Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 camera with gyro-stabilised lens

[N_Cook]

Camera kept dry but the outer case got wet and transferred damp air
into the camera it seems. Looks as though the T (telephoto) switch of
the zoom failed , pressing W (Wide) just showed x1 in hte display, no
changes up to x6 for zoom.
A blast of low heat hot air for 10 seconds , followed by leaving over a
warm power supply for a few hours, seems to have cure it, after a bit of
faultering recogniton and creeping up from x1 to x6, now back to normal
function, but for how long?.
Other than getting inside and probably breaking a foil ribbon or
something, any advice , other than keeping it out of damp in the futrere?

 

[N_Cook]

On 19/10/2017 10:25, N_Cook wrote:

Camera kept dry but the outer case got wet and transferred damp air into
the camera it seems. Looks as though the T (telephoto) switch of the
zoom failed , pressing W (Wide) just showed x1 in hte display, no
changes up to x6 for zoom.
A blast of low heat hot air for 10 seconds , followed by leaving over a
warm power supply for a few hours, seems to have cure it, after a bit of
faultering recogniton and creeping up from x1 to x6, now back to normal
function, but for how long?.
Other than getting inside and probably breaking a foil ribbon or
something, any advice , other than keeping it out of damp in the futrere?

I was advised placing in bag of dry ice, where do you get that?
theatrical suppliers or cocktail bars?
I'll try placing in a bag of freshly oven activated silica gel perhaps,
unless anyone has serious concerns about that.

 

[Mike Coon]

In article <osaee6$4t4$1@dont-email.me>, diverse@tcp.co.uk says...

I was advised placing in bag of dry ice, where do you get that?
theatrical suppliers or cocktail bars?
I'll try placing in a bag of freshly oven activated silica gel perhaps,
unless anyone has serious concerns about that.

I don't see what benefit dry ice could possibly have for you. It isn't a
dessicant, despite the name. (It just doesn't melt to water!)

There are storage bags meant to be squashed around the contents by
applying a vacuum cleaner. That might help with the dessication...

Mike.

 

[N_Cook]

On 19/10/2017 16:06, Mike Coon wrote:

In article <osaee6$4t4$1@dont-email.me>, diverse@tcp.co.uk says...

I was advised placing in bag of dry ice, where do you get that?
theatrical suppliers or cocktail bars?
I'll try placing in a bag of freshly oven activated silica gel perhaps,
unless anyone has serious concerns about that.

I don't see what benefit dry ice could possibly have for you. It isn't a
dessicant, despite the name. (It just doesn't melt to water!)

There are storage bags meant to be squashed around the contents by
applying a vacuum cleaner. That might help with the dessication...

Mike.

I could see dry-ice freezing out water vapour, but it would only settle
inside.
But it did make me think of adding a 12V fan inside the bag of activated
silica gel , to circulate the air .

 

[Jeff Layman]

On 19/10/17 15:56, N_Cook wrote:

On 19/10/2017 10:25, N_Cook wrote:
Camera kept dry but the outer case got wet and transferred damp air into
the camera it seems. Looks as though the T (telephoto) switch of the
zoom failed , pressing W (Wide) just showed x1 in hte display, no
changes up to x6 for zoom.
A blast of low heat hot air for 10 seconds , followed by leaving over a
warm power supply for a few hours, seems to have cure it, after a bit of
faultering recogniton and creeping up from x1 to x6, now back to normal
function, but for how long?.
Other than getting inside and probably breaking a foil ribbon or
something, any advice , other than keeping it out of damp in the futrere?

I was advised placing in bag of dry ice, where do you get that?
theatrical suppliers or cocktail bars?
I'll try placing in a bag of freshly oven activated silica gel perhaps,
unless anyone has serious concerns about that.

I think you are mixing it up with dry *rice*, which is often mentioned
as a way of drying wet mobile phones (just google it). I've successfully
dried a wet mobile phone that way.

--

Jeff

 

[N_Cook]

On 19/10/2017 18:51, Jeff Layman wrote:

On 19/10/17 15:56, N_Cook wrote:
On 19/10/2017 10:25, N_Cook wrote:
Camera kept dry but the outer case got wet and transferred damp air into
the camera it seems. Looks as though the T (telephoto) switch of the
zoom failed , pressing W (Wide) just showed x1 in hte display, no
changes up to x6 for zoom.
A blast of low heat hot air for 10 seconds , followed by leaving over a
warm power supply for a few hours, seems to have cure it, after a bit of
faultering recogniton and creeping up from x1 to x6, now back to normal
function, but for how long?.
Other than getting inside and probably breaking a foil ribbon or
something, any advice , other than keeping it out of damp in the
futrere?

