Ocean + Memory Card = Trouble
In the May Hassle-Free PC (Four Fixes for Memory Card Misery) I explained how to rescue a memory card that fell into salt water. I've had more than a handful of messages asking me to clarify why I said to keep the card submerged in water rather than salt water.
The reader who sent the hassle didn't go into detail, but I will, because I had a similar experience. And it wasn't pleasant.
I was in a Zodiac, about to step out of the boat into shallow ocean water and trudge to an island. It was on a trip to the Antarctic and I was bundled in an Arctic jacket, had on heavy rubber fishing boots, and was wrapped in a couple of dozen layers of long underwear, gloves, hats, and scarves. Not a pretty sight.
My tiny digital camera dropped into the drink as I was getting off the boat.
What I should have done was fill a baggie with salt water and throw the camera inside, first removing the battery. That's because, as I said in the column, "it's critical you keep the card in salt water until you're ready to work on it; if it's exposed to air, the resulting corrosion will do irrevocable damage to the components."
Of course if your camera drops into fresh water, you follow the same steps.
Instead, I slipped the camera into my pocket and did all the other wrong things. For instance, I left the battery inside the camera, guaranteeing that it fried the electrical components.
First Aid for Digital Cameras
A couple of readers filled in some of the gaps in my digital camera vs. water experience.
According to Scott B., of Houston, getting water into the memory card wasn't an issue: "The chips, including the flash chip, are hermetically sealed and should not be damaged by water. The problem with water is it causes electrical currents to flow where they were not intended to flow and this damages the electrical components. Therefore, if you quickly remove the battery, you may save the device. Don't try to apply power till you're sure it is dry inside and out."
I'm sorry Scott wasn't on the boat with me.
An unidentified reader, a "semiconductor chip product engineer for 25 years," said essentially the same thing: "These memory cards," he said, "are all hermetically sealed and most likely than not, had seen alcohol cleaning in an ultrasonic bath some time during the manufacturing process. Drying first before alcohol cleaning may create residues that are insoluble later. Start with totally soaking it in alcohol, do it in an ultrasonic bath if need to (your local jewelry store will be glad to help on this).
In my column, I suggested not to use a hair dryer as the heat could damage the memory card's contacts. The reader had a better idea. He said to air dry the memory card by taking the head off the hair dryer and turning off the heat. "After that," he continued, "you can clean with non-abrasive eraser."
From now on, I have my Nikon securely hanging from my neck and keep my new tiny digital camera strapped around my wrist.
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Reading with interest the water versus camera saga.
Although my Canon PS2 was hanging from it's strap it still got dunked when I leaned over to photograph a trout.
New Zealand supposedly has very clean water but although it dried out OK and functions electronically there is a very faint film of sediment between lense components. No one here is prepared to dismantle and clean lense elements and I ended up replacing the whole camera.
Any suggestions would be most welcome.