|
So we had a question come to us from Texas, "Wow, how did that happen?" This came after we showed him a photo of his iPhone 6 that had an unfortunate meeting with some... wait for it... WATER! It was reported that the phone had been cleaned. Indeed, exam under a microscope showed that it was very clean. A volt meter showed the battery (it's not known if this is the original battery or not) at 3.8 volts. Not fully, fully charged, but not - not holding a charge either. The shields were desoldered. It didn't take a microscope to see a problem, though it sure makes it easier. The photo we sent him is below.  The answer we gave to his, "How did that happen?" question was simply,
"water + electrolytes + electricity + metal = colorful garden". For those who don't care to dig any deeper, or know anymore, that's all you need to know. This is also the reason rice cannot help you, nor any other desiccant. This is also why companies like TekDry and DryBox cannot guarantee your wet phone will function when they're done with it. We can't even guarantee that. What we can guarantee is that our methods offer the greatest chance of success and a successful restoration means your 10,000 unsynced photos and videos are saved. According to an article on cio.com TekDry reports a 75% success rate if less than 2 days have passed since the phone hit the water and they want $100 to do it. While TekDry does say they will refund $80 if they can't restore your phone, are your photos and videos worth the risk? In the case of wet phones, time is not your friend. Most of the wet devices we've worked on have been out of the water for days, weeks, and sometimes months. TekDry and DryBox can't dry a phone that's already dry. The only way to truly save a wet phone is to strip it down to its basic parts and actually clean it. There is no substitute for doing what your momma taught you to do when she said, "clean your room". TekDry and DryBox's methods are analogous to a child cleaning their room by opening the closet door, shoving everything in, then slamming it shut before anything falls out. Putting your wet phone in rice or silica gel (or any desiccant) is akin to shoving all your dirty clothes and toys under the bed and then yelling down the hall to your mom that you cleaned your room. Are your vacation videos, baby photos, and all of your unsynced songs and apps worth repeating the path of least resistance and continuing to take short cuts? Hey, it's your data, your memories, your phone, your decision. Who am I to judge? :) I just remembered I was going to update the blog on that DIY-gone-wrong Kindle repair (shown below). Whoever worked on it before appears to have taken sandpaper or a file to it, in addition to trying to glue the new port on with epoxy!  Surprisingly, it wasn't a total loss! The board cleaned up okay (see photo below), and the new port sat relatively level on the board. The port pins soldered nicely, as did the anchoring pins.  Plugged it in, boom! It powers on AND charges.  On a recent trip to San Francisco, I ended up driving through an area of Nevada known as Deeth Starr Valley. Photo of sign below.  With many miles of boring highway 80 ahead, I decided to add a little something to the background.  Not content with leaving well enough alone, I changed the sign. :)  Photo editing was done on an iPhone using You Doodle, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/you-doodle-draw-on-photos/id517871755?mt=8
This phone has never been wet, but it has been dropped, many times. Most recently, the owner of the phone was riding her road bike, obeying the rules of the road when she was rear ended by someone in a car and suffered a concussion. Surprisingly, in all of this phone's mishaps, the screen has never cracked! However, the pink aluminum frame was damaged and needed to be replaced. Upon testing the phone, it was found to not be charging no matter which way the lightning cord was inserted. Inspection of the logic board under the microscope revealed two ultra-tiny SMD (surface mount device) components were missing. Circled in blue and magnified below.
After plugging the dock connector, screen, and battery back onto the logic board, it was tested once more. It indicated it was charging! Flipped the lightning cord over, and it indicated it was charging again! Successful transplant of two components barely visible to the naked eye, and the phone lives to survive another fall. :)
The area magnified in the photos above is outlined by the red box below to give you an idea of how small of an area I was working in. If you, or someone you know is interested in having their iPhone frame swapped from silver or space gray to something colorful, send us an email to h2o@riceisfordinner.com for a quote. Include the phone model and desired color in the message! 
This is an actual text message sent to a colleague of mine.  |
Purpose#1 Blogging to inform the masses of the silliness that is: "put your wet phone in rice". Rice cannot save your phone; follow the blog to find out why. If you feel like rice saved your phone, you got lucky. Nothing more. Nothing less.
#2 To offer high quality repair services, phone, and of course, rice accessories at a great price. Be sure to visit the store. New products and services are continually being added, so check back often. Archives
August 2016
Categories |
RSS Feed