Dropped my Evo in the lake over the weekend. It filled up with water and died immediately. I was able to take it all apart and blow it out with compressed air til it was all dried up. The phone now boots fully and everything appears to work (sending this from my Evo!) except for the camera. Neither front or back works and I don't have insurance so Sprint totally turned me away. Does this sound like an easy fix? The camera turns on but the picture is all fuzzy and I can't actually take a photo or video. I found replacements on eBay for around 20 bucks but don't know if that will fix it. Any thoughts?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
it's possible that the compressed air messed up some of the solder on the MotherBoard... i don't know much about phones (mainly work on PC's) but if it's anything like a pc there is a motherboard and the solder could have been weak and the compressed air blew it right off...
or maybe there is still some moisture... if that is the case... i have heard of a couple of solutions... open the phone back up and submerge it in a bowl of rice. let it sit over night... put back together see if that works.
if not... i have heard that dipping it in a bowl of WD-40 and letting it dry over night works...
i have never tried the latter but have used the former once...
as far as replacing the camera itself... i wouldn't know sorry
Replacing the camera modules should be pretty easy. The rear camera module in particular sometimes has a tendency to come loose on its own, so it shouldn't be too much work to remove it. The front camera module should also be pretty easy, though you'd need to do more disassembly to take that out. I would look up the various teardowns of the evo that are available online for details on doing that.
As for whether it will fix your issue; you won't really know until you try. That's one of the things that kinda sucks about water damage, it's not going to do the same thing with every device, that's why in general people usually don't even bother trying to fix water damage and either live with the damage or get a replacement.
Best bet for a fix is to take out the battery and submerge the phone in distilled water and let it soak, slight aggitate the water.
That should remove any deposits on the board. The problem with normal water is it has all kinds of crap in it that get left behind if you just let it air dry.
Than take it out and stick it in a bag of uncooked rice to 3 days to dry it out.
Power on and test.
Bielinsk said:
Best bet for a fix is to take out the battery and submerge the phone in distilled water and let it soak, slight aggitate the water.
That should remove any deposits on the board. The problem with normal water is it has all kinds of crap in it that get left behind if you just let it air dry.
Than take it out and stick it in a bag of uncooked rice to 3 days to dry it out.
Power on and test.
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Not a bad idea, although it's kinda scary to try that! If you do, I would also get some of that computer duster air and dry it again gently. I used my wife's hairdryer on mine as well, and then the rice trick.
I wonder if electrical parts cleaner would work as well?
Replacing the camera modules are easy I did mine when I replaced my digitizer......bought this EVO for 20 bucks on Craigslist paid like 60 in parts not a bad deal
Sent From My "DECK'D out SAVAGE of an EVO" Using XDA Premium
Thanks for all the input guys, I really appreciate it! It now seems as though the camera is working properly, for now. If I start to have further issues, I will use your suggestions to try to fix. Thanks again! Looks like I may have really dodged a bullet here!
my friends phone got waterlogged, unfortunately the water got into display itself... everything was perfectly dried and works fine with exception of display... it got occassionally lines on it (it was unreadable for about an hour after reassembly) and while underlighted it is still full of water (the display consists of many layers) anyone has some cheap way of getting the water safely out? (it might not be even clean water, it was a tap water which may contain various minerals)
I have always used a meat dehydrator.you know ,the things that make beef jerky. 48 hours in that will dry it out as safe as you can get. (mine dose not heat up much past 40c.) You don't want it too warm or too much forced air flow.
okay, will silica gel + heat from radiator (not much, just to force the water into steam form) do the job too? also, do you think that cleaning the display with distilled water is good idea? afaik distilled water is non-conductive when properly distilled and it might clean the minerals (if any present) from tap water...
okay, after one day letting it dry on its own while used (friend doesnt have any working spare phone and so i - so i put it together, hoping it will not corrode because of increased humidity) in phone the display is about 50% dried out and the dried space is like new one, no dirty stains at all, so i'm not gonna open it again those flex cables doesn't look robust enough for daily manipulation anyway thanks for your help
Don't forget to use the thanks button to thank the ones who helped you
If it ever happens again, or if someone else stumbles on this, just throw the phone in a tub if uncooked rice. Open or closed, it'll do the same thing.
