Everyday Tech Myths: Danger Edition

[Guest]

In this installment: Can you recover a drowned phone? Can your phone blow up a gas station? Can prying eyes take control of your webcam?

Everyday Tech Myths: Danger Edition : Read more

 

[hellwig]

Interesting. I hope no one is comfortable in the fact that Apple blames the kernel and not their OS. They still use the kernel, they should be concerned with any security issues it has. But since the guy apparently required direct access to the machine, I guess it really is a don't care, this time.

 

[akoegle]

There is no need to bake the phone. I've submerged my phone in a river, in a bucket of paint, and spilled water on it. The key is getting the power off asap and taking the battery out, do the experiment again but just allow the phone to dry on the counter for 3 or 4 days. I bet you'll run just fine, and without the screen issues.

 

[spellbinder2050]

This Joe guy a real person? Maybe he shouldn't own a cell phone. lol

 

[Guest]

This was so funny!!! I love the way you write; you always make me laugh out loud. The crazy thing is that it is computer/technical stuff that I am laughing about! Who would have thought.

 

[michaelahess]

Don't bake a phone, bake a cake. Air dry for a few days and get that battery out ASAP. That's all it takes, had it happen to myself far more than I'd like to admit.

Cell phone explosion, even a defective spark throwing phone would be VERY hard pressed to ignite gas. Watch Myth Busters.

Any decent webcam, not Apple obviously, has a hard wired light that comes on when the camera comes on. It can't be controlled separately. Don't buy Macs!

 

[Sharft6]

oh man i love these articles so funny

 

[kyeana]

They actually test the cell phone starting fires one on mythbusters

 

[themanstan]

Sort of similar experience, except rushing into the sea... Salt water is far more destructive than plain old water or pool water.
Battery out and rinsed in a handy bottle of mineral water to get rid of the salts from the sea and left in the baking Cypriot sun for a few hours. Back in the UK (i'm a scientist at Oxford Uni) I washed it with copious quantities of deionised water (same stuff as for car batteries). To remove the water from the phone, I used 100% methanol. 3 baths of methanol effectively removes all the water from the phone. Then to remove the methanol place in a 40'C oven overnight. This far more gentle than the 180'F bake. Put new battery in and everything worked fine, no distortion to the phones screen at all.

 

[mactruck]

My GF dumped a bottle of water into her purse submerging a Razr, iPod mini, and Nintendo DS. Total mess, water between the LCD screen layers, pouring out of the iPod headphone jack, etc... I found out a few hours later, took out the batteries, and stuffed everything into a sealed container with some desiccant gel. I baked the gel 2 days later and repeated (5 days of drying total), but never put the electronics in the oven. All three devices fired up after a full charge and almost two years later everything still works great.

 

[Tomsguiderachel]

[citation][nom]kyeana[/nom]They actually test the cell phone starting fires one on mythbusters[/citation]
Yes, we love MythBusters. However, we don't have their effects budget. On the plus side, you don't get to heckle Jamie and Adam like you get to heckle William and I here on the forums

 

[williamvw]

Hey, all. OK, I was joking about the psychology study thing, but a friend of mine read the Myths column last night and wrote to tell me: "BTW, the thing that happens in your brain is called the MFN or mesial frontal negativity. I can show you with my equipment sometime. A neuroscientist I work with calls it the 'Oh, $%^*!!!' response." I told him Mesial Complexes are very common in my family. Long story.

 

[Evolution2001]

With regards to cell phones or any other devices that do not generate any type of "ignition source", the term is "Intrinsically Safe". It means that even though the device has some type of electrical current in it, there is at no point any time where there can be any type of discharge that can be used as an ignition source. I work in a chemical facility where there are hundreds of different compounds/gases that have different levels of flammability and we are only allowed to have certain electronic devices that are rated as "intrinsically safe". Most, if not all newer electronic devices are intrinsically safe. However, for example, many older household appliances are not, especially those that use mercury switches. These are sometimes noted as ignition sources in old houses that blow up due to a gas leak.
With direct regards to the test of gas fumes and an ignition source, (having not seen that MythBusters episode) I reckon the best place for ignition would be directly below the gas nozzle as gasoline vapors are heavier than air and will drop or roll over the edge of the filler nozzle towards the ground.

