PDA took a dunk in water

[StatCoder.com]

My NX70V took a 2 second dunk in my dog's water bowl this a.m. When immediately turned back on, the backlight was flickering and the digitizer was not functioning. Most of the buttons were dead. After putting it on my window defroster on the way to work, most of it is back after a couple of hours. However, I believe that only one out of four backlights are working and there is a water stain mark that is visible in the screen. Any advice?

[gnlew]

In my past, I have successfully dried out cell phones, cameras, watches. The durability of the item is suspect however when the circuit boards have endured water. After time you may get the backlight back but it will never be the same. The waterstain may never go away.

[khyasad]

I'm really sorry to say StatCoder that Sony will *NOT* help you at all. Two years ago, I went mountaineering with my Sony DSC-P1 camera ... We all came by a stream when I unfortunately slipped on the bank as I as was getting a sip of water ... Needless to say, I was immersed for the briefest of moments, but so was my DSC-P1 camera ... Can't remember how much water got in, but when I sent it back to Sony to get it looked at, they positively refused to repair it as it clearly states in their warranty that such damage will not be covered.

Really sorry to give the bad news ... Not that anyone has produced a water-proof-tablet friendly case for the NX70 yet (by that I mean a waterproof case with a clearplastic viewfinder for the Clie), but after that incident, I bought another DSC-P1 (had to really) and also invested in a waterproof case for it (the marine pack case for it) and have never looked back ... It's been in water whilst snorkelling, up with me on the mountains and the camera is fine ...

But again, sorry to give you the bad news :<

[Lycanfire]

khyasad,
Be careful of the "Greenhouse" effect. Could cause just as much damage...

[nike33]

Sorry to hear that!

I agree, Sony would not repair it for a reasonable amount.

Who did you buy it from, did you buy any of the extended warranty plans?

Otherwise unload it on eBay, you would be surprised how much you can get for it!

[rhart00]

I hate when stuff like that happens. I don't think there is much else you can do other that what you tried. It might have been preventable if you hadn't turned it back on when the internals were still wet. something probably got fried and thats why the backlights don't work.

[Unregistered]

I use to work in a electronics calibration and repair center.

The bad news is once you turned on the Clie you did the damage.

The thing I wanted to add is this. If you drop electronics into water don't turn it on. Remove the battery if possible and let it dry out completely. During repair of some instruments we actually took them to the sink and washed them off with a hose. Then we placed them in an industrial oven set at 90 degrees and let them sit in there for 24 hours/48 if they had a transformer. The units could then be powered up with no harm done.

[mdicembre]

I did the same thing several months back, unfortunately, with my NR70V. I shipped the unit back to SONY and was advised that the repair cost (Water damage not covered by warranty) would be $513.00. I decided the money would be better spent on an NX70. I still have the NR70V, but it has never worked again.

[Selachii]

Originally posted by Unregistered
I use to work in a electronics calibration and repair center.

The bad news is once you turned on the Clie you did the damage.

The thing I wanted to add is this. If you drop electronics into water don't turn it on. Remove the battery if possible and let it dry out completely.

^^I was just about to type this

[StatCoder.com]

Yeah, I'm sure I shoudn't have turned it on. It seems that the digitizer is the problem, now, along with the backlight. Towards one side, it seems to be registering about 5mm off point. Perhaps that means that there is still some moisture there that might dry up after a day or two.

I'm not going to try to return it since it's my fault and I'm sure they have ways to determine whether or not there has been water damage, the large stain in the screen not withstanding!

[ayasin]

I suggest that when you purchase a Clie (especially an expensive one like the NX or NZ) you purchase the _CompUSA_ warranty. It covers accidental damage such as broken screens and dips in lakes. It's 100 dollars but, better than having to buy a new one. While this won't help your current situation, it may save you in the future if you decide to replace your NX.

PS You don't have to buy the Clie from CompUSA to purchase their warranty.

[mashoutposse]

PLEASE don't tell me that was a Gunmetal CLIE! :( :( :(

So sorry to hear this, BTW.

[GANZ]

Originally posted by Unregistered
I use to work in a electronics calibration and repair center.

The bad news is once you turned on the Clie you did the damage.

The thing I wanted to add is this. If you drop electronics into water don't turn it on. Remove the battery if possible and let it dry out completely. During repair of some instruments we actually took them to the sink and washed them off with a hose. Then we placed them in an industrial oven set at 90 degrees and let them sit in there for 24 hours/48 if they had a transformer. The units could then be powered up with no harm done.

yea, turning it on kills it. I remember one 4th of July, I had a few too many beers and I went swimming in my friends pool for about 45 minutes the whole time not realizing I had my cell on my belt. After I came to my senses I let it dry out without turning it on for about 2 days and it turned right back on with never another problem....sorrry :(

[mape245]

Gosh, I ruined my NR70V when I was looking at some pictures I took at the health club in order to give myself some self pleasure. The screen was squirted at full force and Sony wouldn't fix it. I guess I learned a lesson...but one that costed me a lot of money.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by Unregistered
I use to work in a electronics calibration and repair center.

