How to fix a water damaged ipod?

mashlehashmashlehash Regular
edited August 2010 in Tech & Games
Well basically I was at a lake and was fishing so I decided to go out into the water to cast. I completely forgot that my ipod was in my left pants pocket by the time I got out to waist high water.

I went back to shore to check out how badly damaged it was and at first it was Really slow but still semi functional. I could still play music but at random parts of the song the volume would drop and then get higher in other parts.

Now, it's a black screen but you can still see the front screen of the ipod where you can go to artists, games, etc. You can also still hear it click when you push any button on the pad but it doesn't do Shit.

Anyone had experience with a water damaged ipod before? I heard you can put it in the refrigerator to help bring out the moisture but I'm not too sure. Right now it's just sitting on my window seal with the screen facing down. HALP!

Comments

  • DfgDfg Admin
    edited August 2010
    ipodbag.jpg

    This guide concerns how to fix the iPod, handheld computer, or other small electronic device that has fallen in the bath, left out in the rain, gone in the hottub, dipped in the chloroform, gone through the wash, or accidently gone skinny dipping with you.

    ***MOST IMPORTANT THING : DO NOT TURN THE IPOD ON!!!!!!!!!
    Different types of Water Damage

    • left out in the rain, front up - Suprisingly not too bad, fixable
    • left out in the rain, back up - Even better, fixable
    • gone swimming with it - not too bad, possibility of repair
    • in the hot tub - possibility of repair
    • gone through the wash - relatively unlikely to function again
    • chloroform - highly unlikely

    So your iPod has encountered some H2O. Generally, no permadent damage is done! The iPod 's charge will have dissapated, and hopefully the hard drive's seal will be intact. In terms of flash based devices (shuffles) my experiences show that some component is very sensative to water. So, overall, the less water the better, and its possible that we can fix it!

    So whats probably happened is this: the battery shorted out because the water completed a circut. If the screen and/or hard drive was breached there may be some hope.

    What needs to happen is this: all the liquid needs to be gone before the iPod is turned on. Should any current be exposed then some irrepairable damage may occur.

    So to dry it out you can do several things:
    Best idea :
    leave the ipod face down on the dashboard of a car in the sunlight during the summer. Lot of specifics, but that will create enough heat to dry it, hopefully not get it stolen, and not damage any of the components. Make sure the device has the screen facing downwards, as bright light may damage it, water present or not.

    Other methods:
    Use shop lights to heat up the device, face down once again. Don't leave the lights on for more than 5 minutes at a time, so that the device does not overheat and damage a component. Depending on the power of the light, this time may vary. If the thing is too hot to touch, its too hot!

    Use a warming light (some ovens have them). Same idea, face down, not too long at a time.

    Methods not to use:
    DONT put it in the oven. Bad idea, easy to mess up, *tug on shirt collar*
    How to know when its dry

    It takes longer than you think.
    Moral of the story:
    Better safe than sorry

    Its going to take upwards of 12 hrs. Its very difficult to tell when the thing is actually dry, and its painstakingly slow. Think about how little vapour can pass through the miniscule spaces in the casing, and how tightly packed everything is in there. So be patient, and make sure that you can't hear any water if u shake it. You could even weight it and compare it to Apple's spec sheets.

    Ear Phones
    In terms of the telltale white buds, clicking and other defects are very common after water damage. The drying idea is the same, but almost always there are serious aliments. So best idea: ask Apple for a new pair or purchase some, the honest way.

    Summary
    So overall, you can never be to careful. It's a pretty important thing, so don't rush and screw up something that's repairable. I myself have managed to repair a Zire 72 after being thrown into a pool with it, a 2nd gen iPod Mini left out in the rain face up, but not a shuffle that went through the wash. Share your experiences and what worked for you!

    Good luck!
    Source: http://www.ipodwizard.net/showthread.php?t=5747
  • AmieAmie Regular
    edited August 2010
    Rice.

