Mobile Phone+sea Water = ###?

[joinme2leave]

bad luck ... slippery wooden stairs to my bungalow Nangyuan .... ooops and it happened: my mobile got it's first (and probably last) physical contact with sea water.

Any similar experiences out there?

Mobile shop on KoTao told me there is a 50:50 chance to have it repaired but have to go Bkk.

Any experience of approximate repair costs?

thx (with tears in my eyes .....)

[spog]

Time to buy a new one, I'm afraid. Salt water is possibly the worst thing you can dunk it in.

You can have a try yourself: open up all the casings, remove the battery, sim card anything that comes off.

Leave it in a warm place and see if dries out after a few days. You *might* get lucky.

If you can get the right tools, try and open it up so you can swab the circuit boards in alcohol.

If you try and get it fixed (I guess they will just open it up, and clean it) - you must do it immediately as corrosion will start in a matter of hours after dunking.

Bad luck.

[Khutan]

I have revived the odd phone, the main thing is to get the battery out ASAP.

If it has been in Salt water, after everything is out (Memory Chip, Sim, Battery) re-wash it in distilled water. Then put it in front of a fan or source of flowing air.

Next thing you need is good luck.

The longer the water and battery is in the worse.

[joinme2leave]

thx for replies so far. removed battery within 1 minute but did not have proper screwdriver-device to open the mobile phone immediately after the incindent (or should I say accident?). Point is, I "might" find a solution to have partly $ of the retail value back from my (home country) insurance co for a destroyed phone BUT my data is still on it as well...and that is what I am mostly concerned about. Again my question about how much thai repair shops might charge at least (if possible) to regain the data?

[jayenram]

Again my question about how much thai repair shops might charge at least (if possible)  to regain the data?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Some time ago I inadvertently dropped my handphone in a pond (no fault of elsie's). Admittedly, it was fresh (but dirty) water but I took it apart immediately and was down to the phone shop the following day. Cost to sort it = Bht 600.00. It's still as good as new.

[spog]

thx for replies so far. removed battery within 1 minute but did not have proper screwdriver-device to open the mobile phone immediately after the incindent (or should I say accident?). Point is, I "might" find a solution to have partly $ of the retail value back from my (home country) insurance co for a destroyed phone BUT my data is still on it as well...and that is what I am mostly concerned about. Again my question about how much thai repair shops might charge at least (if possible)  to regain the data?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The phone is dead, right? Once it is dry, try the battery and see if it comes to life.

If the data is on your SIM card (ie telephone numbers), then it is a simple case of swapping the SIM card into a new phone (better remove it now).

If it calendar stuff or photos, the way to do it is to connect a datacable and sync it with a PC. If the phone appears dead (no screen), enough of it may be working that you can suck the data off via a PC. (This will only work if the brain of the phone is working)

Which phone is it? I wouldn't pay more than a couple of hundred Baht for someone to retreive the data and save to a floppy disk (if possible).

If you are going to try and do something, do it immediately. Corrosion will be setting in now and you can almost watch it form before your eyes. Seriously, we are talking hours.

If you can claim on your insurance, do so. Even if they manage to resurrect your phone, I don't think it will last very long.

[joinme2leave]

it's a 7650. main data is stored on phone (sim card full already) as well as a couple of pics and calendar data. last time i tried to fix the problem myself (admit, that was already 1 week ago) parts of the phone still appeared to be workin' but the screen definitely doesn't (and one could see the water stains). Thx for price advice - will check it out asap.

[LivinLOS]

I have had a few phone + water incidents.. As others say the trick is batter off ASAP.. If it has not juice flowing the phone usually survives..

After that the phone can often be repaired from fresh water damage by reflashing.. Sometimes you loose the memory but a good shop will be able to reflash the ROM and not RAM.. I was amazed at this but my last repair came back with all numbers and calenders intact.

Salt water being more corrosive is much more likely to wreck the insides.. the good repair shop told me they can usually save a water damaged phone with freshwater or poolwater but rarely revive a saltwater damaged one.