The bad news is once you turned on the Clie you did the damage.

The thing I wanted to add is this. If you drop electronics into water don't turn it on. Remove the battery if possible and let it dry out completely. During repair of some instruments we actually took them to the sink and washed them off with a hose. Then we placed them in an industrial oven set at 90 degrees and let them sit in there for 24 hours/48 if they had a transformer. The units could then be powered up with no harm done.

I agree that turning on the unit was a big mistake and it's now a FUBAR!

The battery should also have been removed ASAP! Left to sit too long, electrolysis can set in and it can eat away inside on the circuit boards..

[jimdoc01]

The thing I wanted to add is this. If you drop electronics into water don't turn it on. Remove the battery if possible and let it dry out completely. During repair of some instruments we actually took them to the sink and washed them off with a hose. Then we placed them in an industrial oven set at 90 degrees and let them sit in there for 24 hours/48 if they had a transformer. The units could then be powered up with no harm done.
Decades ago one approved method of cleaning Tectronix oscilloscopes was to remove the external case and the cathode ray tube, and put the rest of it in the dishwasher....

[rob_squared]

Originally posted by mdicembre
I did the same thing several months back, unfortunately, with my NR70V. I shipped the unit back to SONY and was advised that the repair cost (Water damage not covered by warranty) would be $513.00. I decided the money would be better spent on an NX70. I still have the NR70V, but it has never worked again.

Would you consider selling it? Please please please?

[rob_squared]

Originally posted by mape245
Gosh, I ruined my NR70V when I was looking at some pictures I took at the health club in order to give myself some self pleasure. The screen was squirted at full force and Sony wouldn't fix it. I guess I learned a lesson...but one that costed me a lot of money.

You're an interesting kind of troll. Kind of subdued because you really have to pay attention to what you said in order to understand what you just said.

I'm really suprised nobody else caught on to what you said above.

And if you're not a troll, you're a freak.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by rob_squared


You're an interesting kind of troll. Kind of subdued because you really have to pay attention to what you said in order to understand what you just said.

I'm really suprised nobody else caught on to what you said above.

And if you're not a troll, you're a freak.

Your right, I glossed over it and didn't pay to much attention. There was another post that was offensive to some of the Cliesource ladies, but most passed it off as a joke, but now I know different.

Here's the thread:

http://www.cliesource.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&amp;threadid=5813

[Importluva]

I had this type of prob wit my cellie...it was in my pocket of my windbreaker and it started to poor and I had to run home (a 5-10 min run). When I got back to the dorms, it was dead. I let it sit for like a day and it finally came back to life :D

[birick]

You know, I really appreciate the ignore list...very handy function.

[Unregistered]

Maybe people caught on but chose to not reinforce his behavior by calling attention to it.

[Zhazbot]

A good way to dry these electro gizmos off quickly is to put it under a 60 watt light bulb, don't put the bulb on it. This supplies a nice gentle heat to dry it out after a few hours. Oh, and again don't turn it on until dry.:D

[nevarDeath]

Originally posted by Selachii


^^I was just about to type this
ditto

[nike33]

Seriously, sell it on eBay, use that money and get o new one. Even better pick a good vendor on eBay and buy one from them.

I had seen a NX with a broken screen go for 175.00 on eBay. I also see used or refurbs for about 300.00 to 400.00

Good Luck

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by nike33
Seriously, sell it on eBay, use that money and get o new one. Even better pick a good vendor on eBay and buy one from them.

I had seen a NX with a broken screen go for 175.00 on eBay. I also see used or refurbs for about 300.00 to 400.00

Good Luck

If you sell it, inform the buyer that it has been water damaged. It's not right to use eBay as a dumping ground. One reason that I steer clear of eBay.

[StatCoder.com]

Thanks for the input, everyone. A day later, and nothing much has changed with the display. I'm also getting some intermittent wacky behavior such as: the screen won't flip when rotated; the power button turns on but not off. This unit is barely functional.

I've decided that while I had fun with the camera, it was really just fun at home. I never did much with motion except play around with it. I'm also not using the keyboard, practically, at all especially since I can't see the purple characters (gunmetal) in anything but great lighting. Finally, I have been leaving my NX at home at times because of the bulk. So, I ordered a Tungsten T which is available online, now for about $310. If my PDA is going to be falling out of my pocket on a regular basis, I'd better keep them smaller and lighter.

