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I may have possibly water damaged my Captivate last night. It was in my pocket when water spilled on my lap, and I didn't immediately take it out. Very stupid of me. The USB port was open so I'm thinking liquid may have gotten into there... Also, there were water beads on the inside of the camera lens.
My recourse was to take it apart and try to let it dry out. Initially it wouldn't do anything upon being plugged in to the charger, so naturally I thought it was bricked. I've let it sit all day on a dry window sill next to the radiator. After putting the battery back in and plugging it in a little bit ago, the phone surprisingly booted up. Here's where I'm at now:
The phone boots normally, however if I plug it in to the charger I get an error stating Battery Temperature too high or something, so charging is paused. Does anybody know what this indicates?
Secondly, after being on for a minute or so, the screen gets screwy. Dark transparent overlays start flashing over everything and it gets unresponsive... I haven't left it on like this long b/c I was afraid something worse would happen - I usually rip the battery out of the back to shut it off.
My phones currently pulled apart and drying in the window sill. Whatever water got on/in it is not visibly there, however I understand some parts might still be wet.
Any advice? Also, I believe the water indicator on the battery and near the pins where the battery dock in the phone are both fine. They're white squares and haven't changed color. Any chance there are other indicators?
The phone isn't insured and I bought it back in August. Would warranty possibly cover this or will they know about the water damage?
jmusso said:
I may have possibly water damaged my Captivate last night. It was in my pocket when water spilled on my lap, and I didn't immediately take it out. Very stupid of me. The USB port was open so I'm thinking liquid may have gotten into there... Also, there were water beads on the inside of the camera lens.
My recourse was to take it apart and try to let it dry out. Initially it wouldn't do anything upon being plugged in to the charger, so naturally I thought it was bricked. I've let it sit all day on a dry window sill next to the radiator. After putting the battery back in and plugging it in a little bit ago, the phone surprisingly booted up. Here's where I'm at now:
The phone boots normally, however if I plug it in to the charger I get an error stating Battery Temperature too high or something, so charging is paused. Does anybody know what this indicates?
Secondly, after being on for a minute or so, the screen gets screwy. Dark transparent overlays start flashing over everything and it gets unresponsive... I haven't left it on like this long b/c I was afraid something worse would happen - I usually rip the battery out of the back to shut it off.
My phones currently pulled apart and drying in the window sill. Whatever water got on/in it is not visibly there, however I understand some parts might still be wet.
Any advice? Also, I believe the water indicator on the battery and near the pins where the battery dock in the phone are both fine. They're white squares and haven't changed color. Any chance there are other indicators?
The phone isn't insured and I bought it back in August. Would warranty possibly cover this or will they know about the water damage?
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well you want to put in rice, so that the moisture is gone
rice it for sure. but warranty WILL not cover it UNLESS the tabs on the battery and phone are white (It might not have gotten wet if it was in your pocket)
if they are still white, or if your phone is white and battery red (then buy another battery) and get to the store and tell them you don't know what is wrong with it. The only indication that it is water damaged is if it is red and those tags are notoriously faulty so you could always argue your way through it if you have an account in good standing.
best of luck.
I know someone who "claimed' that insurance was supposed to be added to the phone when he got it and noticed that the person didn't do it properly (the guy was new so it helped his cause) and the manager of the cor store told him that they'd do a courtesy replacement and charged him the 125$ for a new device.
you could go that route should you need too...
I don't have access to rice at the moment... Would it do any good even if I absolutely can see no water anywhere in/on the phone?
Am I doing my phone any harm/potential harm by trying to turn it on every once in a while, or should I just let it be for a few days?
Take the phone apart and focus the strongest fan you have on it over night. It's probably best to not turn it on for awhile. Maybe if you focus a blow drier on it for perhaps several hours, air will find flow through the small openings within the case.
You may not be able to dry some parts of it unless you do a complete dismantle, but that may require special tools
Consider shipping it to get repaired only as a last resort, as I've read some bad reports about that.
