Cleaning and drying a smartphone that has fallen into water: Eg. the NEXUS 5X

To repair wet electronic boards , like a mobile that has entered him water, as this Nexus 5X that, despite rapid action he took water by charging connector, speakers and hole cards, it is best use pure alcohol or distilled water and an ultrasound machine , in addition to rub with a soft brush on the visible parts (and still no full guarantees, as if you were running shorts could damage a chip).

If you do not want to complicate , and you have 30 or 50 € which typically charge for repairing these problems, better take it to a repair center phones with good professionals, you will leave no trace of water or debris and running (but do not light after the accident), or try the Waterrevive liquid (which works very well if turned off immediately).

But if the water has not reached penetrate into the metal lids of the base plate (where sensitive to interference electronics is hidden), we can obtain very good results without ultrasound machine with brush and distilled water or alcohol (alcohol It has the advantage that evaporates easily later).

Waterrevive : A couple of young Spaniards have developed a liquid that promises that your phone back up and running in 98% of cases, they say. This liquid (possibly alcohol, distilled water or other solvent of mineral salts) introduced displaces water (containing mineral salts) preventing depositing causing short circuiting. Using this system has good result if we turned off / disconnected the battery quickly, before the lime and salt is deposited. If that system will not work, you can try these indications (100% of cases so far) .

Have you purchased Waterrevive and has not worked for you? Try this system. As I said in another entry , if not completely disarm mobile and apply ethanol with a small brush or brush to remove the remains of minerals deposited by the evaporation of water electrolysis or temperature occur, the mobile will failures, crashes and random reboots. A moisture absorbent used only if the water has not reached the circuits.

I will explain how to clean and dry a moving step by step, basically:

• We can find a tutorial on Youtube to disarm our model .
• We will loose the motherboard to clean it well debris with brush and 96º alcohol (ethanol).
• Secaremos parts with a hairdryer an hour or leaving them near a heat source (and stay between 40 and 50 ° C for about 8 hours to ensure that there is no water or alcohol).
• We mount everything again and if no internal damage to the chips, will run again.

Of course, the guarantee, as wet, active humidity sensors that void.

The Nexus 5X released with a scalpel or sharp like (plastic if possible not to scratch the top), and after releasing the cover screws electronics, see the motherboard. This model takes the well attached battery and could be damaged by forcing her to pull away, but not necessary:

First of all, we release the battery connector to continue working:

Disconnect all connecting strips levering with a piece of plastic to separate the motherboard, including the display connector:

Both in this area and the white card limescale appreciated with chips

Affected areas calcareous / depositions minerals causing electrical offsets

You will find whitened areas like these do not go out without applying a brush

 And carefully took it off the plate , the most expensive part of the phone (apart from the screen):

See marker moisture under the active plate, red:

 

A loose once the pieces, the hardest part is rub gently with a moistened with alcohol brush to remove traces of lime and water still present (can appreciate with a magnifying glass), especially in areas where areas look shutouts, which is usually around tantalum capacitors (rectangular pieces brown) and transistors. With next to fix I will engrave a video of it (I never remember to do so).

Then we dry everything well, first with an absorbent cloth , then you can give the dryer or left overnight next to a heater or stove (I put the pieces together with the pellet stove), controlling not to go up to 50 temperature with an infrared sensor or touch:

Remount the phone, and voila! The scare arranged ;).