Database Users

Water and HD2...

So I got some water into my HD2 and it's been sitting in rice and now silica gel for about 2 whole days now. Seems it's dried out around the circuitry (the screen doesn't flicker anymore and the touch screen is 100% functional). My problem is, I can see water under my screen. It is a pretty large amount of water under the screen as I can see discoloration (like water on paper sort of discoloration) and when I press the screen water bubbles move.
I'm relieved that the phone turns on and it functions 100% it's just there's so much water trapped under the screen.
Can anyone help me out and tell me how to disassemble just the screen so the water can get out? If that's too difficult, does anyone know how long it would take (ballpark estimate) for the water to come out. I'm paranoid because I think about a water bottle with a bit of water in it and that if it is sealed the water doesn't evaporate and just stays in there. Would that apply for my phone because it is sealed up? I mean the water got in there somehow so there must be some holes/gaps that will allow the water to evaporate out of (screen isn't foggy or anything though) but I'm afraid if the water stays in there too long it might do extra damage?
Sorry for this long novel, but any help or advice would be great. Thanks in advance.

a4_h23 said:
So I got some water into my HD2 and it's been sitting in rice and now silica gel for about 2 whole days now. Seems it's dried out around the circuitry (the screen doesn't flicker anymore and the touch screen is 100% functional). My problem is, I can see water under my screen. It is a pretty large amount of water under the screen as I can see discoloration (like water on paper sort of discoloration) and when I press the screen water bubbles move.
I'm relieved that the phone turns on and it functions 100% it's just there's so much water trapped under the screen.
Can anyone help me out and tell me how to disassemble just the screen so the water can get out? If that's too difficult, does anyone know how long it would take (ballpark estimate) for the water to come out. I'm paranoid because I think about a water bottle with a bit of water in it and that if it is sealed the water doesn't evaporate and just stays in there. Would that apply for my phone because it is sealed up? I mean the water got in there somehow so there must be some holes/gaps that will allow the water to evaporate out of (screen isn't foggy or anything though) but I'm afraid if the water stays in there too long it might do extra damage?
Sorry for this long novel, but any help or advice would be great. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HERE is a video to disassemble the HD 2 Hope it helps. I just found the video so please be carefull

zelendel said:
HERE is a video to disassemble the HD 2 Hope it helps. I just found the video so please be carefull
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I saw that too. Thing is, I'm terrified to try. That and I lack the tools to do so and even if I were to buy the tools, I have yet to find a video on how to just do the screen as I don't want to take the whole phone apart. It looks as if you might have to take the whole thing apart, but I was hoping there was an easier way to remove the screen

a4_h23 said:
Yeah I saw that too. Thing is, I'm terrified to try. That and I lack the tools to do so and even if I were to buy the tools, I have yet to find a video on how to just do the screen as I don't want to take the whole phone apart. It looks as if you might have to take the whole thing apart, but I was hoping there was an easier way to remove the screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I saw on the video I dont think you can just remove the screen. I have not gotten the nerve up to do it myself either

On a side note, leaving the phone horizontel in the silica gel/rice for about 3 days may work also. Did on an old sansa mp3 player of mine. Let gravity help?

rickyzone said:
On a side note, leaving the phone horizontel in the silica gel/rice for about 3 days may work also. Did on an old sansa mp3 player of mine. Let gravity help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean like on its side? I didnt think of that... Its been flat on its back. Great advice! Thanks! Ill check back in 4 days to update.

Hopefully you haven't taken it apart yet. I got water under my screen too (from installing a knockoff brand of an invisible shield) had the discoloration.etc and so I put it in a container of rice for about a week. after 99% of it had gone away I stuck it under a lamp for an hour (make sure to not put it too close so you don't melt anything) and now it looks and runs just fine. Plus this way my warranty isn't void still (sticker on the back is white.etc)

Ahanix said:
Hopefully you haven't taken it apart yet. I got water under my screen too (from installing a knockoff brand of an invisible shield) had the discoloration.etc and so I put it in a container of rice for about a week. after 99% of it had gone away I stuck it under a lamp for an hour (make sure to not put it too close so you don't melt anything) and now it looks and runs just fine. Plus this way my warranty isn't void still (sticker on the back is white.etc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's really great news. I wouldn't dare to take it apart. I was hoping to hear from someone who has had the same thing happen before and have had good results. So about a week then would be a good time to leave it. It has been sitting in silica gel for about 3 days now (and rice before that for a day) so I'm gonna check up on it in two or three days. Was it a lot of water under your screen? Cuz mine looks like a lot.
My indicator actually showed water damage but I bleached it back to white lol (hell I don't have insurance nor will I be turning it in to T-Mobile anyhow) because the red is ugly. Anyway thanks for stopping by to let me know, it feels really good for me now because I've been worried sick for these past few days!

