[NLC] Drip Dry Phone

[Jim Kuzdrall]

>  My daughter just laundered her phone.  We
> pulled it out of the washing machine just now.   Is there any hope on
> reviving it,

    I often put expensive electronic equipment in a bath of detergent to 
clean them.  Then, as suggested, rinse them is de-ionized or distilled 
water.  That is what they did to the circuit boards before they left 
the factory.

    As suggested, remove the batteries quickly.  Open it up as much as 
possible and let it dry out.

    I would not worry too much about conductive flux in a cell phone.  
Many factories use non-rosin, no-clean flux now days to cut down on 
cleaning and solvent recovery costs - even in counties where the 
pollution is allowed.  In addition, there are few if any high impedance 
connections in a cell phone that might be compromised by a little flux 
residue.  Remember that the design has to tolerate the fumes from a 
cigarette smoker.

    My niece had her computer power supply on the lower story floor when 
the flood hit Keene last fall.  She complained that the computer no 
longer worked and demonstrated that the power supply was dead when 
plugged in to AC.  As I loosen the screws to see what might have blown 
inside, water poured out.  A few minutes with the hair drier and it was 
working again.

Jim Kuzdrall