Last night I spilled a bit of water on my Wizard. It was so little tough, not enough to get in the phone. But for some weird reason now when I turn it on all I get is the black screen with : Press Send to restore factory default, Other keys to quit. I tried pressing all of the buttons but none of them have any reaction. I even tried pressing the green call button but it still doesn't work. I have all of my contacts in there and since my mini USB port isn't functioning I couldn't sync them. The only thing I can do is to soft reset the phone but it just turns off and comes back to this screen. Maybe it is a loose keyboard/buttons cable? Please help.
skwerlabusr said:
Last night I spilled a bit of water on my Wizard.
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You let the smoke out.
But seriously, micro-miniature electronics (like those in most cell phones) really DO NOT LIKE WATER. At all. Not even just a little. Hell, even 100% humidity is enough to do in most cell phones, with just a few minutes' exposure...but not necessarily all at once.
See, not only does the water short circuit things directly, but most water is...well, dirty. Dirty water breeds mold. Circuit boards, surprisingly, make excellent culture dishes for mold. So the longer your boards stay wet...even a little...the more likely you are to get mold. NASTY mold, the kind that can make you very damn sick. Also, the mold will corrode and deteriorate IC chips and other PCB components.
Open your phone, break it down into the smallest components possible, and thoroughly (but gently) brush clean the entire thing. I recommend camel hair or another non-conductive material. Try to avoid synthetic hair brushes though. Once that's done, wait. Give the phone at least 48 hours to completely dry. Like, Death Valley dry. Put it all back together, and you have a fighting chance.
Keep messing with it while it's wet, and I guarantee you'll have a brick in no time.
RE
I opened up the phone completely (done it so many times b4). But inside there isn't any water damage or water at all. It seems that basically all of the water just got onto the outside of the phone. None got in through cracks. Maybe the water got inside the keyboard pads? And somehow it is causing buttons to be pressed and making the phone think I want to reset it?
Related
Title says it all.
Phone was on before submersion and non-responsive after. I removed all easily removed parts (back, battery, SIM, stylus) and it is air drying.
Yes ... I washed my hands!
Any suggestions?
To be honest I think a total strip down my be in order to totally get rid of all the moisture.
I might be wrong but Never Say Never
Even if you totally stripped it down the damage is permanant and done
I'm not trying to be a downer, but here is the reality.
1) You probably shorted the phone out. It's dead
2) By some LUCKY chance you didn't short the phone out, let it dry for a LONG time with out supply any power to it. Assuming you can bring it back to live, the internals have already gotten wet. Water + Electronics = Corrosion. Your phone won't last long
That sucks man
I would suggest a full or as full as you can tear down and a flush with distilled water and then a very good drying.
I left mine out screen facing up in the pouring rain for 5 hours
was soaking but still working lol
the backlight wasnt happy though,
dried it out and took the battery out after playing with it wondering how it still worked.
all was well
occasionaly you get the white powedery corrosion on the various processor legs (makes contacts where you dont want them ) which most of the time cleaning them off with fix and issues .
Edit my wizard was playing some mp3s the otherday and fell of motorbike at 50 mph and hit the road , stopped picked it up it was still playing the same tune through the speakers ,
amazing build quality for a heavy device to survive that .
Just wondering... When using your phone in the rain is it dodgy? Like will it break the touch screen if it gets too wet? Should we all be buying gay covers?
TheGMan said:
Title says it all.
Phone was on before submersion and non-responsive after. I removed all easily removed parts (back, battery, SIM, stylus) and it is air drying.
Yes ... I washed my hands!
Any suggestions?
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You should rename yourself the PMan! :lol: Sorry could not help myself :wink:
There is some hope for you - read this story http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=54874
If you plan on attempting to clean it, don't use distilled water!
The best thing to use would be pure rubbing alcohol.
Well ... disassembled and patted it dry. Left it out to dry for about 24 hours ... reassembled.
Viola!
Powers up and everything seems to working fine.
GldRush98 said:
Even if you totally stripped it down the damage is permanant and done
I'm not trying to be a downer, but here is the reality.
1) You probably shorted the phone out. It's dead
2) By some LUCKY chance you didn't short the phone out, let it dry for a LONG time with out supply any power to it. Assuming you can bring it back to live, the internals have already gotten wet. Water + Electronics = Corrosion. Your phone won't last long
That sucks man
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Well you are a downer man.
New phones now are hard to short like that, though water do soak into the boards, just hope it didnt soak and damage your screen. Just take apart and dry.
