There's some slight water damage on my PDA and it's visible water under screen, Please Help.

[Vasant56]

The thing isn't working when I tried turning it on. I have no idea how the water got there, but there isn't much (looks like 1 or 2 drops squished under the screen). Is there anything I can do? I have an extended warranty, but I know I'll have a hassle if there is water, so I really want to get rid of it. What's the best way to get rid of the water? I haven't opened it up, but I tried a hair drier in the general vicinity. Also, it has dried up a bit, and left a little bit of fog on the inside.

Will I be covered with a warranty, or should I clean the water out and hope for the best?

[socrates63]

DO NOT turn it on until it is completely dry. You risk frying the device if you turn it on while there's moisture inside. Give it a couple of days to dry.

I once dropped an iPaq 3670 in the motel toilet bowl :oops: when I was on a family trip. After shaking out the water, I let it sit in the sun on the car dashboard for a day or two while I was driving, and it powered up and worked fine.

PS: For the curious, I dropped the iPaq in the toilet after I had flushed it.

[Vasant56]

I already tried turning it on :( It worked fine for a bit, but stopped.. I didn't really know what I was doing :(

[Vasant56]

bump

[Stephen Beesley]

Now I am certainly no expert, but I have washed the odd bit of electrical equipment in my time and found that if left to dry out completely it will generally work fine.

The problem here seems to be when you turned it on with while it was still wet. If, as you said, it then stopped working after a little while then it sounds likely (to me anyway) that something inside shorted with the water. It might be worth continuing to let it dry out (if it hasn't already) and trying again, but I suspect you might be out of luck on that front.

Sending it in for a warranty repair with still visable water inside is probably not going to work (depending on your warranty of course) so in that case letting it dry out completely is also probably your best bet.

Of course, what do I know...... and all the other usual disclaimers.....