JD
Well-Known Member
Pop Quiz:
Which of the following answers is the most correct:
You are on the road and realize that someone just knocked an expensive mover into the pool (Not plugged in) What is the best thing to do?
A) Turn it on and test it.
B) Spray more water on it.
C) Chuck it in the dumpster.
The answer is B. To be specific, you need to disassemble it and flush out the sections that got wet with distilled water to wash any residue off the boards. (Very clean tap water beats a sharp stick in the eye, but may also leave problematic residue.) Dry as best as you can. Unless the unit contains a backup battery, electrical damage will not start occurring until power is applied. Dry it out and pack it up for the shop. There it will need to be flushed with PCB cleaner, checked for corrosion, and lubed. Whatever you do, do not power it up!
I once benched an $80,000 Ikegami broadcast camera that had got dunked. It was not powered up and the owner was smart enough not to power it up. With the exception of the zoom lens, I was able service it and return it to them in operational condition. The lens had some staining inside and was sent back to the manufacturer. (Only the body was Ikegami, the lens was an Angenieux.)
On the other side of the coin are consumers and their camcorders, which often get wet. The first thing the owners seem to do is slap on a battery and see if they fire up!
And the famous quote: "It can't be that bad, it worked for a few minutes..."
Which of the following answers is the most correct:
You are on the road and realize that someone just knocked an expensive mover into the pool (Not plugged in) What is the best thing to do?
A) Turn it on and test it.
B) Spray more water on it.
C) Chuck it in the dumpster.
The answer is B. To be specific, you need to disassemble it and flush out the sections that got wet with distilled water to wash any residue off the boards. (Very clean tap water beats a sharp stick in the eye, but may also leave problematic residue.) Dry as best as you can. Unless the unit contains a backup battery, electrical damage will not start occurring until power is applied. Dry it out and pack it up for the shop. There it will need to be flushed with PCB cleaner, checked for corrosion, and lubed. Whatever you do, do not power it up!
I once benched an $80,000 Ikegami broadcast camera that had got dunked. It was not powered up and the owner was smart enough not to power it up. With the exception of the zoom lens, I was able service it and return it to them in operational condition. The lens had some staining inside and was sent back to the manufacturer. (Only the body was Ikegami, the lens was an Angenieux.)
On the other side of the coin are consumers and their camcorders, which often get wet. The first thing the owners seem to do is slap on a battery and see if they fire up!
And the famous quote: "It can't be that bad, it worked for a few minutes..."
I just got rid of 5 of these. I gave them to our operations department, which handles lighting and maintenance of the grounds outside the Bowl. Now they're someone else's headache.