Sent from my HTC_A510c
One of the best way to dry phone after flooding is to put it into the glass of rectified spirit. Alcohol mixes with water and leaches minerals (clears electronic parts). Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature, making drying easier.
sky_86 said:
One of the best way to dry phone after flooding is to put it into the glass of rectified spirit. Alcohol mixes with water and leaches minerals (clears electronic parts). Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature, making drying easier.
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True. And once it's dry, then you'd better hope it didn't short-circuit because of the water... Then you would just be left with a waterlog... I heard Apple has a great deal of experience with water damage xD
Has anyone ever Resurrected a DZ from water damage? It was only a quick dip..
I placed it on a sloped plastic surface and that nice brushed aluminium backplate made it slip right off :'(
Obviously I have it battery out and with a dehumidifier but anything else to try?
jetbuster said:
Has anyone ever Resurrected a DZ from water damage? It was only a quick dip..
I placed it on a sloped plastic surface and that nice brushed aluminium backplate made it slip right off :'(
Obviously I have it battery out and with a dehumidifier but anything else to try?
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I put a HTC Wildfire through the washing machine it worked fine afterwards
Take battery, sim etc apart and place in a box of rice for at least a couple of days (the longer the better I guess).
Don't attempt to switch it on until you've done this!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
drpepe said:
I put a HTC Wildfire through the washing machine it worked fine afterwards
Take battery, sim etc apart and place in a box of rice for at least a couple of days (the longer the better I guess).
Don't attempt to switch it on until you've done this!
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
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Got out my rice fingers crossed :L
I did not immerse, but spilled water on mine, it stopped working and would not boot, led error flashes indicated overheating and low voltage (alternating green orange flashes and orange flashes).
I tried rice but it did not work. I have now resurrected two phones by disassembling and washing the circuit boards with distilled deionised water and 99% anhydrous isopropyl alcohol (IPA).
Do not get water or IPA on the screen assembly as it will leave watermarks on the screen, dark areas. You may wnat to avoid getting IPA on the black rubberised paint that is under the top half of the keyboard section, it will make it peel off. However the phone will still work and cosmetic damage is hidden after reassembly.
I took the main motherboard and placed it in the distilled water in a tupperware container and agitiated it to rinse out any debris. I used a brush around the usb connector and battery contacts to make sure it was clean there. Then i rinsed with anhydrous IPA. I allowed the phone to dry for approx 24hr and reassembled.
My G2 decided it wanted to jump out of my hand into Multnomah Falls and was fully submerged for about 5 seconds. I fished it out and immediately took it apart. Got home and placed all the pieces in rice. Low and behold, I'm posting this message from that very same phone.
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium
Kind of late here but here is what I did when my G2 decided to go for a swim on the sink when I as brushing my teeth.
I took off battery and put it in a bowl of rice for a few days
This worked and the phone worked for a couple of days. And then started shutting down and wouldnt boot
Got 99% alcohol and cleaned the motherboard of the phone with it. Put it back together and phone worked perfectly.
Here is the alcohol i used from amazon http://www.amazon.com/Swan-Alcohol-...1358011866&sr=8-1&keywords=99+percent+alcohol
In most of cases, electronic devices should work fine after dropping them in water.
- You have to avoid electric short cut by trying to power up your wet device.
- You have to avoid corrosion on electronic metal parts. Use alcool to clean it, or find asap a rice bowl.
Grocery white rice should remove most of the humidity in two weeks.
So my tablet sat in water for a good 2 minutes.
it was removed, dried. placed in rice, then air dried for days.
still nothing, no light, no power nothing.
any idea where I should start or what i should replace first before i can get it to work?
If any corrosion or shorting took place you could be looking at everything that's not plastic. (screen, battery, system board, speakers, etc...)
Only way to really know where to start it to crack it open and see how bad the damage is. Given the age of these devices it may be more economically feasible to just buy another n7(2013) or update to a newer device.