 

[gm0n3y]

I hate that little red dot. My last phone had the dot go red after talking on it in rain for 10 minutes. I'm of the opinion that a cell phone should be able to stand up to a little rain.

 

[Guest]

There is another way to resurrect a submerged phone. I have done it with dozens of phones and only one didn't work (it was dropped in the ocean and I believe the salt was the problem). All u have to do is take out the battery, sim and any other removable parts and stick the phone in a vacuum chamber for about 20-30 min. If that doesn't work then u may need to partially dismantle it and stick it back in the chamber for another 20-30 min. Trust me it works.

 

[kyeana]

[citation][nom]Tomsguiderachel[/nom]Yes, we love MythBusters. However, we don't have their effects budget. On the plus side, you don't get to heckle Jamie and Adam like you get to heckle William and I here on the forums[/citation]

You know, you are right. That just makes all the difference

 

[nemo888]

I just left mine on the dashboard for a few days after completely submerging it. Worked fine.

 

[Guest]

I'm afraid you're approaching drying out electronics rather incompletely. I work with underwater cameras (std & digital) quite a bit and it seems no matter what design type it is (housing-type or manufactured-clam), they will eventually flood, leak, weep, or whatever ... moisture gets in.

The first time it happened I figured I'd just lost several thousand dollars worth of camera. I could see water spots on the inside lens. I didn't lube the o-ring properly (or something) and water found it way in at a depth of 130 feet.

Solution: Everything up to the over part is good.

Salt water, swimming pools, river water all have elements that should be removed before starting the drying process.

Rinse the device in fresh, cold water. Salt water, for instance, will start a eating up the electronics. After that, hit it with the hottest tap water you have, but don't submerge it any more (especially in heated water). The weakest parts will just start breakdown.

Next, the hair dryer and a cardboard box trick. Open up the camera or phone or calculator or whatever (expose as much electronics as possible), prop it up inside the cardboard box touching as little as possible, and aim the hair dryer to blow across it ... but from a distance that won't fry anything. And, just leave it there, running for several hours (and, don't watch ... it'll only drive you crazy).

Warm air can hold more moisture than cooler air. The warm air picks up any water droplets and the it's vented away, replaced by dry warm air. The oven will dispel some of the moisture, but generally they tend to trap as much as possible to be the most efficient.

I've run the same camera through this routine several times in the past ten years and it's still taking great pictures. It's a good camera, just not a good housing design to seal itself shut.

 

[anton_anton]

Is that 200 degrees Centigrade or 200 degrees Farenheit?
Not a small difference. Sounds a bit like when Nasa Sent a space probe that failed; NASA was working in Metric and the Contract build company was working in Imperial and Avoir du Pois.....Brilliant.

All you need to do is put it in the Airing cupboard. The oven and microwave is a dangerous idea, too many mistakes can happen.

That's where you mum (or dad) puts the clothes and bed linen, when they have been washed, so that they dry out fully before wearing them. It has the Calorifier in it (Immersion tank for hot water). So you use the latent heat without burning more electricity.

You need to turn it over onto a new side and the each end each day to ensure there is no trapped moisture caught (as in a diving bell with trapped air). This will ensure any moisture will be pointed upermost on at least one day to enable it to evaporate. Total time 6 days.

Use the same technnique with any electrical equipment.

Also ensure any removable parts (e.g. battery cover) like casing is seperated and also placed there to dry and turned daily.

If the batteries have not shorted out (test with a tester or torch bulb), then dry them in the same way.

Finaly lay them on a clean thick rag or duster so you don't stain your mum's things if anything should drip or leak. Otherwise expect the wrath of hell and you would have been better off throwing it away in the first place!

 

[anton_anton]

Get your degrees sorted out!

Centigrade or Farenheit?

Read my full advice on the first page.