My phone started acting weird today. I think it may be because I left my phone close to the shower when I showered today, (water didnt get on the phone, but I did recieve a text and I typed on my keyboard with my wet hands..) It keeps clicking the start button by itself every 20 seconds or so, when I dont press it on the screen or keypad. What should I do? I've soft reset my phone about 4 times..and it hasnt stopped. Should I wait a day to see if it water got in the keyboard and it needs to dry?
ALWAYS when ever you have an electronics meets water experience...
Immediately remove ALL power (AC & battery)
Wipe away any liquids and hold at an angle that will direct moisture away from the components.
Once the bulk of water is gone... yes typing with wet hands was a bad idea, put it in a very dry (as in not humid) and warm area... maybe a window sill or near a heat source... I hope I do not need to give any of the obvious disclaimers of what too much heat can do.
leave it like this for a day or more or less depending on how much heat is being used and how much moisture there was... over kill on drying it is not a bad idea as long as you do not over heat it. The type of moisture/liquid is pretty key... I have seen milk just flat out fry motherboards but water is not a big deal if dealt with properly/quickly.
Good luck
today was a horrible day...
apparently leaving your g1 in your pants while they are in the wash doesnt work so well.
does not power on
anyone have any idea what can be done to bring it back or is it most likely fried
and if it is done then does anyone want to buy it as is?
I guess this is an excuse to get a g2
*UPDATE*
I guess no G2 for me just yet.
My phone works great now. Did not do anything special. Did disassemble the phone though so I can wipe down any residue i saw on main components such as the keyboard.
My advice to anyone that has this misfortune is not to rush things. I think i turned my phone on 2 days too early but I got lucky and it did not affect my phone. I figured this out because there was a lot of visible moisture in the screen when the backlight turned on. The keyboard was not functioning correctly either.
I did leave it in rice for about 36 hours but I do not really think that did much as far as the drying process goes. Best thing to do is go to a hardware store and pick up a torx driver set(mine was $4 at Home Depot and it was 36 piece set including torx philips hex slotted and pozi) open up the phone *be careful* of course and let it air dry for 3-4 days (not absolutely necessary to take apart the entire screen but if you feel comfortable go ahead). While it was open I wiped down the main board and the keyboard. I did not take apart the screen because I just did not want to take any other risks(mostly because i knew the screen worked) even though there was moisture, I knew it would eventually dry out. But the key to all of this was patience(I know its tough to go 3-4 days without your baby).
the link for the service manual is http://mikechannon.net/PDF Manuals/HTC Dream SM (A04).pdf
Most of the time, phones can live through the washer and live. You MUST take out the battery and do NOT attempt to turn it on for atleast 48 hours, as you will likely short out the phone. Put the phone in a big bag of rice to let it soak up the water, also use a blowdryer to help dry the phone out. However, your warranty is now void, and there likely will be some remnants of water within your screen.
Yep! worst thing you can do is turn that thing on (or try) before its dry.
my g1 hasnt had a bath but other phones have (none with touch screens) and i take as much apart as possible and leave it that way till the waters gone (then like 4 more days just to me sure )
artifical drying sources reccomended (dont get too hot!!!)
I have had it in rice for about 24 hours now and its sitting on top of my dvr because it gives off a little heat so it should help the process.
just remembered that i didnt remove the sd card...
i was thinking that since it was in the washer with detergent, shouldnt i have just removed the battery and try to clean it in some type of solution...
I have read about a alcohol solutions but kind of scared and i just noticed that there is condensation around the edges of the screen
I'd say take it apart, Blow dry what you can, leave the pieces in a warm area for a couple hours, and then try putting it back together and turning it on.
anybody know how sensitive the screen is because i want to try and blow some heat on it but not sure if it will damage it
best part about handset insurance cover lost or stolen phones...hint hint
bladepbc said:
best part about handset insurance cover lost or stolen phones...hint hint
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good point but im on att network using the g1 unlocked...
plus i rather not cheat my way out of it because this is my own fault
good news and bad news...
first of all it powers on and boots fine. Secondly the screen seems to be working perfectly (touch and all)
bad news i might have turned it on too early because screen still had noticeable water spots all over it. The keyboard also just spews random letters and commands (ie one of the letters controls the volume)
other good news 1.5 has onscreen keyboard
anyone have any advice on how to go about fixing the keyboard?
Advise for fixing the keyboard: take it apart and clean it.
ok well im taking it apart to clean it out and i see some residue but what should i use?
microfiber cloth?
cleaned out as much as i could but seems like the menu button is now acting up while the keyboard is still messed up
Aside from parts made of paper, parts with thin films (like the lcd), speakers, batteries, or fine parts that are difficult to dry, you can do a very neat job with 99% iso alcohol followed by deionized (aka distilled) water. This includes most (but not all) plastic casing, buttons, pcb boards, etc. Follow up with a hair blowdryer set on low heat (or if you have an electric heatgun, even better).