Hello (Sorry for my english), I have similar problem. Today I try place screen protector via wet method and now I have display full of water and my hd2 is in the box of rice.
For all that hd2 is fully functional. I hope it will be not very long procedure.

ameron said:
Hello (Sorry for my english), I have similar problem. Today I try place screen protector via wet method and now I have display full of water and my hd2 is in the box of rice.
For all that hd2 is fully functional. I hope it will be not very long procedure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It took mine about a week to dry out about 95%. Hopefully yours turned out/will turn out alright too.

HD2 in Washing Machine(Very Desperate!...Please Help!!!)

Hi guys,
i accidentally left my HTC HD2 in my jeans,which i put in my washing machine.It spent 15 mins on full cycle,after which i managed to figure out my disastrous blunder and pull my HD2 and its batt out. Im extremely desperate to restore life back into my phone.I know HTC will not repair it since all 3 water indicators are pink. From a few online tips, ive taken apart the housing and the main LCM Module. I have placed these two parts in a container of rice. I have not stripped it to the bare parts as i fear i might ruin it further. Moreover, i have not submerged it in alcohol yet. the only thing ive done is flush out the soap with water(did that only for abt 10 secs though...is it enough?) and put it in rice. Its been 2 hours since ive put in in the rice. Im going to leave it in the rice for abt 2-3 days before turning it on(hopefully it does...).I really need help fast guys. Should i use alcohol NOW before putting in rice?...Should i strip it to the bare essentials?...Should i use a vacuum cleaner?...if anyone can help,please do.Im really desperate and worried here.I really love my phone...and please do not ask me why i did this effing mistake...im still hating myself more than ever in my life for leaving my HD2 in my jeans.tks alot for your time and i look forward to your suggestions.tks again.

PS:Also, after i pulled my phone out,there didnt seem to be any patches or bubbles of water under the screen.Does that mean the whole screen is flooded or no water went inside?...And i do see water inside the camera.So is the camera dead forever?tks

Well,
i once found a Nokia without a battery in a roadside-stream of water... after drying and powering it on it worked flawless...
the real thing you have to worry about will be the water in the cam module. i have no clue as to how get it out. i once had water in the speaker of a very expensive babysitter-device. i never got it out. never. it stayed in there for a year or more. it was toilet water. very nice.
what happens to your leo when it is in contact with water while the battery is connected? do you know that?
well, if not, this is what i know: the electrical current will eventually short some circuits and thus might break them. if you are lucky the shorts will not break anything. if you are not lucky, something will be f****.
then, the energy, metal and water will lead to some "galvanizing" effect i have observed before, meaning, some circuits on the board may build some micro-connections with a whitish coating. what exactly happens there is beyond my knowledge. i have seen it on some devices which had been exposed to water and energy for a while. i could still fix them by scraping (yes, indeed) that off with a micro screw driver, being extremely careful not to harm any print circuit or smd-parts. that is a tough nut to achieve, for real. its not easy.
I am unsure, how the CPU is soldered onto the mainboard. there is a guy here who created some heatsink for those who had broken solderpoints and heat problems. he had said that, if you want to take off the chip you need break it because there is some epoxy around it. that would mean its connections (the little ball solderings) are waterproof. that would already mean you only have to spend attention to the surroundings. that is very relieving.
you might want to check the Internet for a replacement camera module if you don't figure out how to get the water out.
Make sure you keep your impatience under control and don't power on the device with the water still in the cam. it will do damage. the cam has electrical connections too, remember.
If i was in your situation i would assume the phone lost and use it to experiment a little. this will eventually help people here.
what i would do is the following: disassemble completely.
take all parts that can withstand a certain amount of heat and put it in an oven.
power on the oven with not more than 40 degrees Celsius. make sure not to put it under more heat-stress as it will loosen the solderpoints at about 60 degrees i think, maybe even at lower degrees. i am unsure.
warm it up for a while so that excess water dries away fast.
then check the mainboard and other parts for hidden spaces where water could have remained unseen (e.g. the camera).
then check for the witish coating, some hard to see, nearly transparent layers of water and/or soap residue. i am nearly sure that this witish coating i once observed came from high chalk (calcicated) water. this would be removable physically (scraping) or with citric acid and a soft cloth.
now, what to do with the screen? well, unsure here. check for water. if you think its very dry just leave it and connect it.
if it contains water i would probabyl also just try to let it dry. i cannot really advise here since i have not disassembled the hd2 yet.
i only know that replacement screens are not too expensive. you should possibly buy a new one rather then risking to further damage the phone with invisible shorts.
i need to cook for my wife now, hope i could give you some input mate.
good luck with your device. bad story man. bad story...

