RE: [SLUG] {SPAM?} OT - Spilled Coffee on Laptop, help

From: wchast@utilpart.com
Date: Sun May 16 2004 - 14:25:45 EDT


Ken Elliott wrote:
> >>My mom just spilled coffee on her laptop, so I need some
> suggestions on cleaning.
>
> When this sort of thing (or worse) happened to Nikon Cameras, here's
> the drill we used.
>
> 1> Remove all batteries. Remove every accessory and cover you can.
> 2> Rinse in DISTILLED water. All other water has contaminants. The
> distilled water will dissolve the contaminant. Gently pour the
> water, don't spray it with any force. We dumped the rinse water in a
> glass jug so we could see if it was clear. Rinse again and again,
> until the rinse water is perfectly clean. Then rinse again. Maybe a
> few more times... 3> final rinse in mixture of 50% distilled water
> and 50% alcohol. Alcohol is said to help it dry. Some folks do one
> more rinse in 100% isopropyl alcohol to flush out all the water
> (prevent corrosion). 4> blow drying is not suggested. It forces
> water into places it wouldn't otherwise go, and hot air is bad. Just
> let it air dry.
>
> This advice may or may not apply to your computer. I'd get the hard
> drive out before you try this. It has a breather hole and will
> certainly be hurt if you dunk it.
>

This is the same technique I have used with radios, logic control
boards and all sort of electronics. Take note of the upper case
distilled water, it must be so or you will leave some of the contaminates
on the work and that is exactly what you are trying to avoid. Most
contaminates are also hygroscopic and will take on water as the humidity
rises, if any of contamination bridges circuit traces at some poitn
the contamination will look like another trace, now you have a very
difficult intermittant to find. The alcohol will help carry the
water away, and it evaportates faster than water. The last step we
used was to place the equipment in question into a oven and heat it
up to 50 - 75 C for 24 hours. If you place a fan in the oven to move
the air you can reduce the time under heat. What you are trying to do
is move the saturated air away from the humid areas moving dry air in
to replace it.

Chuck Hast
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To paraphrase my flight instructor;
"the only dumb question is the one you DID NOT ask resulting in my going
out and having to identify your bits and pieces in the midst of torn
and twisted metal."

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