I was advised placing in bag of dry ice, where do you get that?
theatrical suppliers or cocktail bars?
I'll try placing in a bag of freshly oven activated silica gel perhaps,
unless anyone has serious concerns about that.

I think you are mixing it up with dry *rice*, which is often mentioned
as a way of drying wet mobile phones (just google it). I've successfully
dried a wet mobile phone that way.

Yes, the electronic engineer who emailed me that mentioning mobile
phones dropped down the bog, has a computer with a dodgey "r" on the
keyboard, on mine its a weak "a".

 

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <osaomd$r2k$1@dont-email.me>, jmlayman@invalid.invalid
says...

On 19/10/17 15:56, N_Cook wrote:
On 19/10/2017 10:25, N_Cook wrote:
Camera kept dry but the outer case got wet and transferred damp air into
the camera it seems. Looks as though the T (telephoto) switch of the
zoom failed , pressing W (Wide) just showed x1 in hte display, no
changes up to x6 for zoom.
A blast of low heat hot air for 10 seconds , followed by leaving over a
warm power supply for a few hours, seems to have cure it, after a bit of
faultering recogniton and creeping up from x1 to x6, now back to normal
function, but for how long?.
Other than getting inside and probably breaking a foil ribbon or
something, any advice , other than keeping it out of damp in the futrere?

I was advised placing in bag of dry ice, where do you get that?
theatrical suppliers or cocktail bars?
I'll try placing in a bag of freshly oven activated silica gel perhaps,
unless anyone has serious concerns about that.

I think you are mixing it up with dry *rice*, which is often mentioned
as a way of drying wet mobile phones (just google it). I've successfully
dried a wet mobile phone that way.

Instead of rice you may want to hear what this fellow that repairs cell
phones and such has to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPeITOz2_YM

 

[Jeff Layman]

On 19/10/17 22:17, Ralph Mowery wrote:

In article <osaomd$r2k$1@dont-email.me>, jmlayman@invalid.invalid
says...

On 19/10/17 15:56, N_Cook wrote:
On 19/10/2017 10:25, N_Cook wrote:
Camera kept dry but the outer case got wet and transferred damp air into
the camera it seems. Looks as though the T (telephoto) switch of the
zoom failed , pressing W (Wide) just showed x1 in hte display, no
changes up to x6 for zoom.
A blast of low heat hot air for 10 seconds , followed by leaving over a
warm power supply for a few hours, seems to have cure it, after a bit of
faultering recogniton and creeping up from x1 to x6, now back to normal
function, but for how long?.
Other than getting inside and probably breaking a foil ribbon or
something, any advice , other than keeping it out of damp in the futrere?

I was advised placing in bag of dry ice, where do you get that?
theatrical suppliers or cocktail bars?
I'll try placing in a bag of freshly oven activated silica gel perhaps,
unless anyone has serious concerns about that.

I think you are mixing it up with dry *rice*, which is often mentioned
as a way of drying wet mobile phones (just google it). I've successfully
dried a wet mobile phone that way.

Instead of rice you may want to hear what this fellow that repairs cell
phones and such has to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPeITOz2_YM

I got through a couple of minutes of this foul-mouthed loudmouth before
giving up. He may have a point (although he's got a vested interest as
he repairs cellphones), but you might do better to look at a link given
in one of the comments on the Youtube video at:
<https://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Water-Damage-Prevention-and-Recovery.pdf>.
However, having read through how they did that "study" I'm not entirely
convinced by their conclusion! Note also that the OP's camera was not on
at the time, which, IMHO, makes a hell of a difference.

--

Jeff

 

[Ralph Mowery]

In article <oscb4j$1rh$1@dont-email.me>, jmlayman@invalid.invalid
says...

Instead of rice you may want to hear what this fellow that repairs cell
phones and such has to say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPeITOz2_YM

I got through a couple of minutes of this foul-mouthed loudmouth before
giving up. He may have a point (although he's got a vested interest as
he repairs cellphones), but you might do better to look at a link given
in one of the comments on the Youtube video at:
https://www.gazelle.com/thehorn/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Water-Damage-Prevention-and-Recovery.pdf>.
However, having read through how they did that "study" I'm not entirely
convinced by their conclusion! Note also that the OP's camera was not on
at the time, which, IMHO, makes a hell of a difference.

