Have You Fried Your Equipment Lately?
Some years ago, I was working on my laptop, and I had a glass of water sitting beside by my computer. I bet you can imagine what happened next. All it took was my hand moving the wrong way, and it happened. That glass of water spilled all over my keyboard. I don’t know what you would’ve done in that moment. But, I know what I did. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing that the walls don’t have ears. They probably would have withered at my choice of words.
I had no choice but to run out that afternoon and buy another computer. But, there are ways to save your equipment if you’re quick enough.
Don’t wait a second. Literally. The second you spill something on your equipment is the second you have to spring into action.
- disconnect the power cables, USB cables, audio cables, and battery
- turn the wet piece of equipment upside down
- use a clean, absorbent towel to wipe off as much liquid as possible
Take it apart. Yes, this step could put you in the bad books as far as the company’s warranty is concerned. But, spillage probably isn’t covered anyway.
- carefully remove the backing, knobs, fader caps, etc.
- remove wet circuit boards, plastic or metal parts
- use a damp towel to gently scrub away any sticky liquid residue
- dry the equipment with a hairdryer set to low, or if you have small parts, place them in a bag full of plain, uncooked rice.
Reassemble. Once everything is clean and dry, put it all back together. Hopefully you took pictures and notes! Once the equipment has been reassembled, it’s time to plug it in and test it out. If it works, congratulations! If not, well, at least you tried.
Over to you: How have you dealt with spills?
