HELP! RAM got water!!

[mikecheong]

Hi all,

I need some urgent help and advise.
I Accidentally put my laptop ram into my washing machine
and only realized it after the washing was done.
Can the ram still be used? Is there anyway to save it?
Its a 2 gig kingston for laptops.

Thanks!
Mike

[Salem]

So long as it isn't physically damaged, AND you make sure it's really dry (try the oven - see the link), it should be OK.
http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/249659-hi-computer-trash-strange.html

[Suspishio]

I don't believe what I'm reading! From washing machine to oven!

Yes, dry the RAM thoroughly - an airing cupboard or near a house radiator. Say 12 hours.

Then whack it into your PC and see what happens. It'll either work or beep.

[Salem]

And is "looking" dry the same as electrically dry?
And if it isn't, bye bye chips.

Remember, these have been thoroughly soaked, not just gotten a little damp. Something more proactive than the airing cupboard is required IMO. It might work, if you give it a month or two.

Or do you have any other "half-baked" ideas (sorry, couldn't resist that one ;) )

If you had any idea of the kind of processes the boards and components go through to reach you, a short-spell in an oven below 200F (which isn't even the boiling point of water), isn't going to be a problem.

Perhaps the OP should do some research to find out how modern circuits are produced, and then cleaned and dried at the end of the process. They don't mess about with airing cupboards.

So long as you don't go mad and put soaking wet devices in an oven at 500F. Air dry and a moderate temperature should be fine. If you want to be extra cautious, then step up and step down through a couple of intermediate temperatures.

If you fancy experimenting, get two microscope slides (or anything else which is flat and of similar dimensions), then place a drop of water between them. Put that sandwich in a variety of environments and see how long it takes for all the water to disappear.

Remember, evaporation only happens on the surface of the water which is facing the air. For very thin films of water in a confined space, you may as well be trying to evaporate a bucket full of water (if you're comparing surface area to volume).

Thinking about it, what might be more of a problem is all the detergent residue which might have also worked it's way into the nooks and crannies. Just water would be one thing, but this might complicate matters.

http://download.micron.com/pdf/datasheets/modules/sdram/SD8_16C32_64x64AG.pdf
Page 14 - these are pretty standard temperature tolerances.
The link I posted was well within spec.

[Suspishio]

Blah Blah Blah. A memory stick 12 hours in the airing cupboard is fine for thoroughly drying it - a small form factor. Obviously.

"Thoroughly soaked"? 99% of the water had run off the moment Mikecheong rescued them from the washing machine.

Do be brief.

[The New Normal]

Once it's dry (using whatever half-baked idea you decide on, lol) I'd give the electrical contacts a clean with some iso-propyl alcohol. Oh yeah, and cross your fingers, can't forget that step.

[Suspishio]

... Then, just to be really sure, shove it in the oven taking extra care not to set the temperature higher than 200F (93C). If you don't have a fan oven, worry about which shelf you put it on. Not too far back, mind you or the direct heat from the flames or filaments will cook the item.

Please remember to wear oven gloves when removing the item, making sure that said gloves are not wet. If the oven gloves are wet, dry them in the effing airing cupboard first.

If the oven gloves are dirty or greasy, wash them first in the washing machine that also washed the RAM sticks.

Then put the whole shooting match into the airing ciupboard for 212 hours! - oops 212F is the boiling point of an airing cupboard.

LOL.

[The New Normal]

hahahaha

Very good Suspishio ;)

[thepastimer]

Guys... An oven is way too much... you don't want to bake the semi-conductors. Remember: RAM is a sequence of semi-conductor chips that water cannot permeate. A couple of days at 70 F is plenty to dry the chip. The only thing I would worry about is if any of the lacquer has washed off (which would protect the chip from water BTW).

[hughv]

My goodness!
I have put motherboards (Complete with RAM and CMOS battery) and keyboards in the dishwasher and reinstalled them with no problem at all. Many electronic devices can be cleaned with water with no ill effects.
Drying is important, of course, but 24-48 hours in a draining position will suffice.

[The New Normal]

I can't help but ask, why did you put your motherboard in a dishwasher?

[Suspishio]

It was dirty doh!

As long as ghe didn't put it in the damned oven .....

[hughv]

I was changing cases, and the Ethernet port had failed some time previously. At that point I had washed many keyboards, so I said, why not? The port works now, and the board has been running well for 2-3 years since then.

[Suspishio]

So, by my reckoning:

1 Dishwasher 10 points
2 Clothes washer 5 points (jury's out on this one)
3 Oven Nul point.
4 Airing cupboard 10 points (for 12 hours)

[thepastimer]

So, by my reckoning:

1 Dishwasher 10 points
2 Clothes washer 5 points (jury's out on this one)
3 Oven Nul point.
4 Airing cupboard 10 points (for 12 hours)

I would agree. I had a cellular phone go through the clothes washer with no adverse affects, but I imagine the dishwasher would be better because its meant for breakable things. Just the sound of electronics in an oven is bad... although I have heard of old film being microwaved for 30 seconds to warm it up.

[The New Normal]

At that point I had washed many keyboards, so I said, why not? The port works now, and the board has been running well for 2-3 years since then.

That's a gutsy move right there. Thanks for sharing, I'd never have the nerve to try that myself :) I'd be too worried about the hot water warping something.