Get a semi-shallow dish, fill it with the solvent, submerge the part and scrub it lightly with a soft toothbrush. (probably don't scrub for polished surfaces like the exterior casing). Then directly rinse it under a stream of the deionized water. Finally, clean the dish out, fill it with the di water and scrub with the brush.
^ almost exactly what I did to recover a "dead" water soaked phone. Worked great, and learned a lot about how the phone is built
couldnt find 99% near by but got 91% which im assuming should work...
is it ok if i use bottled water(kirkland)?
oh and the spots on the screen are still there (light and dark areas)
thanks for the help guys
kp126 said:
couldnt find 99% near by but got 91% which im assuming should work...
is it ok if i use bottled water(kirkland)?
oh and the spots on the screen are still there (light and dark areas)
thanks for the help guys
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I bought my 99% iso from Safeway. It comes in a 16oz container. Look for it in the medical supplies aisles. Don't use bottled spring/mineral water, as that contains... minerals. You need buy deionized (also referred to as distilled) water. Distilled water contains a significantly lower amount of mineral ion, which for the purpose of cleaning electronics would be considered contaminants.
Do the spots appear to be blotches of moisture? Perhaps there is fluid trapped between the various layers of the lcd.
ok ill go check out safeway tomorrow morning. thanks for clearing up the water thing.
it looks like its moisture because after leaving it off for about 5 or 6 more hours i saw a few spots fade a little bit.
I will take the screen apart tomorrow as well. Any special instructions on handling the screen or even cleaning it?
You might want to search for the service manual for the G1. It details a complete teardown and rebuild of the dream hardware.
some sort of a miracle just occured because my phone is not acting up at all anymore and i didnt even clean it with the alcohol solution yet.
Just woke up in the morning and turned on the phone and worked perfectly, with absolutely no problem with the keyboard(except that i think i forgot a screw and a few keys are a little loose) everything works fine.
only problem is that the screen still has what looks like condensation.
but the blotches in the screen seem to be slowly fading. Gonna pop it open right now and leave it out overnight.
thanks for the help
oh and the manual has a few mistakes in it as far as procedure goes but any person with common sense should be able to get past those
Damn, thats rough man. I dropped both my old phones in the toilet(damn you superbowl, damn you!!!)and both of them worked after taking them apart and drying them off but never really worked 100% the same...
Just a note too, those were non-touch screen phones.
Best of luck.
I was watching YouTube a few days ago on my h918 and noticed half of the screen went fully dim, back to normal, then back again. Panicked, i restarted the phone. Upon boot LG logo was half dim so i ruled out a software problem. I then disassembled the phone and noticed powdery corrosion covering the screen to motherboard connection. Cleaning the metal contacts didn't solve anything. Would simply replacing the screen fix the problem or could a chip/module on the motherboard be responsible?
I used to repair hundreds of smartphones with that problem when I used to be a phone tech a long time ago, when I come across a powdery corrosion, it's usually from water, meaning the phone was submerged into water in the past and the water rusted a bit on anything metallic, plus when water dries it leaves substances of flouride/dirt/chlorine/salt etc. Best thing to do before spending any money is get a soft bristle toothbrush and lightly brush any foreign debris away and clean the mobo and LCD connector as best as you can then assemble the phone back together and power on the phone then test it with normal uses through out the days.
Andy Chi said:
I used to repair hundreds of smartphones with that problem when I used to be a phone tech a long time ago, when I come across a powdery corrosion, it's usually from water, meaning the phone was submerged into water in the past and the water rusted a bit on anything metallic, plus when water dries it leaves substances of flouride/dirt/chlorine/salt etc. Best thing to do before spending any money is get a soft bristle toothbrush and lightly brush any foreign debris away and clean the mobo and LCD connector as best as you can then assemble the phone back together and power on the phone then test it with normal uses through out the days.
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The screen is completely black now. Tried tooth brush (thank you), and qtip with alcohol as a last resort, no success. I noticed the area of the glass on the corresponding side of the LCD connection becomes extremely hot immediately when powered on. Hmmph, will probably buy another one instead of risking it on a new screen. Funny im writing this on my old G3 i had to bake in an oven to get to boot up. LG hates me.
fmbking said:
The screen is completely black now. Tried tooth brush (thank you), and qtip with alcohol as a last resort, no success. I noticed the area of the glass on the corresponding side of the LCD connection becomes extremely hot immediately when powered on. Hmmph, will probably buy another one. Funny im writing this on my old G3 i had to bake in an oven to get to boot up. LG hates me.