Rice or some other dessicant is the way to go - it will pull moisture out. Also, turning it on (even putting the battery in) is bad - you are powering circuits and possibly creating shorts where water is present. You may have already done permanent damage.
If you get electronics wet, the best course of action is to remove the battery and put it in a bag of rice for a few days.
Now that You have the phone apart get an alcohol pad and gentley scrub the main board. Sometimes when liquid touches the main board you will get a white looking residue. If you see anything like that simply wipe it off. I dropped my phone into a trash can at a very popular teriyaki restaurant here in Las Vegas my phone was submerged into a deep bath of teriyaki sauce. I quickly pulled the phone from the can and wiped it down vigorously. I was excited to see that it was initially working unfortunately this was not the case by the time I got home. The phone would not turn on for a whole week, until I decided that I was going to open her up. I found a tutorial on line describing a complete break down of the captivate. Upon opening it I found I was able to see exactly where the teriyaki had interacted with the electronics due to the remnants of an oxidized white film that was present on various parts of the main board. I grabbed a alcohol pad out of my first aid kit and began wiping it down to remove all of the white stuff,put the phone back together and to my surprise it turned on. Hope this helps!
Thanks for the info guys.
How would I go about getting to the "main board"? Taking out the battery and looking inside it only reveals where the battery connects, where the SD card and sim cards can go... I'm assuming if I remove the little screws around that fixture I can get to the "main board"?
I think I can see some minor corrosion around where the sim card connects, but I think I *should* be able to clean that with some alcohol.
The phone seems to be working fine (I've yet to put my SIM back in it, though, so no idea if the corrosion around there is affecting it at all). I just booted it up and was able to get on the web (wifi), run apps, everything just fine. Didn't get the flashy screens I mentioned earlier. However, if I plug in the USB charger, it still gives me the temperature error. I didn't keep it plugged in, however it did make me realize something:
The errors I was getting before, where the screen went all wacky, only happened if the phone was plugged in to the wall. Is it possible my battery is busted, or do you think the USB charger is busted? Remember that port was open when it happened.
Any thoughts? New battery? Or do you think I won't be able to charge the phone via USB charger any more?
jmusso said:
I don't have access to rice at the moment... Would it do any good even if I absolutely can see no water anywhere in/on the phone?
Am I doing my phone any harm/potential harm by trying to turn it on every once in a while, or should I just let it be for a few days?
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yes you are, because if there is water or moisture internal, it can short circuit, also rice will help dry up the phone completely
jmusso said:
Thanks for the info guys.
How would I go about getting to the "main board"? Taking out the battery and looking inside it only reveals where the battery connects, where the SD card and sim cards can go... I'm assuming if I remove the little screws around that fixture I can get to the "main board"?
I think I can see some minor corrosion around where the sim card connects, but I think I *should* be able to clean that with some alcohol.
The phone seems to be working fine (I've yet to put my SIM back in it, though, so no idea if the corrosion around there is affecting it at all). I just booted it up and was able to get on the web (wifi), run apps, everything just fine. Didn't get the flashy screens I mentioned earlier. However, if I plug in the USB charger, it still gives me the temperature error. I didn't keep it plugged in, however it did make me realize something:
The errors I was getting before, where the screen went all wacky, only happened if the phone was plugged in to the wall. Is it possible my battery is busted, or do you think the USB charger is busted? Remember that port was open when it happened.
Any thoughts? New battery? Or do you think I won't be able to charge the phone via USB charger any more?
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If you've never taken apart a smart phone before, and reading your first question, I'm going to assume that's the case, then I strongly advise you not attempt it unless you are willing to either A) buy a replacement after you break it or B) invest time/money into repairing mistakes you've made. This phone is not as difficult to disassemble as some, but I wouldn't want to break that $150 amoled screen.
