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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Click to collapse
i do not know, sorry, never opened my a40, still using it right now
Related
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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Click to collapse
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?
Still works but the screen is foggy and flickers alot.
A friend of mine was telling me that something in the batter triggers and sprint can tell if it had water damage or not. How can i tell and look for that?
I also want to take it in but dont want sprint finding out about the water damage. Is there a loophole?
Shifted from my EVO
Well first things first. Turn it off, pull the battery. Do not try to restart it. You have several choices to dry it out. One really and proven one is rice. Fill a container half way with rice. Then stick your phone in the rice with the battery out, and the cover off. Push it down into the rice, and let it stay there for at least two days in a warm dry place. The other was actually used by a member here on XDA. He used is a Dehydrator. Not sure of the details, but it definately worked. I'd say set it on low and leave it there for at least 24hrs. Sprint can tell if the phone has been dropped in water by checking the water damage indicators. On the phone itself, and the battery. They're Red checkered squares. They turn bright Red when dropped in water. Although it has been proven they're not very reliable.
^^ is correct about the indicator on the battery. Its a little sticker and i always pull it off and take it to them. Once they asked me about the sticker and i just told them i have no idea what your talking about and that i didn't know about any sticker. Playing dumb helps
Take battery out....Stick it in oven on warm heat...take it out after 10 minutes to let it cool down.....repeat like 4 times.....
Sounds freaky but i fixed an iPod Touch and a Droid X with this method
Thanks for the replies guys. I ended up using a hair dryer on heat. It's not that bad of a condition. Everything seems to work properly (so far). This would happen when a ICS beta ROM comes to our phones... -_-
is there any other indications that sprint would be able to tell if it had water damage?
Enraged21 said:
is there any other indications that sprint would be able to tell if it had water damage?
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Nope, unless there is still water in it when you take it there, oh and don't use a hair dryer, all that does is "push" water in deeper through all the electrical wiring and circuits, plus it can melt parts of the device
Personal expierence lol
notsointeresting said:
Nope, unless there is still water in it when you take it there, oh and don't use a hair dryer, all that does is "push" water in deeper through all the electrical wiring and circuits, plus it can melt parts of the device
Personal expierence lol
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+1 to not using the hairdryer . It will not work as well as you think. There's a good chance that you still have moisture in the device.
See I wouldn't have known that lol. Thankss!
Why we're here.
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?
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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!
Ive gotten this tablet wet a few times, (Tab A, T510 2019 10.1) nothing serious, not underwater. this time i had it next to shower, and just got a little water on the screen. I wiped it off and used it for about 1/2 hour, then suddenly the bottom 3rd of the screen pixelated and it flickered. That only lasted a few seconds, then the screen lost some brightness, just looked a little gray.
So i powered it down. Since then, screen is black when it boots, but it does beep with the moisture detected error when I plug in charger. i have been able to power it off and on and get that moisture error, but black screen. when I plug it into PC, i get the Windows code 43 hardware error, device not recognized.
I don't have much hope for it, but thought I'd check here.
Thanks!
Disconnect the battery NOW.
Allow to dry a in warm dry room with a fan on it, with the back panel removed for at least a week.
Disassemble as much as you can easily do to speed drying.
If it's an AMOLED display there's more you can do.
ok, thanks! its TFT-LCD. I already have it apart, and just disconnected battery again. i will put it in a dry upstairs window with plenty of sun.
Raymodjp said:
ok, thanks! its TFT-LCD. I already have it apart, and just disconnected battery again. i will put it in a dry upstairs window with plenty of sun.
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Don't fry it... sheild the LCD from direct sunlight by putting it down face first.
Put a fan on it too.
Disconnecting any ribbon cable ends that got exposed may help. However ESD becomes a potential issue as out of circuit components especially the mobo are suspectable to ESD damage.
Because of the LCD you can't use anhydrous isopropyl alcohol as a drying agent; it will poison the display.
