[NLC] Drip Dry Phone

[Jim Kuzdrall]

On Sunday 30 April 2006 06:45 pm, Jeff Kinz wrote:
> On Sun, Apr 30, 2006 at 01:53:35PM -0400, James R. Van Zandt wrote:
> > >   > My daughter just laundered her phone.  We pulled it out of
> > >   > the washing machine just now.  Is there any hope of reviving
> > >   > it,
> > >
> > >   ...rinse them in de-ionized or distilled water... Open it up as
> > >   much as possible and let it dry out.
> >
> > This is one of the reasons I'd like a small vacuum chamber.  That
> > would pull moisture out of the crevices.
>
> Just curious - could subjecting a cell phone to vacuum (partial or
> otherwise) possibly cause things like capacitors to burst?

    I can't think of any electronic component that will "burst" at 
vacuum.  After all, it is only 14.7 psi pressure change at most - even 
if you pump down below a micron.  You get down to 8 psi just climbing 
Mt. Rainier.  Gas filled components like neon displays are at less than 
1 atm.  Along with vacuum tubes, they are quite "relieved" in vacuum.  
If you are building for a submarine it is a different story.  There can 
be thousands of crushing psi under water.

    As I remember from trying to pump lasers system clean, water quickly 
freezes if you try to vaporize a droplet in a vacuum.  Then you have to 
wait for it to sublime.  We had lots of heating tapes on the chambers.

Jim Kuzdrall