Oh, Sh…
I took this photo yesterday morning:
On the left is my Lenovo tablet, my main laptop computer. On the right is a mostly empty glass containing a small amount of sports drink, i.e. a slightly acidic, somewhat sticky fluid. You’ll notice that some amount of said fluid is on the screen, in the keyboard, and on the power connector of said computer. Whoops. Considering how much time I spend around computers, it’s surprising that this sort of thing doesn’t happen more often.
I powered the machine down as quickly as possible after the spill and pulled the AC cable from the wall. I should have pulled the battery next but I couldn’t resist capturing the moment in a photograph. Then I removed the battery and poured the remaining liquid out of the keyboard. Then I cleaned off the screen as well as I could. Unfortunately some amount of the liquid got in between the LCD and the bezel, I think.
Figuring I didn’t have much to lose that hadn’t already been lost, I poured some clean water through that portion of the keyboard in an attempt to rinse out the more problematic liquid. The computer does claim to have a “spill-proof” keyboard and even has drainage holes with fetching little icons on the underside.
Then I removed the hard drive since it’s right below where the spill happened. There was a little water on its mounting cushion but nowhere else, thankfully. I left the computer open to dry for the next ~24 hours and it seems to have survived. Some of the keys on the right end of the keyboard stick when pressed, not surprisingly, so next I’ll remove the keyboard altogether and wash it. Yes, I’m using it to write this blog entry, and yes, I’m drinking tea while doing so.
Posted: December 29th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
Comments
Comment from James Lewin
Time December 29, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Amazing that it still works ok!
Comment from adam
Time December 30, 2009 at 7:40 am
I figured that at least some good would come of the incident if I photographed it for my blog.
Comment from adam
Time December 30, 2009 at 7:44 am
Electronic components are generally impervious to liquid. Hence electronic circuits are also impervious to liquid if there’s no electricity flowing through them. (The liquid can cause short circuits if there is power flowing also.) It’s the mechanical stuff that’s more problematic in situations like this, which is why I’ll probably end up taking the keyboard out altogether and running some water through it to remove the last of the residue. True story: Chris spilled something into his Mac keyboard not long ago, and rescued it by running it through a light cycle in the dishwasher.
Comment from Jesse
Time December 30, 2009 at 9:23 am
I’m glad it more or less survived… I had a refurb Thinkpad which had suffered a motherboard failure which resulted in a few months of ebaying and parts swapping. Weeks after getting it working again I managed to dump part of a beer on it, with terminal results.
Comment from Jeff Laity
Time December 29, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Instead of mopping up liquid, you take a photo for your blog?
Good for you.
I once dumped a Mai Tai into my Fatar keyboard, about 12oz of lime juice and alcohol. It still has some problem notes.