No, removing the screws will not simply get you to the mainboard. It's more complicated and nuanced than that.
I'm a new user so I can't post the link but if you google Tech Republic Captivate tear down [/B]there is a website that will show you step by step how take the phone apart. There are two screws under the clip you pull down to take the back cover off. Be careful when pulling it back to expose the screws. I tugged on it pretty hard with no problems, but I imagine it could be broken if you pull too hard. Good Luck! It's actually really easy to take apart and the various ribbon connectors on the main board are really easy to unplug and plug back in after cleaning it.
So what do you guys think I should do if I'm still getting the battery error with the thermometer and yellow caution sign? Buy a new battery? Or do you think its the USB jack? Has anybody seen this before - the battery was working fine as long as it was not charging.
I'm trying to decide between a) buying a new battery, or b) buying a wall-mounted battery charger since the USB won't charge the phone.
Anybody have any experience?
Meguro2006 said:
I'm a new user so I can't post the link but if you google Tech Republic Captivate tear down [/B]there is a website that will show you step by step how take the phone apart. There are two screws under the clip you pull down to take the back cover off. Be careful when pulling it back to expose the screws. I tugged on it pretty hard with no problems, but I imagine it could be broken if you pull too hard. Good Luck! It's actually really easy to take apart and the various ribbon connectors on the main board are really easy to unplug and plug back in after cleaning it.
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I think you need to be careful about who you encourage to dissect their device. This guy asked how to get to the mainboard. Clearly, he hasn't opened a smart phone before. Telling him it's "actually really easy" is disingenuous at best. Performing smart phone repairs properly requires experience. I'm certainly not suggesting that noobs not try to fix their phones, only that they are made fully aware of the risks.
My Captivate was fully submerged in dirty water. I followed some instructions online and it's been working fine for over a month now. If your water-detection stickers are already red anyway, and rice isn't working, I recommend it:
1) Remove battery, SIM card, SD card
2) Submerge in a bowl of distilled water and gently agitate. This helps clean the insides. Distilled water (not spring water) does not conduct electricity.
3) Next, submerge in a bowl of high-quality rubbing alcohol (~95% pure) and gently agitate. Rubbing alcohol displaces water, removes corrosion, and evaporates quickly. (It's also flammable, so have good ventilation and no open flames nearby)
4) Leave it out to dry for two days or until it no longer smells of alcohol.
BTW I wouldn't dry it too close to a radiator, the heat may damage it.
jatkins09 said:
If you've never taken apart a smart phone before, and reading your first question, I'm going to assume that's the case, then I strongly advise you not attempt it unless you are willing to either A) buy a replacement after you break it or B) invest time/money into repairing mistakes you've made. This phone is not as difficult to disassemble as some, but I wouldn't want to break that $150 amoled screen.
No, removing the screws will not simply get you to the mainboard. It's more complicated and nuanced than that.
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Not really. Once the screws are removed..including the two hidden by the battery cover lock slider...you can carefully pry the cover apart using your fingernail to get to the the internals. I have done it several times and am no expert by any means. Just don't yank like you are opening a present on Christmas morning.
Although I am mystified by the op stating they have no access to rice?! That should always be the second thing one does after a moisture incident...right after pulling the battery and sim. I guess in this case a trip to the store with a couple bucks may have pushed that to step three though..
sent from my captivate disguised as an i9000 running cyanogen
hello last night i was at a coffee house i left my sidekick 4g on the table while i went and get my drink my clumsy friend trips and spills coffee all over my cell o kinda got it dry and the screen is a bit messy inside the camera just cleared up everything seems to be workin except the sim card port my sim card does work since i have it on a back up cell but wen i put on my sidekick it wont even give me data nor show that its in the phone wat can i do or is there anything i can do
snoriega said:
hello last night i was at a coffee house i left my sidekick 4g on the table while i went and get my drink my clumsy friend trips and spills coffee all over my cell o kinda got it dry and the screen is a bit messy inside the camera just cleared up everything seems to be workin except the sim card port my sim card does work since i have it on a back up cell but wen i put on my sidekick it wont even give me data nor show that its in the phone wat can i do or is there anything i can do
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is the water damage tab turned pink?