try to put for 24h into an ermetic box (closed), with salt in lower part and rice on the upper part (1/4 salt, 1/4 rice, phone, 1/4 empty) and close the box
this method can remove the major part of umidity
you can try for 3/4 days replacing salt and rice every day and cleaning the ermetic box
you can try too with a little oven for 10/15/20 minutes (max 60° Celsius and without battery of course) but i think that salt and rice is a better method
of course if you're able to open the HD2 (i done it 2 times and it's not so easy), you can use an alcoholic solution to clean chips and remove oxide (i use a Flux NO CLEAN)
DO NOT POWER ON PHONE UNTIL IT'S NOT FULLY DRY

Update
Hi,
my phone seems dry now(after 2 days of drying).I have not disassembled it completely though. The LCM module doesnt show any signs of corrosion,A few contacts and wires look okay.Not sure of the condition inside the module. Before waiting it out for another day or two, can i ask if i can use denatured alcohol to flush out any impurities or residue left by the laundry soap? Will it do any good or will it do any harm? cus im worried the alcohol might wet the phone again,now that it is dry,or maybe spoil some components. Also,may i ask if any data loss on the ROM or any damage to the cpu is likely?Tks alot.

I dropped a old cell phone in water and this was the guide i used to bring it back to life...well most of that guide anyway as well as a few other notes I picked up.
1st.) you should never try and turn the phone on intill it has had time to dry, (48 hours min)
2nd.) take apart as carefully and best you can..so that you uncover as much of the phone as you can
3rd.) dont lay the phone flat. stand it inside a cup and pour rice over it till it covers it.
I had to let my phone sit for almost a week and tried it after two days and every day after that. On the third day it turned on but still acted really odd, with each day it acted better and better. finally after six days it was back to its old self.
Please also know to not use a heat source like an over, microwave or hair dryer. If you do use a hair dryer ONLY use the "cool" setting. Hot air can make it more difficult for you to get it back on its feet. You can use rubbing alcohol to try and clean up any residue left behind by the laundry soap. I've seen sites say to submerge your phone in alcohol but i would suggest to use a q-tip and wipe the inside clean as best as you can. Make sure you do this well, the alcohol will not harm the phone farther but its the minerals or other deposits from the detergent that will.
If its available, you should use an alcohol concentration of 95% rather than rubbing alcohol that usually contains only 70%.
I hope this helps you as it helped me. I was lost when it happened and didn't know what to do. I pieced together this method from different instructions found online and it worked for me perfect. If all else fails you can call t-mobile and do whats called an out of warranty exchange. Each phone will have a different out of warranty exchange price but I had to do this once with a old phone I had and at the time it was only $100 for that model phone (htc mt3gs). It could be much more, like i said it all depends on the phone.

htccraze said:
I dropped a old cell phone in water and this was the guide i used to bring it back to life...well most of that guide anyway as well as a few other notes I picked up.
1st.) you should never try and turn the phone on intill it has had time to dry, (48 hours min)
2nd.) take apart as carefully and best you can..so that you uncover as much of the phone as you can
3rd.) dont lay the phone flat. stand it inside a cup and pour rice over it till it covers it.
I had to let my phone sit for almost a week and tried it after two days and every day after that. On the third day it turned on but still acted really odd, with each day it acted better and better. finally after six days it was back to its old self.
Please also know to not use a heat source like an over, microwave or hair dryer. If you do use a hair dryer ONLY use the "cool" setting. Hot air can make it more difficult for you to get it back on its feet. You can use rubbing alcohol to try and clean up any residue left behind by the laundry soap. I've seen sites say to submerge your phone in alcohol but i would suggest to use a q-tip and wipe the inside clean as best as you can. Make sure you do this well, the alcohol will not harm the phone farther but its the minerals or other deposits from the detergent that will.
If its available, you should use an alcohol concentration of 95% rather than rubbing alcohol that usually contains only 70%.
I hope this helps you as it helped me. I was lost when it happened and didn't know what to do. I pieced together this method from different instructions found online and it worked for me perfect. If all else fails you can call t-mobile and do whats called an out of warranty exchange. Each phone will have a different out of warranty exchange price but I had to do this once with a old phone I had and at the time it was only $100 for that model phone (htc mt3gs). It could be much more, like i said it all depends on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks alot for the detailed post.I will definitely follow all the instructions in the above posts.I have already done most of them.I just have to clean my phone with the alcohol. Regarding the warranty exchange, there are many problems.Firstly,im not using T-Mobile,im actually in Singapore and my operator did provide a 1 year warranty,but sadly the warranty expired 2 months ago.Moreover,all the 3 water indicators and blazing red,and while unscrewing the modules,the 'warranty void' sticker was also torn through...so yep,im left with myself and the help of the wonderful members here.tks alot for your help so far.ill report back in 2 days time,when i power up my phone.

