GMCFESIL: (Guy Macon's Cure For Electronics Soaked In Liquids)

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Guy Macon - 16 Oct 2007 17:15 GMT

Joanna wrote:

>I recently spilled milk (no jokes about crying over ... please!) over my
>Nokia 3310. My Dad grabbed the phone and stuck it under the watertap
>(against my horrified shrieks) claiming that it was more important to
>get the stickiness away before it dried.
>We then took out the battery and took off the cover and wiped everything
>down with a damp cloth and left it overnight to dry.
>Surprisingly nearly everything is working normally. The only problem is
>that two of the buttons,"3" and "<" (the left scroll key), aren't
>working.
>It seems too small a problem to just chuck the phone away or pay for
>repair (the bill would probably buy a new phone!)
>Could someone tell me if it would be worth my while to open up the phone
>and 'clean' the contacts? At the minute I haven't even got a
>screwdriver small enough to open the tiny screws that attach the keypad
>to the electronics behind it. (As you can see I know ziltch about
>phones)
>
>What I'm really asking is: Is my phone Kaput and no amount of cleaning
>will make any difference? Or could the malfunction just be a result of
>dried milk around the contacts and more in-depth cleaning might be worth
>a shot?

If the alternative is throwing it away, anything -- including running it
through the dishwasher -- is worth a shot. Here is the technique that has
the best chances of saving it:

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GMCFESIL: (Guy Macon's Cure For Electronics Soaked In Liquids)

(Feel free to repost, but please include this reference
to my webpage at [ http://www.guymacon.com/ ].)

[1] Do not attempt to power the device up to see if it
still works. Doing so is likely to damage the
electronics.

[2] Remove all power sources. Unplug the device and
remove all batteries, including soldered in batteries
if you can.

[3] Disassemble the device as well as your skills allow.
If there is a paper cone speaker or other part that
looks like it might be damaged by water, set it aside.

[4] Go outside with a garden hose or put it in the sink
and flush it with clean water to try to remove any
soap, coffee, urine, or whatever else you managed to
get in there.

[5] Use a 1/2 gallon jug of distilled water (make sure it's
the distilled kind) and flush out the normal water.

[6] Use a bottle or two of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol to
flush the distilled water out. For antique devices
that may have natural rubber in them, use pure drinking
alcohol. In either case, the higher the proof/percentage
the better.

[7] Put it in a warm, dry place until you can't smell any
alcohol. Then leave it for at least another day before
reassembling and testing.

[8] If you are in a hurry, you can try to accelerate step
six with a fan, blow drier, etc. It's up to you to
insure that you don't start an alcohol fire.

[9] If there are any moving parts that need lubrication or
parts that are protected from corrosion by a coating
that might be washed away by the above steps, you may
have to add appropriate lubrication and/or coating
afterward. If possible, remove all such parts in
step 3.

Guy Macon
http://www.guymacon.com/

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Know Kia - 19 Oct 2007 04:35 GMT

Do I clean my cellphone battery too, or set it aside?

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