yea it did its not all pink but its pink all right
snoriega said:
yea it did its not all pink but its pink all right
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how new is the phone? maybe with some sweet talk you can get it passed a rep to get it repaired or just wait it out a little while dry it out and try again in 2 or 3 days
got it in May so its new lets hope i just been letting it sit
snoriega said:
got it in May so its new lets hope i just been letting it sit
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well i hope all goes well
thank you
The best thing to do with any water damaged phone is to immedietly pull the battery out and stick it in a bowl of dry rice and cover it leave it for 24 hours the rice will draw out the moisture and hopefully phone will work again but usually its best to do this asap the longer the phone sits with liquid in it the more likely there will be damage
Sent from my SGH-T839 using XDA App
also just for next time (hopefully there is no) never power back on the device after water gets in it because you could fry something!
do what the post above said then you can power on!
As long as the water tab is another color, they're gonna charge you for a new phone. But as others said, the rice method is your best option.
Hope all goes well, I'd hate to see a Sidekick go like that.
I do electronics repair. I mostly work on laptops, but the idea is the same for cell phones. To repair a liquid damaged laptop I fully dismantle it, wash the mainboard with distilled water and a toothbrush, then I wash it again in 99% isopropyl alcohol. After that I place the board somewhere hot to dry. Above a low wattage lightbulb, on top of a heater vent, in a car in the sun, or on the preheater of our IR reflow station have all been used in the past. After it's completely dry I re-assemble the machine.
One of the key things about spill damage is working quickly. A laptop or a cell phone with water in it will often half-work initially. Water is mildly conductive, enough to cause circuits to malfunction. But it's often not conductive enough at the low voltages consumer electronics work at to cause immediate damage. That's why your phone still seems to mostly work in the minutes or hours after a spill.
But what happens if you keep using the device, hoping that it'll get better? Well, water corrodes metals. Aluminum, copper, iron, etc are all used inside our devices, and they'll happily corrode when they get wet. And if you turn the device on, the electricity will cause the corrosion to happen much faster. This build up of corrosion is much more conductive than straight water is. So before you know it, the corrosion will grow so thick on the closely spaced pins of a component that it shorts them together. BOOM! Now it's too late to take it to a professional. It's dead.
So keep that in mind, all of you, if you spill something on your phone, laptop, etc. Pull all power out right away, dry it quickly, and don't give it power again until you're sure it's clean and dry.
BTW, if you're unable to repair the phone, I would be interested in buying the speaker out of it. Mine has a horrible crackle that makes it hard to hear what some people are saying.
Hi devs,
i accidentlly wet my asus m10 on my way to somewhere.then i removed the battery and let the handset dry for long time(around 1 hour in the sun).then i inserted the battery and tried to turn it on. No luck
then i came home opened the phone completely and sucked the water out using vacuum..let the phone stay in a sealed box of rice overnight(to absorb any leftover moisture). in the morning i reassembled the phone and tried to turn it on. it gave 2 dashes of vibrations(normal, when turned ON) but nothing came up on the screen.
then i removed the battery and again tried to turn it on..nothing..not even the vibration..since then i've tried everything from alcohol baths to plugging in the charger but the phone doesn't turn ON..pls help guys.
I'm afraid that It will not come on anymore. I don't know if letting it dry in the sun for about an hour was long enough. The problem is, when you put back your battery to soon, it will most likely cause more damage.
With vacuum do you mean vacuum cleaner? You have to be very careful with vacuum cleaners and electronics because of ESD (ElectroStatic Discharge). This can do serious harm to your product when it contains sensitive components. I've seen some strange behavior because of ESD in the past.