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Ohh damm bro what a bummer. I still have a G3 too but with a dead SIM card reader. Good luck on whatever new phone ya get.
Hi all. My trusty A40 had a little mishap at the toilet (!) and drowned. I gave it a rinse with alcohol and dried it for days in 40C ovens etc. but no life was recovered. A few days ago I decided to try charging it anyway and nothing happened... then this morning my old alarm went off! The screen is still completely dead, and I didn't notice any vibration but I always had that turned off. When I plug it in and out with the USB cable it makes the correct beeps. I can even snooze that alarm with the power button and turn it off with volume down.
When I connect it to my PC though I don't see any drive come up, I guess it doesn't default to USB file transfer so maybe this isn't a surprise.
So is my phone alive inside and just has a completely dead screen? The alcohol has conveniently taken the back off by dissolving the glue. Also, I've already got a new Redmi Note 11 so I'm happy to tinker with this phone and I've replaced screens before no problem.
Is this phone worth buying a new screen for do you all think or would that be a total waster of $35?
Thanks!
(PS: sorry if not in correct forum here, not sure which one is most appropriate for hardware / repair issues)
Wrong. You may still be able to save it...
Pull the back cover and disconnect the battery asap. Allow to dry completely before powering up. Fan blowing on it with the phone on it's side in a very warm room for at least a couple days.
The mobo power section or the soc are the most likely areas to fail from corrosion. Possible the connectors are still retaining brown water
Do Not use anhydrous isopropyl alcohol as a drying agent if it has an LCD as it will poison it.
blackhawk said:
Wrong. You may still be able to save it...
Pull the back cover and disconnect the battery asap. Allow to dry completely before powering up. Fan blowing on it with the phone on it's side in a very warm room for at least a couple days.
The mobo power section or the soc are the most likely areas to fail from corrosion. Possible the connectors are still retaining brown water
Do Not use anhydrous isopropyl alcohol as a drying agent if it has an LCD as it will poison it.
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Thanks but I've already completed the drying. The CPU is working in there, in fact when I put in a SIM it will even ring when I phone it. I'm just wondering if I can be 100% sure everything is OK apart from the screen? Is there anything else I can check?
DannySolo said:
Thanks but I've already completed the drying. The CPU is working in there, in fact when I put in a SIM it will even ring when I phone it. I'm just wondering if I can be 100% sure everything is OK apart from the screen? Is there anything else I can check?
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If it's dry and still malfunctioning the damage is likely to the mobo, is permanent and will be progressive. Corrosion never sleeps.
You can disassemble and check the ribbon cable pins going to the display for moisture and/or corrosion damage. The mobo power section and the BGA chipsets* (can't see the damage as the contacts are under the chip) are the most likely to be damaged.
With water exposure time is of the essence. You might save the device if you're fast enough and do the right things. Salt water is sure death.
* you sure it's dry?!! BGA chipset's don't have airflow around the pins. Any water under the chipset will also be retained by capillary action...
blackhawk said:
If it's dry and still malfunctioning the damage is likely to the mobo, is permanent and will be progressive. Corrosion never sleeps.
You can disassemble and check the ribbon cable pins going to the display for moisture and/or corrosion damage. The mobo power section and the BGA chipsets* (can't see the damage as the contacts are under the chip) are the most likely to be damaged.
With water exposure time is of the essence. You might save the device if you're fast enough and do the right things. Salt water is sure death.
* you sure it's dry?!! BGA chipset's don't have airflow around the pins. Any water under the chipset will also be retained by capillary action...
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I submerged the whole thing in alcohol and then dried it at 50C for 72 hours. Everything I can test works perfectly (including ringing when called) but the screen is totally dead. I cleaned that socket but still nothing.
Is it possible the water/alcohol damaged the screen and not the motherboard? Sound unlikely but that's what they symptoms indicate.
So is it worth a bet on fixing with a $30 new screen or not do you think?
DannySolo said:
I submerged the whole thing in alcohol and then dried it at 50C for 72 hours. Everything I can test works perfectly (including ringing when called) but the screen is totally dead. I cleaned that socket but still nothing.
Is it possible the water/alcohol damaged the screen and not the motherboard? Sound unlikely but that's what they symptoms indicate.
So is it worth a bet on fixing with a $30 new screen or not do you think?
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I think it's the mobo but you're holding it. I don't know how suspectable the the display is to water damage. Did you use anhydrous isopropyl alcohol?
blackhawk said:
I think it's the mobo but you're holding it. I don't know how suspectable the the display is to water damage. Did you use anhydrous isopropyl alcohol?
