The following public service announcement is provided by the Blackadder Apple Protection Society (BAPS). The images below are disturbing. You've been warned.
A friend of mine had a little accident a few days ago. He called me and told me he had spilled "water" into his 1GHz 12" Powerbook, and it wouldn't power on. He was so upset about it he told me he was throwing it away. In order to save it from the trash I volunteered to have a look at it.
It's wasn't a pretty sight, folks...unless he had been drinking out of a muddy river he lied about the "water", since the interior was stained a cola brown in some areas. The logic board and DC board were covered in chemical salt by-products from the pop+electricity+metal goodness. I carefully cleaned the boards, first manually with a stiff brush and than with a swab and a little circuit board cleaner (denatured alchohol). I got both boards quite clean but as I suspected all was in vain. She's dead, Jim.
So we have a dead logic board, dead DC board and questionable keyboard. Screen, RAM, optical drive and HDD tested OK, as did AE Wifi card. Looks like a repair bill around $700 anyhow, even if I do the install. I have a possible line on a 12" PB with a dead screen for cheap, so I might be able to bail him out but he'll still be close to repair cost anyway.
Keep those beverages away from your laptop, kids! This has been a public service announcement. Have a Nice Day.
A couple pics before the cleaning. Most of the corrosion actually came off but the damage had long since been done.
A friend of mine had a little accident a few days ago. He called me and told me he had spilled "water" into his 1GHz 12" Powerbook, and it wouldn't power on. He was so upset about it he told me he was throwing it away. In order to save it from the trash I volunteered to have a look at it.
It's wasn't a pretty sight, folks...unless he had been drinking out of a muddy river he lied about the "water", since the interior was stained a cola brown in some areas. The logic board and DC board were covered in chemical salt by-products from the pop+electricity+metal goodness. I carefully cleaned the boards, first manually with a stiff brush and than with a swab and a little circuit board cleaner (denatured alchohol). I got both boards quite clean but as I suspected all was in vain. She's dead, Jim.
So we have a dead logic board, dead DC board and questionable keyboard. Screen, RAM, optical drive and HDD tested OK, as did AE Wifi card. Looks like a repair bill around $700 anyhow, even if I do the install. I have a possible line on a 12" PB with a dead screen for cheap, so I might be able to bail him out but he'll still be close to repair cost anyway.
Keep those beverages away from your laptop, kids! This has been a public service announcement. Have a Nice Day.
A couple pics before the cleaning. Most of the corrosion actually came off but the damage had long since been done.
