As the title says, a USB thumb drive of mine went through the washer. I am afraid of just plugging it in.
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Well, I've done it, but if you're afraid, crack it open and dry it out if it's holding water. Plug it into something it can't hurt like a car cigarette lighter phone charger to power it? Just an idea, might be bad advice...
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Making sure it's dry is key otherwise it'll short.
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Just make sure there is no residual moisture before plugging it in to anything.
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open up the case and put the board in a bag of dry rice for 24-48h.
don't power it up until it's completely dry.
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Looks to be fine after popping it open. It has sat now for at least 24 hours. I can fire up the air compressor first, just to be sure. I can also find a computer I don't care about.. somewhere. Baha.
24 hours is not a lot of time unless you cracked it open
Put it in a bag with some desiccant to dry it out
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I thought rice was a myth. Not that it doesn't do the job, just that it doesn't have to be rice.
Happened to a friend and happened to me once.
Friend opened it up and just waited 24 hours - it worked.
I wrapped the board in toilet paper, and after a couple of hours used a hair dryer (from a healthy distance) for 5 minutes - and it worked.
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There are much more effective desiccants than rice, but it'll work especially if you fill up the space with rice
The problem is the strong desiccants will liquefy if they get too wet, like one of the most common ones DampRid. Or at least become slimy
That's why rice is so appealing, takes a lot of moisture to change the composition of the grains or make them slimy
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If you live in a humid area it can take much, much longer without a dessicant. Rice also has the advantage of wicking moisture out of areas that aren't exposed to the air directly.
Rice is cheap and nearly everyone has it, so it's more of a safe recommendation than a myth
Sure, if you live in new mexico and don't have any rice, you'll be fine, and sodium silicate would work better, but rice does help in most cases.
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This must be why it got popular in home use with this scenario. Makes sense.
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Back in High school I had a 3rd generation Ipod Nano. It actually went to the through the washer 4 different times because i kept on forgetting to take it out from my uniform but it still works up to this day. I usually just leave it inside our rice container for a couple of days. So your thumb drive should be fine if you place it under some rice for like a week.
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Isopropel Alcholhol works much better as it will displace the water and evaporate much quicker.
How rice actually saves your phone is because it will attract Asians that will just repair the phone at night
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Not a bad option either, but the average household is more likely to have one than the other.
in general rice > aggressive solvents.
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I guess for something that small you could, problem with isopropyl is that it will corrode some adhesives
I've got a corsair drive that's been washed no less than 10 times. It's fine, still works 100%.
Just put it through the dryer with some clothes
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The only reason rice myth persists is because it forces you to leave it alone to dry for a couple days. I've seen documented tests backed by real facts about rice... rice doesn't absorb moisture from the air at room temperature. This is why rice can be stored unsealed at room temperature almost indefinitely...
It's like people think vitamin C helps colds because they take vitamin C and cold goes away... guess what, cold also goes away without vitamin C. Every propperly done scientific test on the effect vitamin C has on immune system concludes that it has no effect. In the same way, rice does't do anything to dry out electronics.
You can use the silica packets that come in packaging... shoes, electronics, anything with leather, etc. Oatmeal also works a little but nothing like the packets.
Alcohol is not a good idea because it can dissolve things that you prolly don't want dissolved...
Let it dry out for a few days and it'll be just fine.
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I feel wendell should do some tests on different ways to dry electronics.
Louis Rossman use's isopropyl for board repairs on macbooks all the time, its no danger to the drive. Its quite useful for cleaning the drive and getting rid of any debris on the drive pcb that you wouldn't want there.
I do completely agree with you on the rice though, its a wives tale. It doesn't dry the phone, it just keeps the un-patient from trying to turn a device on before it completely dried and ready. Even still you need to remove the minerals that can be left by the water when it evaporates, which is why the isopropyl is needed. The water itself isn't the danger, its the minerals that are dissolved in the water that made it conductive, and the minerals left behind after the water evaporates that can damage the device.
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