Many electronic devices are lost, not because they fell in water, but because the user no longer wants to touch the device, depending on what "water" it fell into!
To salvage the device:
First and foremost, IMMEDIATELY REMOVE THE BATTERY! (and any other power source!)
If you cannot remove the battery, then skip to the end of this diatribe where is says, "Before you put the battery back in or turning it on:". You don't want to add water and alcohol to the unit trying to clean it if the battery is still installed.
Also don't attempt to turn the unit on to "save some data", you want the electricity to be GONE as soon as possible.
Water is a conductor of electricity and water on the printed circuit boards in the device will conduct the full power source voltage to places where the voltage is supposed to be throttled by other components; the water will effectively bypass the throttling components and apply the higher voltages to more delicate components and possibly burn them out with the excess power.
Turning the unit on to try it before the water is removed probably kills as many devices as dropping them in something that makes the owner think it is unfit for touching!
Once the BATTERY is out of the unit...
If the water was relatively clean (fresh bath water with no bubble bath, etc.) then you may not need to rinse the unit, but if the water was dirty (mud puddle, toilet in need of flushing!, etc.) then get some DISTILLED water, (not Purified, not De-ionized, not Filtered --- "DISTILLED WATER") and POUR IT OVER THE DEVICE TO WASH AWAY the contaminated water. Don't dab it on with a cotton swab, POUR IT ON! DUMP IT ON! GLUG, GLUG DROWN THE THING! FLOOD IT!
Once the device is "clean" of contaminates. Now you want to remove the water. Do NOT put the battery back in yet!
You can speed up the drying time by rinsing the water out with alcohol (and maybe make yourself feel less queasy about touching the device if it fell into substantially less than clean water!)! Use only 91% (or greater) alcohol and do NOT use "rubbing alcohol" (it contains other things, like glycerin that will be worse than leaving the water to dry). And, again, don't just dab it on, DUMP IT ON! Hold the device over the sink and pour the alcohol over the device to let the alcohol flood/wash the water out.
Resist the temptation to use a rag or tissue to wipe the water/alcohol off the unit. Too much chance of generating a static-electric charge that will damage delicate components and ruin the device.
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Before you put the battery back in or turning it on:
You can just let it sit in front of a fan for several days to dry out. Or put it in a container of rice (any kind, as long as it is uncooked and DRY) for a day or two.
RESIST the temptation to "try it out" too soon. LET IT DRY for a LONG TIME! Hopefully you can survive the withdrawal symptoms of doing without the device for a couple of days (or preferably more!).
Just keep thinking of the cash outlay to replace a device that could be perfectly salvageable if you have patience!
Of course, if you really wanted the latest model... you could say you forgot about this lesson in salvaging electronic devices!
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Original thread topic discussed some while ago.
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/166373.aspx
I have started a monster thread here.....No I will not go to E-Magazine here. Every issue of TRAINS is a tangible work of art that you can hold in your hands. Kinda like Playboy which despite free stuff all over the net is still in print. BTW I keep both Trains and Playboy in my bathroom library.
( I love the ol Hunter S Thompson articals)
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