maximum vacuum cell phones can withstand

[Tmoose]

I worked at a place that made superconducting machinery and the components must withstand pretty high vacuum so there was some pretty serious vacuum pumping capabilities there. Whenever somebody's phone got wet it would go into one of the vacuum chambers to dry it out. I do not know if they took them to max achievable vacuum or not. I think some phones did not work after receiving the treatment, but I have no idea whether the vacuum "did" it, or the phone was already damaged.

It has been a while since either of my daughters has dropped her phone in water, but I expect it may happen again one of these days. My thought is to put it in a pressure cooker and hook up my harbor freight AC vac pump. It is rated 75 micron/10 Pascal maximum vacuum.
1 - Am I likely to euthanize an other wise good Iphone etc phone with that kind of vacuum?
2 - How low is required for good drying?

thanks

Dan T

 

[MikeHalloran]

Remove the battery.

Whatever a decent refrigeration vacuum pump can achieve should be sufficient.
I'd leave it under vacuum for at least 24 hours.
Throw in a desiccant pack or a cup of dry uncooked rice just for fun.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[DRWeig]

I agree with Mike.

OR: Switch to a Samsung Rugby II. Mine's been in Diet Coke, a sink full of water, a toilet, and also dropped from the roof of a car. Military grade. I've heard of another fellow putting thru a washing machine by accident, no problem.

Best to you,

Goober Dave

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[itsmoked]

I cannot emphasize enough how fast you should remove the battery when a dunking occurs. Your kids should be shown how to yank the battery quickly. It should be automatic. Dunk-retrieve-remove battery. You should be removing the battery the instant the phone clears the dunking. They run absolutely miniscule traces on C-phone circuit boards and electrolysis can cut those traces in mere seconds.

After following the above instructions I would then stop to assess the fluid involved. If it's not clear water I'd rinse the phone out with low pressure water like an aerated stream out of a facet. Then rinse thoroughly with RO or distilled water. Shake it out well then proceed with any of the numerous drying methods; rice, desiccant, vacuum, articulated lamp, etc. I would also stand it up in whatever orientation I'd think would be best. Perhaps not lying in a position that the screen or keyboard is in the lowest position.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[MacGyverS2000]

After the clean water, wash it with alcohol (not the good drinking stuff, isopropyl or what have you). Put it in the vacuum chamber for a couple of hours, and make sure the pump either continues to run or you cycle the entire vacuum multiple times to clear the atmosphere as the alcohol evaporates. All rice does is pull moisture from the air, whereas a vacuum will lower the pressure and allow the alcohol to evaporate very quickly.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[ScottyUK]

Agree with Keith and Dan's assessment. I've saved a couple using pretty much that exact method, followed by a low bake at about 70°C for a few hours with covers off. Put the oven on to warm while you are rinsing the phone out, and be generous with the alcohol to purge the water out: alcohol is much more volatile than water and is easier to remove by heating.

 

[btrueblood]

As far as how much vacuum a phone can take - they are using them for autonomous control of micro-spacecraft, so don't worry about how high a vacuum you can pull.

http://www.space.com/21036-space-smartphones-photos-nasa-phonesats.html

Pulling a vacuum on an oven warmed phone will be about as dry as it's possible to get.

 

[IRstuff]

as for 2 -- it's not so much the particular level of vacuum, but the combination of level, duration, and temperature, which depends greatly on how long the phone has been immersed. The farther the water has penetrated into the bowels of the phone and its components, the longer it will take to remove it.

TTFN
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[OperaHouse]

I've taken apart some Apple batteries and they are made like sticks of gum to increase power density. In a vacuum these would burst open. Definitely remove the battery.

 

[djs]

Most of the iPhone I have seen, you need to perform major surgery to remove the battery. I am talking about 30 to 60 minutes. Some cell phones have removable batteries so are much quicker.

 

[btrueblood]

"In a vacuum these would burst open. "

No they won't, unless damaged. More anecdotal evidence to refute the above:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtXquYhY7wo

Do remove the batteries, to avoid short circuit damage to the delicate traces of the phone's circuit boards. But vacuum alone won't hurt it.

 

[OperaHouse]

Not familiar with the chemistry, but assume there is something wet in them. At the low temperatures of high altitudes I concede that there may not be enough pressure to do damage. Lets face it, If that baloon were actually in space it would explode. I still wouldn't stick a phone battery in a vacuum chamber at room temperature and take it down to deep space vacuum after seeing how they are made.