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All I could find was 100% ethanol I'm afraid and only realised the FAQs saying "alcohol" were talking about isopropanol after I'd finished. Isn't ethanol also used for mobo cleaning? Maybe that destroyed the screen though.
DannySolo said:
All I could find was 100% ethanol I'm afraid and only realised the FAQs saying "alcohol" were talking about isopropanol after I'd finished. Isn't ethanol also used for mobo cleaning? Maybe that destroyed the screen though.
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Water can damage AMOLED displays as well it seems. Best to keep all solvents away from the display. Methanol alcohol should never be used.
Ethanol not sure about.
blackhawk said:
Water can damage AMOLED displays as well it seems. Best to keep all solvents away from the display. Methanol alcohol should never be used.
Ethanol not sure about.
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OK I think then I'll shoot the moon and buy a replacement screen... would be a terrible waste to throw this phone out if that's all that's wrong.
Plus we would now know that ethanol is OK for phone motherboards, plus it takes the glue off the back of a Samsung A40!
DannySolo said:
OK I think then I'll shoot the moon and buy a replacement screen... would be a terrible waste to throw this phone out if that's all that's wrong.
Plus we would now know that ethanol is OK for phone motherboards, plus it takes the glue off the back of a Samsung A40!
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Use anhydrous (preferably 96% minimum 93%) isopropyl alcohol.
I wouldn't go too nuts trying to save it due the price point and especially the fact it has known water damage. Buying a used one in good condition be a viable option if you really like that model.
blackhawk said:
Use anhydrous (preferably 96% minimum 93%) isopropyl alcohol.
I wouldn't go too nuts trying to save it due the price point and especially the fact it has known water damage. Buying a used one in good condition be a viable option if you really like that model.
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I've just notices that with this model there is a pretty hefty flex between the top and bottoms boards with a connector on each end. This must also carry screen data so I'll give that a good clean out.
Second hand AMOLEDs are impossible to find for the A40, they all have horrible burn in.
I'm going to get the INCELL LCD version already in a new front frame and go from there. Should still be a decent back up phone.
And the fun of fixing it is what it's all about anyway, right? :-D
You grossly underestimate the corrosion process that's likely been initiated. I'm not so optimistic about it ever being reliable again.
I can understand corrosion while the phone is wet... not after it's been soaked in alcohol and completely dried. The process doesn't continue.
I'm going to guess it's the screen only that's broken as I see no other issues... I bought a cheap LCD replacement already in a new frame for $30.
Let's see how it goes.
DannySolo said:
I can understand corrosion while the phone is wet... not after it's been soaked in alcohol and completely dried. The process doesn't continue.
I'm going to guess it's the screen only that's broken as I see no other issues... I bought a cheap LCD replacement already in a new frame for $30.
Let's see how it goes.
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Yes, yes it does. Most don't understand how insidious it is. The oxides formed are insoluble in water and alcohols. Many are hygroscopic and attract moisture, then you know what happens...
This is the same reason you never buy a flood damaged car. Even if everything is working it will start to fail sure as the sun rises in the morning.
Sometimes if you pull the battery before the flooding it can be saved... sometimes. Always check for signs of water damage when buying a vehicle. EV's just burn to the ground when water damaged
Energized circuits greatly exacerbate and accelerate the corrosion process. You see the results. The future is uncertain for that phone but it will likely eventually fail from that one prolonged exposure.
DannySolo said:
I can understand corrosion while the phone is wet... not after it's been soaked in alcohol and completely dried. The process doesn't continue.
I'm going to guess it's the screen only that's broken as I see no other issues... I bought a cheap LCD replacement already in a new frame for $30.
Let's see how it goes.
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tell results
OK so the new screen eventually arrived and I turned on the phone then plugged in the new screen... nothing. But I guess you have to plug in the screen and then turn it on, but that seems to be impossible with the A40 where you need to attach the middle frame for to use power/volume, and that blocks the screen connector.
Is there some way to bridge those little spring contacts on the PCB to reproduce a power on signal? Otherwise I'll just have to do the whole replacement process and see what happens at the end!
Just as well there's holidays coming.
DannySolo said:
OK so the new screen eventually arrived and I turned on the phone then plugged in the new screen... nothing. But I guess you have to plug in the screen and then turn it on, but that seems to be impossible with the A40 where you need to attach the middle frame for to use power/volume, and that blocks the screen connector.
Is there some way to bridge those little spring contacts on the PCB to reproduce a power on signal? Otherwise I'll just have to do the whole replacement process and see what happens at the end!
Just as well there's holidays coming.
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i do not know, sorry, never opened my a40, still using it right now