Keep in mind that once a device has been exposed to liquid, the damage does not stop once its dried out. Mineral or salt crystals can cause shorts at any time and further humidity driven corrosion or galvanic corrosion can take place rapidly.
That things probably done if you let it sit for days. All corroded. You have to get it dry within 6 hours or so I'd guess.
If it happens again with another device you need to at least take the back off and disconnect the battery then shake the hell out of the thing to get as much water out as possible. Then go at it with a hairdryer (take the battery out of course)
Then you put it into the sealed contained with your desiccant. Forget rice. Rice is not a good desiccant, it'll work but it's ****. Get some damp-rid or silica gel from any hardware store. Put the whole tub in with it and it'll be bone dry in a few hours.
Thank you all for your feedback. There is no corrosion on the board and all circuits have been dried. Still no juice. At this time, I'm going to retire it. I do have the N9 however its way too big for my purse. It feels twice as heavy as n7 and I truly hate it
Hello, proper panicking put my phone down in some water. What should i do?
Help please...!
Sent from my SGP521 using Tapatalk
put it in a bag with uncooked rice. forget you own a phone for at least 24 hours.
Ok the rice wont damage it any more will it.
It wasnt in it for long. And it was a very small puddle....[emoji35] [emoji35] [emoji35]
Sent from my SGP521 using Tapatalk
Uncooked rice, the more the better, will absorb the moisture. Leave it in long enough, and you should be good to go
Did the phone rest any longer in the water? If yes you should use rice and cotton pad if it wasnt all that long you don't need tovworry about it cause it's splash proof
Do not try to turn it on until the rice absorb the moisture.
Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
nathlynn22 said:
Hello, proper panicking put my phone down in some water. What should i do?
Help please...!
Sent from my SGP521 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't be that worried buddy, watch this vid. The rice for a day is like a guarantee just to be safe. Chances are its fine though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzh6ypmNwSg
I just put it in the airing cup oars seems good. Thanks.
Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
I accidently dropped my phone in water yesterday although I took it out almost immediately it's just totally died on me and won't start up at all, totally gutted how an expenisive phone like this can't even withstand a little bit of water.
sam-man said:
I accidently dropped my phone in water yesterday although I took it out almost immediately it's just totally died on me and won't start up at all, totally gutted how an expenisive phone like this can't even withstand a little bit of water.
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Click to collapse
Damn. If mine broke I'd claim on house insurance. But mine seems OK.
Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
sam-man said:
I accidently dropped my phone in water yesterday although I took it out almost immediately it's just totally died on me and won't start up at all, totally gutted how an expenisive phone like this can't even withstand a little bit of water.
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That's weird, someone on YouTube dunked their 10 in a bowl of water for like a some amount of minutes and it worked fine afterwards. Not sure if sound was working though.
Ndaoud360 said:
That's weird, someone on YouTube dunked their 10 in a bowl of water for like a some amount of minutes and it worked fine afterwards. Not sure if sound was working though.
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Mine's just gone dead, nothing at all, it heats up if I put it on charge.
I'll call HTC tomorrow to see if I can do a deal of some sort with them.
The rice won't do anything since the water you want it to absorb is inside the phone, where the rice won't reach anyway. The best thing you can do is open the phone up and dry it up with a blow dryer or heat gun. If this is something you can't do or are uncomfortable with doing, putting it in the oven at around 120°f (50°c) is the next best thing.
#killthericemyth
mekanismen said:
The rice won't do anything since the water you want it to absorb is inside the phone, where the rice won't reach anyway. The best thing you can do is open the phone up and dry it up with a blow dryer or heat gun. If this is something you can't do or are uncomfortable with doing, putting it in the oven at around 120°f (50°c) is the next best thing.
#killthericemyth
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Click to collapse
This Popular Mechanics article contradicts all of your claims:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/how-to/a3419/dry-out-your-cell-phone/
Quoted:
With the battery safely set aside, you now have one goal--dry your phone, and dry it fast. If you let the moisture evaporate naturally, the chance of corrosion damaging the phone's innards increases. Instead, blow or suck the water out. But don't use a hair dryer--its heat can fry your phone's insides. Instead, opt for a can of compressed air, an air compressor set to a low psi or a vacuum cleaner (a wet/dry Shop-Vac would be perfect). The idea is to use air to push or pull moisture out through the same channels it entered.
