnt power up. I threw the phone under my bed and left it for dead. About 4 nights later I woke up at night and I saw 'the light' from under my bed, on closer look my charmer was miraculously switched on. I tried to charge it but it just showed a red light. Later that day I tried again and it started to charge.
The phone went on to serve me without any problems for about 6 more months and I eventually sold it for £80.
Moral of the story; You could get lucky (fingers crossed)
The water itself does not cause the short circuiting. You need purified water to cleans it from the salt and other particles that cause the short circuit.
Yes, water itself is not conductive. Everytime we see someone get electrocuted in the movies thanks to a mixture of water and electricity it's because of the electrolytes. But considering that almost no one has truly pure water running through their washer etc, I just simplified. But the reason why you shouldn't apply heat is due to the catalyst factor of heat. Water and metal don't mix (rust, oxidization), and applying heat can accelerate that process. The end of the story is to get it truly dry, don't apply heat, and keep your fingers, toes, and eyes crossed.
solsearch said:
Yes, water itself is not conductive. Everytime we see someone get electrocuted in the movies thanks to a mixture of water and electricity it's because of the electrolytes. But considering that almost no one has truly pure water running through their washer etc, I just simplified. But the reason why you shouldn't apply heat is due to the catalyst factor of heat. Water and metal don't mix (rust, oxidization), and applying heat can accelerate that process. The end of the story is to get it truly dry, don't apply heat, and keep your fingers, toes, and eyes crossed.
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Click to collapse
This is true. While it is possible to safe an electronic device after a soaking for a while, once it has been doused in water, unfortunately, its lifespan is already shortened. If you get it working again, it might last a few months, or even a year. But eventually, corrosion WILL claim it. It might be possible to open it up, and clean every contact, every piece of solder, copper or electronic pathway. If you do that, then maybe you can keep it from corroding.
My roommate lost his phone during winter. Come to find out, he had dropped it in the snow When it melted he found it. It was dead for a few days till it dried out. Then it worked again for about 5-6 months then finally died completely due to corrosion.
Good luck.
Saved about 10 different phones, some multiply times and many other electronic devices, from pools, ocean, garden hoses, sprinklers.
Most important thing is to remove the battery, IMMEDIATELY. We are talking seconds the better, don't think, rip it out. The battery will power up the short circuits and cause the damage. Leaving the battery in for only a minute may be enough time to fcuk something.
Ok preparing
Disassemble the phone as much as possible, the more the quicker it will dry. If the water was salty or dirty , wash them under the tap trying to get into everything.( I am serious)
To dry(cook
Test you oven temp is accurate from 40c to 50c with temperature probe. Set temperature to 40c to be safe, 50c if your in a hurry, 45c would be safe, but it's an oven it may randomly jump up 10c??? hence 40 is safe. Around 50-60 some plastics start to deform, ( this I have learnt first hand).
OK spread the parts out on clean metal is best or ceramic plate/s and place the plates in the oven.
Drying time. Depends on the parts and how big they are and if water could be trapped in them.
Bare, open parts, no touching surfaces, keyboards can be pricks. 2-4hours at 50-40c.
Touching parts but nothing complex, i.e. no water stuck between the keyboard parts. 6-9 hours.
Whole phone 1-2 days.
Thanks for all the tips guys. It's still drying out now in a big bowl of rice. I'm going to try to turn it on again tomorrow. A friend of mine has one too, so if it fails to work I'm going to try his battery to see if that's the problem.
I'm using my N95 now, and it sucks :/
Use DISTILLED water to rinse it out, NOT tap water
IT'S ALIVE!
There is water behind the screen though (or between the casing and the screen). Do you think that'll just dry out over time, or do I need to take it apart to wipe it off?
Hi all,
My GF has a G2. A few days ago she put it in her cup holder in her car. There was a few mm of water from a degraded fast food cup in the cup holder. She told me that the water might have reached the earphone.
We let the phone dry out for 48hrs and put the battery back in. Initially it worked for about 6hrs with no problems but when she came home from work the phone would only boot into the bootloader. Once in the bootloader I can not select any options nor turn the phone off. Taking the battery out is the only option, but when it's put back in we go back to the bootloader.
I have attached a picture of the bootloader screen. You can see there is some striation on the bottom of the screen. This striation is at the opposite end from where the phone touched the water.
1. is the striation normal? (think I know the ans to that one but...)
2. Can I try anything to get the phone up and running?
3. Would it be worth a warranty replacement call? The White dot behind the battery is still white, but I think the screen could be a give away to water damage.
Looks like water trapped under the screen. Water could have run from one end of the phone to the other, especially if you held it back upright while water was still inside. Or it could have re-condensed in a different spot from where it was submerged.
If water is still trapped under the screen, its obviously not completely dry. I would try to dry it more, you can try the trick of placing the phone in a bag of uncooked rice, or chemical dessicant packs (like the kind some items come packed with that say "do not eat") to help pull the water out of the phone. 2 days does not seems like enough time, if you just tried just air drying it without one of these tricks. Power off until you are more sure the phone is dry, or you are just doing more damage.
Rice is your best bet right now. It can work wonders.
Sent from my T-mobile G2
Rice trick is your best bet. Might be too late now. Should have never turned it back on, and if it was on at the time, should have shut it off immediately till you consulted xda. At least you will know for next time! Good luck! Fyi you didn't need to blur that stuff out.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
Put it under a 100w lamp or.under something warm, leave for 24hrs
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Hi,
I know there is a lot of information on the Internet about Water Damage, but i can't seem to find out what's going with my device.