The phone that I sent back was the phone that had water damage. Four months after I took mine for a swim my charger port broke. I told them that the phone works fine but it does have water damage. I'm not sure why they didn't charge me the $100 they said because my water damage indicators showed bright pink also, still I was glad they didn't. Since your not through t-mobile that wouldn't work for you though.
If this comes to this, fingers crossed it don't but I have seen some with water damage sell on eBay around $90-$125. You might be able to sell it and then put an additional $30 to it to buy one that's in good working order, after all I bought mine on there for $120.
Sent from my HTC Leo using XDA App

htccraze said:
The phone that I sent back was the phone that had water damage. Four months after I took mine for a swim my charger port broke. I told them that the phone works fine but it does have water damage. I'm not sure why they didn't charge me the $100 they said because my water damage indicators showed bright pink also, still I was glad they didn't. Since your not through t-mobile that wouldn't work for you though.
If this comes to this, fingers crossed it don't but I have seen some with water damage sell on eBay around $90-$125. You might be able to sell it and then put an additional $30 to it to buy one that's in good working order, after all I bought mine on there for $120.
Sent from my HTC Leo using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
alright dude...but you mean your HD2 went for a swim? So did it work after that or was the broken charger port the only damage?...and regarding the eBay sales,i dont mind if i can get a good price,but i also need to buy another used HD2(preferably an unlocked T-Mobile one)..but lets just hope i dont go there...i want my phone to come back to life and wreck havoc on the iPhones and LGs like before

Yea after I did the above mentioned steps it work just fine. Then after a few months the charger port stopped working. It getting wet didn't have anything to do with the charger port malfunctioning.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

htccraze said:
Yea after I did the above mentioned steps it work just fine. Then after a few months the charger port stopped working. It getting wet didn't have anything to do with the charger port malfunctioning.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow...thats reassuring news.tks

Update
Hi,
i am very pleased to say that my HTC HD2 is back alive and kicking. I followed all the useful steps provided by the very helpful members here and its working well. A few niggles of course, include a few patches of slight texture variation at the top of the screen if tilted about 150 degrees,but it is very hard to see otherwise,so no worries. Secondly, the mic is dead since no one can hear me on the other side. Other than everything is perfectly fine!...didnt expect such a recovery after that washing machine incident. So, thanks alot for your help and also thanks alot to HTC for making a good phone!..now,a small question.any ideas on where i can buy the mic module separately? tks alot

I would look on ebay. There is also several repair shops you might have some luck contacting. Here in the US there is a company call cellphone CPR or something along those lines that could probably help find and install the mic for you.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App

htccraze said:
I would look` on ebay. There is also several repair shops you might have some luck contacting. Here in the US there is a company call cellphone CPR or something along those lines that could probably help find and install the mic for you.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the thing.here in Singapore,most of the repair shops fear to dissassemble the phone and repair the components.those shops that do are not well established,so I wouldn't really trust them on my phone.my best bet is to send it to HTC,but I need to order the warranty and water indicator stickers from eBay,else they wont repair it.and I've checked eBay,they don't sell the Mic on its own.I suspect its a whole module by itself,but I don't mind soldering a new Michael myself.just can't find one.

It's a difficult job as the microphone is assembled to the main board found at the base of the unit.
This entire mainboard would have to be replaced and it houses the Qualcomm CPU and other items.
If you do dissemble there is a rubber black protector on it. Try removing it and cleaning it. Perhaps some dirt or something got in there and has blocked the microphone function.
Good luck...

xlr8me said:
It's a difficult job as the microphone is assembled to the main board found at the base of the unit.
This entire mainboard would have to be replaced and it houses the Qualcomm CPU and other items.
If you do dissemble there is a rubber black protector on it. Try removing it and cleaning it. Perhaps some dirt or something got in there and has blocked the microphone function.
Good luck...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if theres some dirt, theres gotta be at least some sort of noise audible to the person on the other side...i suspect the whole mic to be broken.anyway, cant expect all to be well after a ride through the washing machine haha...ill ring HTC and ask for the repair cost.doubt it would be anywhere near affordable though...