Finally, use a desiccant to wick away any leftover moisture.*The most convenient choice is uncooked rice.*Just leave the phone (and its disconnected battery) submerged in a bowl of grains overnight. If you're worried about rice dust getting inside your phone, you can instead use the packets of silica gel that often come stuffed in the pockets of new clothes. But acting fast is far more important than avoiding a little dust, so don't waste time shopping if you don't already have a drawer full of silica gel.
The most important thing to remember is to avoid heat. That means no hair dryers, ovens, microwaves or extended periods in direct sunlight. While heat will certainly evaporate the moisture, it could also warp components and melt adhesives.
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pidzero said:
This Popular Mechanics article contradicts all of your claims:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/how-to/a3419/dry-out-your-cell-phone/
Quoted:
With the battery safely set aside, you now have one goal--dry your phone, and dry it fast. If you let the moisture evaporate naturally, the chance of corrosion damaging the phone's innards increases. Instead, blow or suck the water out. But don't use a hair dryer--its heat can fry your phone's insides. Instead, opt for a can of compressed air, an air compressor set to a low psi or a vacuum cleaner (a wet/dry Shop-Vac would be perfect). The idea is to use air to push or pull moisture out through the same channels it entered.
The key here is, as in so many other cases, common sense. Don't go crazy with a 1200°f heat gun and don't broil your phone.
Finally, use a desiccant to wick away any leftover moisture.*The most convenient choice is uncooked rice.*Just leave the phone (and its disconnected battery) submerged in a bowl of grains overnight. If you're worried about rice dust getting inside your phone, you can instead use the packets of silica gel that often come stuffed in the pockets of new clothes. But acting fast is far more important than avoiding a little dust, so don't waste time shopping if you don't already have a drawer full of silica gel.
The most important thing to remember is to avoid heat. That means no hair dryers, ovens, microwaves or extended periods in direct sunlight. While heat will certainly evaporate the moisture, it could also warp components and melt adhesives.
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Believe what you want; I'm IPC certified and have been doing PCB-repairs for over four years. I'm simply sharing the knowledge you need to best deal with an issue like this.
The only thing that can actually get fried from the heat that a hair dryer produces is the battery. If you for some reason hold the hair dryer ON the battery for an extended period of time. Not that I know why you'd want to do that. Any surface mounted component on the board should be perfectly fine with direct heat up to almost 500°f.
The key here is common sense. Don't go crazy with a 1200°f heat gun and don't broil or microwave your phone.
mekanismen said:
Believe what you want;
...
The only thing that can actually get fried from the heat that a hair dryer produces is the battery. If you for some reason hold the hair dryer ON the battery for an extended period of time. Not that I know why you'd want to do that. Any surface mounted component on the board should be perfectly fine with direct heat up to almost 500°f.
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I believe that uncooked rice is a desiccant, and can wick-up proximate moisture.
You can stick your phone (battery removed, of course) in the oven at 500°F.
I decline in spite of your "qualifications" on the grounds that 63/37 has a melting point of 370°F [edit]361°F (pardon)[/edit].
If you told me you never messed up a single component by holding the iron on it too long, I wouldn't believe you.
pidzero said:
I believe that uncooked rice is a desiccant, and can wick-up proximate moisture.
You can stick your phone (battery removed, of course) in the oven at 500�°F.
I decline in spite of your "qualifications" on the grounds that 63/37 has a melting point of 370�°F.
If you told me you never messed up a single component by holding the iron on it too long, I wouldn't believe you.
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Proximate moisture as in moisture it is in fact in contact with. The water the rice is able to absorb isn't water that does any harm to the phone anyway, hence the uselessness. Or are you saying that the rice somehow magically sucks the moisture out through the speaker and microphone grills?
63/37 does indeed melt at 370°f, but applying 500°f using a heat gun for a minute or two from a couple of inches distance will not make the solder reach that kind of temperature. I never recommended anyone to put their phone in an oven at 500°f.
