should i pour distilled water on my amp to save it?

[Ignatowski 5,000+ posts]

I would just let it dry out then try it..........

Getting water on any electronic component is bad enough,adding more be it distilled or not is just plain asking for trouble

 

[RandyJ 10+ year member]

I would just let it dry out then try it..........Getting water on any electronic component is bad enough,adding more be it distilled or not is just plain asking for trouble

So what do you think the navy does with all of thier electronics? Throws them out and builds new ones?

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

What about that electrical parts cleaner some places sell. It somes in aresol cans.

 

[RandyJ 10+ year member]

What about that electrical parts cleaner some places sell. It somes in aresol cans.

I believe those are for mainly dust and other things that can simply be blown off, these elements however cannot. Ever notice how your hair is rough and brittle after going in brackash or salt water? Well the salt and dirt and shit from rain can do that to amplifiers and cause serious damage.

 

[G6Zero 10+ year member]

there's a detail i forgot to mention that may change things : the amp wasn't fully submerged, or really submerged at all. the only part the water was contacting with was the edge (maybe 1/2 ") of the case. i imagine in a moving vehicle it splashed, possibly. can anybody tell me what the low/high/low noise signified?

 

[Ignatowski 5,000+ posts]

So what do you think the navy does with all of thier electronics? Throws them out and builds new ones?

knowing the US goverment prolly LOL

 

[candyman206 10+ year member]

I usually don't say anything but....when you state the NAVY washes their parts like this I believe you. But another thing you have to think of is this... when you build something you have to think what kind of environment it is goin to be in. So when they build ships and stuff meant to be traveling in the water, then they make the thing water "resistant." But then car amps are meant to be mounted in a pretty dry place as in trunks and inside vehicles out of the climate. So I think washing it would damage it even more. If I am wrong, would you prove me wrong by washing one of your amps with water?

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

I usually don't say anything but....when you state the NAVY washes their parts like this I believe you. But another thing you have to think of is this... when you build something you have to think what kind of environment it is goin to be in. So when they build ships and stuff meant to be traveling in the water, then they make the thing water "resistant." But then car amps are meant to be mounted in a pretty dry place as in trunks and inside vehicles out of the climate. So I think washing it would damage it even more. If I am wrong, would you prove me wrong by washing one of your amps with water?

A printed circuit board is a printed circuit board, whether it's on an aircraft carrier or in your car. The fundamental materials are the same.

Like I said before, this is a last-ditch effort, and most of the time, you do end up having to replace small parts if it's been sitting in the drink a while. The last time I had to do this, I dropped a handheld radio in about a foot of standing floodwater with the power on...the internal speaker and most of the switches had to be replaced, but after a thorough rinse in distilled water, scrubbing of all the PCB's with a toothbrush and no-residue electronics cleaner, and letting it air dry for about a week, it powered up...

I know this wasn't the situation at hand, but if you ever spill a highly corrosive liquid on electronics (like Coke on a mixing board or keyboard), do not let it simply air dry. Soda will eat substrate traces for lunch, and you'll wonder why it stops working a few days or weeks later.

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

So what do you think the navy does with all of thier electronics? Throws them out and builds new ones?

Throws most of it out, sells a fraction of it for surplus. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

Depending on how well-connected you are, you could get in on some gov't auctions for the lots of the crap they get rid of when they close a base, upgrade equipment, etc. I've got a friend converting a pair of 250W transmitters that were used as VHF aircraft beacons for 2 meter amateur band use...bought them for something like $2 a pound as scrap - and they weigh close to 400lbs. each //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif

 

[tRiGgEr 5,000+ posts]

Throws most of it out, sells a fraction of it for surplus. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif
Depending on how well-connected you are, you could get in on some gov't auctions for the lots of the crap they get rid of when they close a base, upgrade equipment, etc. I've got a friend converting a pair of 250W transmitters that were used as VHF aircraft beacons for 2 meter amateur band use...bought them for something like $2 a pound as scrap - and they weigh close to 400lbs. each //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/eek.gif.771b7a90cf45cabdc554ff1121c21c4a.gif

I purchased my Laptop from the old Legacy ran network program. $250 for a 1.3ghz laptop. Not to shabby back then. My dad also purchases all of his equipment from the gov. All of his O-scopes and what not. He was a E1 in teh navy.