Well, i'm following this with great interest. I am very happy to hear how good the recovery went.
Kawshigan, please update the thread once you know what htc said. I'd be interested to hear too.
Thanks
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

I had ordered the HTC water damage stickers and the little void stickers for the screws on the back off ebay.
I know its not ethical but i just couldn't afford what HTC wanted to repair the phone ($185) so i got it back and
sent it to T-mobile instead. HTC told me if they find water damage on the motherboard that it voids the warranty
as well as if the stickers are red/pink. I don't know what they can trace on the motherboard or if T-Mobile is the
same but i didnt have a problem returning it to them. I was never charged the $100 T-Mobile said it would
be for a out of warranty exhange either.

kawshigan said:
That's the thing.here in Singapore,most of the repair shops fear to dissassemble the phone and repair the components.those shops that do are not well established,so I wouldn't really trust them on my phone.my best bet is to send it to HTC,but I need to order the warranty and water indicator stickers from eBay,else they wont repair it.and I've checked eBay,they don't sell the Mic on its own.I suspect its a whole module by itself,but I don't mind soldering a new Michael myself.just can't find one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a module, it's just the mic itself, but you need some skills to desolder and solder it back on motherboard.
If you have no other solution, PM me your adress and I'll send you one.
---------- Post added at 09:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:55 AM ----------
xlr8me said:
It's a difficult job as the microphone is assembled to the main board found at the base of the unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kind of true, but not for a skilled service guy (a 15 minutes job)!
xlr8me said:
This entire mainboard would have to be replaced and it houses the Qualcomm CPU and other items.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally false!

Is this S5 completely broken? Data retrieval possible? Can I just sell it?

Good evening.
pretty straight forward:
My roomie "forgot" his S5 (SM-G900F) for an hour in the washing machine with 60°C (140°F).
Obviously it's broken.
It looks intact and only one connecting pin from the battery is a bit oxidised.
If you plug it on (doesnt matter if the battery is in the device or not) it starts to vibrate. I guess it wants to start, which fails (no sounds or display activity or LED activity on top of it). Then it vibrates again...tries to start again I guess...
I guess it's pretty dead..but
Is it still possible to retrieve the internal storage or its content?
Can we sell its spare parts or could somebody retrieve the memory?
I dont really think there will be an happy end but I just wanted to ask :3

Did you let it dry out fully without the battery for a few days first?

*Detection* said:
Did you let it dry out fully without the battery for a few days first?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really...well..
My roomie panicked and put the device directly on our running heating >.<...I told him not to do that and to put it in rice..but well..he sent it back to the seller and hoped they wouldnt run diagnostics and just send a new phone.
The whole thing happened two weeks ago and by now the phone should be dry. It just came back from the seller and he just showed me.
Honestly I dont think we can retrieve the files but I just hoped I could do a good deed for him.

The impurities in the water are what causes problems with electronics that get wet (So long as nothing short circuited and fried while it had power)
You could try dismantling it, and washing it with isopropyl alcohol, allow that to try fully, and give it another shot

*Detection* said:
The impurities in the water are what causes problems with electronics that get wet (So long as nothing short circuited and fried while it had power)
You could try dismantling it, and washing it with isopropyl alcohol, allow that to try fully, and give it another shot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks :3
That could really help..and it's not just the impurity of the washing water..I guess it's the soap as well.
Can you give me a propability on how well the alcohol could work? Is there atleast realistic chance to it?
Do I need to be careful with the alcohol or could I just put the whole thing in a glass of isopropyl alcohol for a while?
I guess I can dismantle it to some degree but I would prefer if I could just be wasteful with the alcohol and not unscrew every tiny little screw and turn the device into a 500 pieces puzzle

Probability of fixing it depends on why it's not working, if it's just the rubbish from the water, then you have a fairly high chance of fixing it with alcohol
If the board got fried, then you have no chance
Few tips here
http://www.smartmobilephonesolutions.com/content/how-to-fix-a-water-damaged-phone
And others from XDA who have successfully managed to repair theirs with that method
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1058655
Good luck!

Garbage or nah?

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.

Samsung A40 took a little swim... but signs of life! Any ideas?

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