If I said that I never messed up a single component by applying too much heat I'd be lying. I've done it too many times to count.
Anyway people, feel free to put your phone in a bag filled with edible seed of your choice , but don't be surprised if starts acting up a couple of days later.
mekanismen said:
Proximate moisture as in moisture it is in fact in contact with. The water the rice is able to absorb isn't water that does any harm to the phone anyway, hence the uselessness. Or are you saying that the rice somehow magically sucks the moisture out through the speaker and microphone grills?
63/37 does indeed melt at 370°f, but applying 500°f using a heat gun for a minute or two from a couple of inches distance will not make the solder reach that kind of temperature. I never recommended anyone to put their phone in an oven at 500°f.
If I said that I never messed up a single component by applying too much heat I'd be lying. I've done it too many times to count.
Anyway people, feel free to put your phone in a bag filled with edible seed of your choice , but don't be surprised if starts acting up a couple of days later.
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In hindsight of my original reply to the OP, it would have been wise to include instructions on drying the phone by means of draining through the introduction path and using compressed air. The OP would have benefited from the information.
It is unnecessary for a desiccant to have direct contact with water. If desiccants didn't absorb moisture, they wouldn't be in the packaging of everything from shoes to medicine to electronics.
It is important that most water be eliminated by other means first, but the dry rice will absorb, with time, remaining moisture, just like dry air climates reduce drenching sweat from your body on a hot day.
pidzero said:
In hindsight of my original reply to the OP, it would have been wise to include instructions on drying the phone by means of draining through the introduction path and using compressed air. The OP would have benefited from the information.
It is unnecessary for a desiccant to have direct contact with water. If desiccants didn't absorb moisture, they wouldn't be in the packaging of everything from shoes to medicine to electronics.
It is important that most water be eliminated by other means first, but the dry rice will absorb, with time, remaining moisture, just like dry air climates reduce drenching sweat from your body on a hot day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay so let's say that the rice somehow WILL absorb the moisture. Even in this case it will work way too slow, things start to corrode within hours (or minutes, dependent on what kind of liquid the phone has been dropped in). You don't want a fix that takes days or weeks, you want the moisture out as soon as possible.
mekanismen said:
Okay so let's say that the rice somehow WILL absorb the moisture. Even in this case it will work way too slow, things start to corrode within hours (or minutes, dependent on what kind of liquid the phone has been dropped in). You don't want a fix that takes days or weeks, you want the moisture out as soon as possible.
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I admit, I would like to get to the bottom of this.
After some more research, I agree, it may take more time than ideal.
Cat litter has even more drying power than rice. Its cheap and readily available.
Infact, the article I get that info from http://smartphones.wonderhowto.com/...st-way-save-your-water-damaged-phone-0154799/ places uncooked rice low on their list of drying power:
The Sponge Test
Pre-weighed sponges soaked with water (and then weighed again) were used in this experiment.
...
Each sponge was placed on top of wax paper, to prevent direct contact with the drying agents, since in a smartphone, there is normally no direct contact with the drying agent.
Uncooked White Rice Ain't Cutting It
After 24 hours, the sponges were weighed again to see how much weight had been lost. And would you believe it—according to the results, uncooked white rice placed dead last in effectiveness as a drying agent. Here's the list, from best to worst.
Open-air sponge - 7.6 mL lost
Silica gel - 6.1 mL lost
Cat litter - 5.5 mL lost
Instant couscous - 5.0 mL lost
Instant rice - 5.0 mL lost
Instant oatmeal - 5.0 mL lost
Uncooked white rice - 4.0 mL lost
Sealed-container sponge - 0.7 mL lost
Cat litter, instant couscous, instant rice, and instant oatmeal all performed better than uncooked white rice—everyone's favorite damn drying agent.
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I rescind my argument for rice. I give you credit for calling it pretty much useless. There are better desiccant alternatives.
Personally, I'd rather use cat litter than blow-dryer--not because I argue that it works better, but that I have cat litter, and no blow-dryer.
We agree that 500°F in the oven is ill-advised, and I am glad for that.