[Glacialeye]

Well.. I think that the problems with the buttons are fixable (if you do a very good cleaning work). Of course you have to open it (www.pstec.de/ppp for further infos) but I think it's worth it. Then you ought to try Digifix (look for it at palmgear) or a similar utility to bring your digitizer usable again.
If you can do all this, the only thing left to fix is the backlight. But I prefer an NX without backlight at all then a TT :)

[nike33]

Larry

I would never suggest to sell on eBay without first describing the condition. I am and old time eBayer and sell quite a bit. The stuff is somtimes non-working and people still bid high prices on the stuff.

If you note, the one that sold had a broken screen, clearly described and pictured. Still people bid it up to 175.00

Some people can fix this stuff and get their items from eBay.

ALWAYS tell the truth on eBay, if you want to survive on there!

[rob_squared]

mdicembre, I'm still interested in a battery cover... or anyone who can supply one to me.

[StatCoder.com]

Well, by some miracle, my backlight seems to be fully functional now and the water stain that I had either has disappeared or is not detectable in the screen. The unit froze and did a hard reset instead of a soft one when I put the pin in.

About the only sign of water damage that I can find is that the power button only turns the backlight on and off. I don't seem to have a way of powering off the unit.

[nike33]

I do not know if it will work, but LauncherX has an Icon to power off. Install LauncherX and try the power off through the Icon "off" that might do it!

Perhaps other of the popular launchers might have an off button icon also.

Good Luck

[MarieC]

Perhaps other of the popular launchers might have an off button icon also.
Yeah, MegaLauncher and Z Launcher both have that feature, too.

[TheUltimate]

Well its good to hear its starting to become somewhat normal!!

[Unregistered]

U don't need any launcher to do it.
Apps->App menu->power off.

(if U don't have this option in the menu, config it in prefs-> Jog -> select Addintional Menu

[Sonnybobiche]

I find it amazing how little machines like these tend to heal themselves somehow. For instance, my aunt dropped her cell phone once. It wouldn't turn on, so she handed it to me and told me to fix it. I slapped it, and it miraculously starts working again. Same thing with TV's and whatnot. It's kind of cool, since most of these things are solid-state and therefore have no internal moving parts that could be affected by a good smacking.

[n1nsei]

I have similar problem. Some water (actually just couple of drops) fell on lower right part of the screen of my NX70. Lower half of digitizer was not responding. After 2 hours digitizer started to work properly. Right now upper right backlights are considerably darker. At first I thought that lights were damaged due to short circuit, but than I noticed that sometimes backlight seems to be even - just like before accident, but only for couple of minutes. My CLIE is in that state for 2 weeks. I managed to disassemble screen, but there were no signs of water, or damages made by water. I have no idea what to do next.
Sending to Sony is not the option - I live in Europe, but CLIE is from USA (bought on Amazon), of course I'm one of those attracted by 20% lower prices of palms in USA...
I guess I'll wait, and then maybe will try to disassemble LCD component, which is closed in metal enclosure, probably to protect very delicate circuits... I have no idea how water could get there, but it's last chance to heal the screen.

[ragermac]

Hey man, I feel for you. It happened to me.
My Palm got drenched in a thunderstorm and it stopped working properly.
So I just made sure it is a dry as can be and I took it back to BB and got a new one.

Sony will charge you through the roof to fix so you are better off taking it back (if you have a service plan) or buy a new one.

[skorpiankh]

Hey, I only dunk mine in water when I want a new one from Best Buy:)

[jdonalds]

Most water damage in the first few hours is temporary. Water shorts out the electronics. When it dries the shorts go away. However leaving the water in contact with the unit for a long time can cause permanent problems. It is important to dry the unit. Drying without taking it apart will only be partially successful. At the least disassemble until you can get fresh air to most of the pc boards and display. Then use on of the suggestions above to dry it. Don't use anything too hot (like a hair dryer) but blowing WARM air will speed the process.

With the small voltage in handhelds it is not likely turning it on did any damage when it was wet.

I've been in electronics for 36 years and have dealt with water damage several times. I too had a cell phone dropped in our pool when I bent over and it fell out of my shirt pocket. That was two years ago and I'm still using the same phone with no problems. I took it apart and dried it out within an hour.

I encourage you to take the NX70 apart as much as you feel comfortable. It is likely dry now but there could still be some moisture that can do continuing damage. Dry it and if you can find a soft brush, like a model car paint brush, lightly brush away any residue.

Good luck,
John