a wet tv remote control problem

[nudone]

my mother managed to spill soup over the tv remote control handset.

so i quickly splashed water over it - i didn't submerge it or anything daft - just a quick sprinkle of water over the outside to clean it off.

but now, of course, there is obviously moisture trapped inside the handset because it has a mind of it's own - if it actually works at all.

any reliable suggestions that will dry the handset out?

i think it safe to say that if try to open the screwless handset case i'll snap something - i'd rather keep everything in mint condition for when i have to return it to the shop - if the drying out method doesn't work.

any tips for drying it out?

[app103]

There isn't a way to dry out the inside without getting to the inside. In other words, if you are unwilling to open the case, you can't do it.

[nudone]

now using a hair dryer on it...

[tomos]

sit it on a heater??? but not too hot I guess.

I had a problem once with someone in the flat above ours forgetting to turn off the tap (& then going out...)
Our video remote was on the floor...
It didnt work (normally) for a long time (months I think) so I just forgot about it.
A year or two later I tried it again & it worked - not 100% but near enough.

Just an anecdote - probably not much help though 

[app103]

Personally speaking, I'd open the case very carefully, writing down the exact steps I take to take it apart so I can follow it in reverse to put it back together.

Then I would carefully and gently clean the entire circuitboard and battery compartment with cotton swabs dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Then I would take the front & back panels and wash & dry them.

I would let it sit and air for a bit to make sure there was no moisture on any of the parts.

Then I would put it all back together again.

Then to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, I'd seal it into a clear plastic ziplock bag and use the remote through the bag, replacing the bag as it wears out.

Something to think about here:

You don't just have plain water inside it...you most likely have soup in there as well. As that dries, there will be a residue of grease, salt, and other particles left behind unless it is opened up and cleaned. And depending on the type of soup, it could also be acidic. This isn't good for the electronics inside.

Taking a hair dryer to it without opening it is likely to just create steam inside which will condense as it cools and put you right back to where you are now with it being wet inside. Not only that, but the heat could damage it, causing the remote to never work again. It also leaves all the crap from the soup in there to eat away at the circuitboard and possibly corroding it and your battery compartment.

[Carol Haynes]

I would suggest thoroughly washing it in clean water and then place it in an oven on 'keep warm' setting (no higher than 50C) for a couple of hours or in a warm airing cupboard (or wherever your hot water tank is) over night.

[Gothi[c]]

Like app said, open up, dry each part seperatly. Remotes are very simple devices usually, and it isn't all too complicated to (dis)assemble them.

What you have to worry about is corrosion. Parts of the pcb circuitry may have corroded and thus lost it's connectivity. If it's not working after drying, visually inspect the pcb for circuit lanes that 'don't look right', and repair them.

You can repair them by either soldering new wires onto the pcb, bridging the broken parts, or a more elegant solution: this little gizmo.
It lets you 'draw' conductive circuit lanes right onto a pcb, or any other surface. GREAT for repairing corroded or otherwise broken circuitry.

There is very little chance that your remote is broken because of a short circuit from the liquid, since these things work on very low voltages and carry very little current. The IC's involved aren't too sensitive usually either. (Unless you have some fancy hi-tech remote)

[nudone]

thanks for the tips so far.

opening it up really isn't going to happen. i'm a careful kind of person when it comes to these things so i've managed to dismantle gadgets and put them back together many times before (including complete strip downs of laptops).

this remote really does look like it's designed to break the casing unless you know where the magic button is to get it open. maybe a good twist would make it spring open but i can't really risk forcing it if its just going to snap.

at the moment it's drying out on top of the tv as that appears to produce quite a bit of heat. if the insides do start to corrode then i will have to return it to the shop - but for the moment i'll just hope that it will dry out during today (and tomorrow, and the next day, etc.)

it does seem to be working a bit better at the moment - maybe.

[pro3carp3]

Why don't you take it to the shop before it starts to corrode?

[nudone]

Why don't you take it to the shop before it starts to corrode?

-pro3carp3 (August 22, 2007, 07:10 AM)

i don't think it will corrode - if it does then i'll have no choice but to return it to the shop.

(cody assures me that the remote will magically start working again tomorrow after the night pixies have been to work on it or even replaced it with a fully working replica.)