When you try to connect your phone to a computer, is it recognized? What can be, is that your software is corrupt. Maybe you can try to flash you phone. I don't have any experience with flashing phones, but there are a lot of people around here who have.
yes i used a vacuum cleaner..had no idea about the ESD thing
even when the phone is connected to a computer it is not recognized...there's no sign of any device connected to PC.
Putting in the battery after 1 hour in the sun was some what worst case scenario.
It hasn't really dried at all because of the enclosed space and the heat of the sun just evaporated the water into even more little corners.
In water damage cases the best thing you can do it rip out the battery as soon as possible and leave it for some DAYS in a bowl of rice.
The danger from vacuum cleaners is not the magnetic field from the motor but the electrostatic discharge from the moving air.another issue with the vacuum cleaners is the possibility of scratching the motherboard and thus rendering it nonoperative. This is more likely with metal than plastic but still a risk with plastic as well.
ok i got my phone wet what do i do i put it in the rice
I've heard that works, I don't know how long you keep it in there.
Take the battery out and do not try to turn it on or it will like short circuit or something like that.
/my little knowledge.
well i did turn it off and then back on
Put it in rice for a day or so.
will that fix the button issue
Most likely. The button problem is caused by water completing the circuit between the button and the point of contact, so putting your SK in the rice will almost certainly fix your problem (just be sure to be patient and wait a day or two).
worst comes to worst buy on on ebay for 75 bucks
thank you guys u made me feel so much better
well it didnt fix it
you gotta wait a few days man now its probably done-zo
what you mean
you have to let it sit in rice for a couple days, the water will cause corrosion and over time will mess up the circuits, rice will dry it out over the course of a few days then it would be fine but if you pump electric through it you can cause things to permanently be damaged
If you are some what mechanically inclined, you can disassemble your phone so it can completely dry. All you will need is a micro screw driver set (usually find at hardware or tool store) and youtube has a good collection of dis-assembly videos. The proper way to service a water damaged smart phone would be to disassemble and place in an ultrasonic cleaner with alcohol or other chemical to remove water. Might check your local area for a phone repair shop, they usually have all the tools to get your phone repaired correctly so you don't end up with a button that doesn't work or worst problems later on from corrosion. Hope this helps
im confussed
What blk2dr is saying is that over time, the water can cause damage to your phone (if it isn't dried quickly). He recommends that, if you think you are able, you should take your phone apart so that it can dry faster.
If you aren't confident in your ability to take your phone apart and put it back together, I recommend you just slide the screen up, take the battery cover off, remove the battery and SIM card (and microSD if you have one in there), and put it back in the rice.
How long did you keep your SK in the rice the first time?
over night i tired it when i woke up and it still didnt work
Perhaps there is some water left.Maybe it condensed. Try taking it apart and see if there are any drops left.Also don't get tempted to use a hair drier since it cpuld melt some circuits and wire connections.
Sent from my Optimus Me using xda premium
i think the phone is trashed the battery and the phones water thingy is red
listen, of course its red, but you needed to let it sit in the rice longer, its not going to dry out in 12 hours
its going to take days, and by trying it over and over youre just doing more damage
i will try it tomorrow morning
Hi all,
I ditched my phone in water.
I disassembled the whole phone, cleaned everythign with IPA and dried it afterwards. Now I would like to check if the mainboard is still working.
I connected the battery, display and usb port to the mainboard and plugged a charger in -> no response (display black, no vibration, sound etc)
I assume that the batterie is completly dead as it discharged until it turned off.
Is this aready a clear sign for a broken mainboard or does it only boot when fully assembled? Just want to avoid to put more effort into the phone, e.g. replacing the battery etc if its already lost...
Thanks in advance!
Dry for at least 72 hours in a warm dry room with a fan on the mobo. The BGA chipsets can dry slow.