    Turn it off, get the battery out and cover it in rice. I'm not kidding, the rice sucks the moisture out. Put a quarter inch of rice in a bowl, put the ipod on it and completely cover it in more rice and leave it like that a couple days.
  • mashlehashmashlehash Regular
    edited August 2010
    Amie wrote: »
    Rice.

    Turn it off, get the battery out and cover it in rice. I'm not kidding, the rice sucks the moisture out. Put a quarter inch of rice in a bowl, put the ipod on it and completely cover it in more rice and leave it like that a couple days.

    Yeah I got that answer from MJ on zoklet. I was going to do that and probabl still will but I got pissed off at taking it apart because the screws are SO TINY.
  • The GeneralThe General Regular
    edited August 2010
    let it sit for 2 days and it will be fine most likely. I dropped a gameboy in the toliet when I was 4 and did that and it worked fine after. As long as you don't turn it on it will be fine.
  • LSA KingLSA King Regular
    edited August 2010
    let it sit for 2 days and it will be fine most likely. I dropped a gameboy in the toliet when I was 4 and did that and it worked fine after. As long as you don't turn it on it will be fine.



    Electronics are weird in that way. I know someone who went swimming with their phone (woman :facepalm:) and after a couple of days of it not working or working half-assed, it just started working like normal again.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited August 2010
    THIS.

    Nearly every wet device, (except cameras/optics) can be fixed via jerky dehydrators.
  • Hammer TankHammer Tank Regular
    edited August 2010
    those dehydrators are bad ass. i used to make some delicious banana chips
  • mashlehashmashlehash Regular
    edited August 2010
    7 replies of no troll comments. Feels good.
  • The GeneralThe General Regular
    edited August 2010
    put tha ipod in the freezer


    llololololololol


    trollolololol
  • Panic!Panic! Regular
    edited August 2010
    inb4 hair dryer
  • mashlehashmashlehash Regular
    edited August 2010
    put tha ipod in the freezer


    llololololololol


    trollolololol

    I've actually heard of doing that.
  • TheGreenDoctorTheGreenDoctor Regular
    edited August 2010
    mashlehash wrote: »
    I've actually heard of doing that.

    I've heard of (and used successfully) putting a dead hard drive in the the freezer overnight as a way to coax out a little more life from it.

    I don't see how it would fix an iPod that was soaked in water as it gets into everything, and it expands when frozen which I would think could cause further damage to the internal components.
  • DaktologistDaktologist Global Moderator
    edited August 2010
    i would try electrical contact cleaner, i know people who have used it on water damaged electronics and it seams to work plus it evaporates and doesnt leave any residue on anything
  • edited August 2010
    Bowl of rice works, every time. I dropped my camera down the toilet the other week in a drunken pissing incident.

    Removed the battery, threw it in some rice and left it on the radiator next to a window with sunlight coming through. Worked fine in the morning!

    Same with phones - worked every time.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited August 2010
    trx100 wrote: »
    I dropped my camera down the toilet the other week in a drunken pissing incident.

    :thumbsup:
  • GreenbullGreenbull Regular
    edited August 2010
    The most important tip out of all of this is do not turn it on and remove the battery as quickly as you can.

    Here's another thing to try: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=574590
  • bornkillerbornkiller Administrator In your girlfriends snatch
    edited August 2010
    I've heard of (and used successfully) putting a dead hard drive in the the freezer overnight as a way to coax out a little more life from it.

    I don't see how it would fix an iPod that was soaked in water as it gets into everything, and it expands when frozen which I would think could cause further damage to the internal components.

    Works on security coded car stereos, place it in the freezer and it knocks out the security code.
    It fucks the display though:(, but kills the code:D.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited August 2010
    Freezer doesn't do anything. It's simply the capacitors discharging. You could leave it anywhere.
  • edited August 2010
    I just removed my phone from a bowl of rice - the keyboard is fucked from the first time I tried turning it on!

    SERIOUSLY, DON'T TRY TURNING IT ON! FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE HERE!
Sign In or Register to comment.