You may get lucky particularly if you see no visible corrosion damage on the power sections of the mobo. IP68 means it might resist water, I never trust it. Useful to keep dust out though.
blackhawk said:
Don't fry it... sheild the LCD from direct sunlight by putting it down face first.
Put a fan on it too.
Disconnecting any ribbon cable ends that got exposed may help. However ESD becomes a potential issue as out of circuit components especially the mobo are suspectable to ESD damage.
Because of the LCD you can't use anhydrous isopropyl alcohol as a drying agent; it will poison the display.
You may get lucky particularly if you see no visible corrosion damage on the power sections of the mobo. IP68 means it might resist water, I never trust it. Useful to keep dust out though.
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Click to collapse
ok, thanks again. I have it face down with a fan on it, and i put it in a dry place that doesn't get much direct sunlight.
I really didn't think it got very wet at all. I definitely can't see any corrosion damage. The moisture detection on some Samsungs is very sensitive. Mine even goes off in the summer solely due to high humidity.
Raymodjp said:
ok, thanks again. I have it face down with a fan on it, and i put it in a dry place that doesn't get much direct sunlight.
I really didn't think it got very wet at all. I definitely can't see any corrosion damage. The moisture detection on some Samsungs is very sensitive. Mine even goes off in the summer solely due to high humidity.
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Click to collapse
You're welcome.
It's safe to put it in sunlight just not with LCD facing it. As long as it's cool enough to touch it won't harm it.
Most at risk are the powerc circuits carrying higher current loads which can accelerate corrosion damage. Or it may simply keep the signal tranfer on data circuits from working with no damage. The faster you pull the battery then dry it, generally the better the outcome.
I dropped my Galaxy Buds case in a cup of coffee (cream&sugar) over 3 years ago. Open it immediately, flushed with RO water, then anhydrous isopropyl alcohol, dried for a day, then drank the coffee. It still works today.
I received an s8 from my friend, and upon inspecting it, it did not turn on. No vibrations, no leds, nothing. It appears to be water damaged (indicators were red) however after opening it up, the motherboard seems to be in good condition with no burn makrs or corrosion. The charging port was a bit corroded but it cleaned up well after using some alcohol.
The battery smelled of nail polish remover which i heard is a sign of a leaking battery.
With the phone opened up, And when connected to the charger (battery and other components connected as well) the cpu part of the board got warm making me believe the motherboard is indeed working. However I'm confused as there's no vibration, display, or led lights)
Just to be safe I cleaned the entire thing with 99% alcohol and let it dry.
If anyone has any ideas on how to get it started, please let me know
The battery electrolyte has a strange cherry acetone sort of smell. Once you smell it you won't forget it.
Replace the battery. If that fails inspect all connector contacts for corrosion. Consider replacing the port daughter board. Water damage is insidious especially if not addressed immediately. It may not be salvageable at this point...
blackhawk said:
The battery electrolyte has a strange cherry acetone sort of smell. Once you smell it you won't forget it.
Replace the battery. If that fails inspect all connector contacts for corrosion. Consider replacing the port daughter board. Water damage is insidious especially if not addressed immediately. It may not be salvageable at this point...
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Alright so the battery might be an issue. I think the charging daughter board is fine since the motherboard was getting warm where the CPU is located when i plugged in the charger. Why might it not be too salvageable?
mantiiiiis said:
Alright so the battery might be an issue. I think the charging daughter board is fine since the motherboard was getting warm where the CPU is located when i plugged in the charger. Why might it not be too salvageable?
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What part of insidious don't you understand?
If the battery had been pulled immediately and then the phone dried out it may have been alright. Don't count on it though. You're a bit beyond that.
The SOC is a BGA chipset meaning all its contacts are hidden underneath it... where water can be trap and corrode them and the pcb traces. No way to clean that short of hot air removal. In a short amount of time water can destroy a phone if it's battery is connected.