Isopropyl is hygroscopic so it's important to remember it may attract some moisture from the air while drying. Use only >92% or greater, 96% is best. Submerged the board in it for a couple minutes while moving it around.
Battery needs to be charged and good for the phone to boot.
Out of circuit the mobo especially is sensitive to ESD damage. Use your best judgment but more assembled is better than less assembled unless very familiar with the device.
Thanks for the reply! Phone is "drying" for two month now as I was already considering as "lost" after disassembling and no luck with first checks. But before getting the new 6a, I want to give it a last try Was just 7 month old when I dropped it :/
When I plugged the charger in, there was no sign of charging. So not sure if the batterie is broken or if its coming from the board, or both.
A new battery is quite expensive just for a test / to find out more is damaged.
Helikoptermann said:
Thanks for the reply! Phone is "drying" for two month now as I was already considering as "lost" after disassembling and no luck with first checks. But before getting the new 6a, I want to give it a last try Was just 7 month old when I dropped it :/
When I plugged the charger in, there was no sign of charging. So not sure if the batterie is broken or if its coming from the board, or both.
A new battery is quite expensive just for a test / to find out more is damaged.
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If the battery sat near its auto shutdown voltage for 7 months it's DOA.
A charger likely won't supply enough current to boot.
The fact that it does nothing when connected to the charger is a bad sign.
Check for loose connectors, bent connector pins, etc.
Examine the mobo (power section especially) and connector pins closely for corrosion damaged caused by electrolysis.
Since you can't see the BGA pads if there's corrosion there...
Water exposure; power off immediately and pull the battery asap to limit damage. Salt or brine water is a death sentence though.
Anhydrous isopropyl alcohol is an excellent drying agent but it and any solvents can't be used around LCD's; it will irreversibly poison them.
LCD's are vented to atmosphere on the sides...
blackhawk said:
Water exposure; power off immediately and pull the battery asap to limit damage. Salt or brine water is a death sentence though.
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Thats true, happened at work so I could do anything for the whole day and in the evening it was already dead. With some random screen on and offs during the day and "booting into fast mode" or something similar during the day.
Phone was not reacting to switch it off normally, screen was black and buttons did not react either
blackhawk said:
Anhydrous isopropyl alcohol is an excellent drying agent but it and any solvents can't be used around LCD's; it will irreversibly poison them.
LCD's are vented to atmosphere on the sides...
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A thats interesting, I was already thinking that some water went inside the screen. Because I have quite some dark areas on the screen, which increased in size the first days. Looked like water got pulled in. Was hoping that when the phone gets warm again it will disappear...
blackhawk said:
The fact that it does nothing when connected to the charger is a bad sign.
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Yeah, have the same feeling. Very unlucky as it was just rain water in a not perfectly closed rain jacket...
Will check the connectors and cables again but was already quite sure that they are all clean
Helikoptermann said:
Thats true, happened at work so I could do anything for the whole day and in the evening it was already dead. With some random screen on and offs during the day and "booting into fast mode" or something similar during the day.
Phone was not reacting to switch it off normally, screen was black and buttons did not react either
A thats interesting, I was already thinking that some water went inside the screen. Because I have quite some dark areas on the screen, which increased in size the first days. Looked like water got pulled in. Was hoping that when the phone gets warm again it will disappear...
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That sucks. Prompt battery disconnect* can save electronics (flooded cars sometimes too).
LCDs are sort of witchy. The spot may or may not disappear over time. Have an old S4 that got sunbaked while charging. The display had multiple issues, barely usable. Thought it had fried drivers. Strangely the longer it sat unused the better it got. 3 years latter it almost 100%.
*Lol, 3 years ago I dropped my Buds case in a full cup of coffee, cream and sugar of course. It promptly sank to the bottom like a lead weight.
The Li is spot welded in. Immediately tore it apart, flushed with RO water, then with anhydrous isopropyl, allowed to dry for a day.
It's still working normally today. A drank that cup of coffee afterwards too