Here's what happened: i went for a run with my phone stuck to my arm by a rubber band. When i got home i found that the sweat of my arm had damaged the phone: it didn't want to turn on and the water damage stickers are red. I dried the sweat of the back of the phone with a towel (it wasn't much) and i was able to turn it up for an hour or two and it seemed fined, only the battery indicator was crazy (exclamation mark). I wasn't able to charge my battery as well. The indicator led is crazy as well (when i try to charge my battery it blinks orange, green and so on).
The phone itself seems fine is the battery that cannot charge and seems damaged causing the phone to turn off frequently. What do you think? Should a buy a new battery or a new phone?
(sorry for my bad english)
1: don't run with the phone. Two: try with another battery, the battery seems broken.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda app-developers app
If phone is still damp put it in a bowl of dry rice, it will remove any excess moisture.
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda app-developers app
That phone is not designed to be used that way, you should use an external casing that's not connected to your skin and as such less likely to be sweat damaged. (i.e.: belt clip of sort).
The suggestion to place into a jar of rice for a day or two is typically a good way to draw out any moisture, the main thing you DO NOT want to do is attempt to power it on or charge while humidity still exists inside the device.
I bought a new battery and the phone works just fine, only the old battery was damaged. Thanks for the help.
This is more of a question about sweat
I didn't want to make another thread about sweat damage, so i figured I might as well ask here. I have a problem where it seem that my touch screen collects moisture inside my pants pocket. One time at the mall i stood watching a football game for like an hour, when i took out my phone the screen was completely soaked like i gave it a good spray with a spray bottle. I think the problem is that the phone is warm so it causes me to sweat more? Funny thing is I feel warm but it doesn't seem like i was sweating, yet screen still collect alot of moisture.
The phone is working fine, no sign of any water related damage and that incident been about 2 weeks ago. My real question is, anyone got any recommendation as to how to carry my phone to prevent any further water exposure?
So I dropped my phone in my bath
It was in the bath like literally 1 second or such and I grabbed it out real quick. The screen was on all the time until I pulled the battery
I immediately pulled the battery out and cleaned the outisde with a towel.
After an hour or so I inserted the battery and it came up with the white screen itself(i didn't have to push the power button myself)
Then i waited and it got stuck on the second bootscreen(past the white HTC logo)
Then i pulled the battery out and back in, now the only thing it does is give me a red led.
Have I killed it by trying to power it on? I should've had put the phone in a bowl of rice.
Thanks in advance, any help is welcome but i think it is already dead.
Let the device dry with the lid and battery taken off, preferably near a heater or something.
Or use a dryer with lowest heat setting.
After you have dried it, put it in the freezer for 30 minutes. That should freeze the remaining water particles. Try to boot afterwards.
Thanks, I already dried it with my hairdryer. The phone is now in a bowl of rice.
After I dried it with the hairdryer I 'accidentally' put the battery back in and the screen turned on.(first I had no screen, only red led).
But I immediately pulled the battery out again. Does the fact that the screen still turns on indicate that it is probably possible to make it work again? So you say put it near a heater and then 30 minutes in the freezer? With that you mean without battery, sd card and sim card?
I'm gonna try that after I take it out of the rice.
Thanks again
Rice? Nice. Didn't think of that.
I mentioned putting the phone in the freezer without the battery because extreme temperatures damage them.
Off-topic:
This reminded me of my retarded friend who tried to dry his phone using a microwave. It didn't work... at all.. and neither does the microwave since.
Haha, it blew up? I see people recommend putting a phone with water damage in the oven though(on 50 degrees celsius it is)
I think a microwave is hotter than that. I'll let you know if I can get my phone to work.
Rsdf430. said:
Haha, it blew up? I see people recommend putting a phone with water damage in the oven though(on 50 degrees celsius it is)
I think a microwave is hotter than that. I'll let you know if I can get my phone to work.
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Click to collapse
Not sure if you guys are kidding about putting electronics in a microwave...
The only proper way is to disassemble the phone and let it dry. Then clean it with a contact spray maybe.
I dropped my DESIRE 3-4 weeks ago in the f*cking toilet.
What i did was:
pulling out the batt
cleaning the phone with antibacterial wipes
cleaning the phone with contact spray
leave it for 2 days(just in case) to dry
..and now my phone works fine.
PS: you have NO idea how much water was inside the phone, despite it was with TPU cover, and dropped in the water for not more than a 1-2 sec.
NEVER EVER rely on drying it just like that
Rsdf430. said:
Haha, it blew up? I see people recommend putting a phone with water damage in the oven though(on 50 degrees celsius it is)
I think a microwave is hotter than that. I'll let you know if I can get my phone to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I somehow don't think its the heat the key is in the name MICROWAVE
There'd of been sparks flying everywhere in the microwave.
Dried out Desires
Congrats on drying it out.
Be VERY careful with heat -- that's what kills things worse than water IMHO
I also have a "Drowned Desire" (cdma kind) my freind gave it to me she dropped it in sink.
Instead of rice I used the dessicant packs you get @ the ammo store. Set the phone battery out open side down on top of the dessicant and another pack on top then set the shoe-box on top of the hot water heater (it's warm-ish, and dry, area)
Left it for 5 days and it worked
Still tryin to get the rootkit out of it
Virginwidow
Here I am again, after a week in a bowl of rice the desire is working perfectly again,I was surprised that it even booted up.
I got a friend's desire so now I have two of them. Anyway, it is working again thanks to the rice.
Thanks for your help.