Seems to me like they have the same conclusion that the rice is not
worth trying.

 

[pfjw@aol.com]

On Friday, October 20, 2017 at 10:15:42 AM UTC-4, Ralph Mowery wrote:

Seems to me like they have the same conclusion that the rice is not
worth trying.

Rice is not worth trying by itself.

Rice + dry heat is worth trying.

A gas oven does not provide DRY heat.
An Electric oven does.

Item in rice, at 120F for 6 hours. Remember, the alternative is landfill, so you have nothing to lose.

120F is no worse than the camera being in a vehicle on a hot day. Or outside in Saudi Arabia in August.

NOTE: The issue is dissolved solids in the water bridging traces on circuit boards, or corrupting fine gears or motors. Not the conductivity of the water itself - which is not unless such dissolved solids are there. Keep that in mind. If you can get to the circuit boards and such, saturating them in a 100% volatile material to remove the water and the salts might work. AKA: WD-40 (Running for cover). It works. After the WD-40 *THEN* the rice and heat.

Maybe even a rinse with distilled water, then WD-40 then rice + heat.

https://www.lenntech.com/applications/ultrapure/conductivity/water-conductivity.htm

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[Foxs Mercantile]

On 10/20/2017 10:01 AM, pfjw@aol.com wrote:

WD-40 (Running for cover).

Actually, that's one of the few things it actually does well.
The WD in WD-40 stands for Water Displacement.


--
Jeff-1.0
wa6fwi
http://www.foxsmercantile.com

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Thu, 19 Oct 2017 10:25:08 +0100, N_Cook <diverse@tcp.co.uk> wrote:

Camera kept dry but the outer case got wet and transferred damp air
into the camera it seems. Looks as though the T (telephoto) switch of
the zoom failed , pressing W (Wide) just showed x1 in hte display, no
changes up to x6 for zoom.
A blast of low heat hot air for 10 seconds , followed by leaving over a
warm power supply for a few hours, seems to have cure it, after a bit of
faultering recogniton and creeping up from x1 to x6, now back to normal
function, but for how long?.
Other than getting inside and probably breaking a foil ribbon or
something, any advice , other than keeping it out of damp in the futrere?

I fix computahs to support my decadent and lavish lifestyle. I get an
amazing number of laptops and cell phones that need drying out. Cell
phones seem to prefer ocean swimming and toilet water while laptops
prefer to drink beverages (wine, beer, milk, soda, coffee, tea, etc).
In all cases, I can't do much if the laptop or cell phone has been
left to dry for a few days. Whatever solid residue was in the fluids
is now caked all over the switches, connectors, contacts, PCB, etc. If
the fluid is corrosive (salt water), the damage has already been done
by rotting the copper traces. Even tap water leaves a residue of
white lime.

My number one tool is the screwdriver. The water will NOT exit a
sealed enclosure. If your camera is tightly sealed, you can cook it
forever, and the water will just re-condense inside when it cools back
down. The idea is got the moisture laden air out of the camera. So,
take it apart sufficiently to give the guts some breathing room.

Number two tool is my air compressor and air hose. Like all good
tools, it is possible to do more damage than good with compressed air.
For example, you could blow rusty water from the bottom of the
compressor air tank into the camera. You could also use too much
pressure causing something to bend, break, tear, or fly away. So, you
need drain the rusty water out of the tank, use a filter/dryer, an use
low pressure air. If desperate, an automobile fuel filter will work
for low pressure air. My guess is no more than 20 psi air pressure.

This part doesn't apply for the camera but should be mentioned. If
you're trying to clean up a beverage or salt water spill, that has
partly dried, you will want to add some solvent to help liquefy the
residue. I use a 50/50 mix of 70% isopropyl alcohol and distilled
water. If I need something stronger, 409 cleaner. Basically,
anything that doesn't leave any residue. Test your favorite
concoction for residues on a piece of clear glass before using. To
keep from making a large mess with a spray bottle, I make a small mess
using an acid brush.

The rest is simple. I use the air hose to blow away the accumulated
and added liquids. I use a narrow nozzle tip to help get under
electronic components.
<https://www.amazon.com/Air-Blow-Gun-Interchangeable-Nozzles/dp/B0017JSD34>
(But two because the nozzle breaks when dropped). Even when you think
you have all the water blown out of the device, try blowing from a
different angle, or shake the device to uncover hidden droplets. Be
sure to blow into enclosed areas, like switches. Cover any optics
that might be sprayed or you'll have water marks on the lenses.

After the blow dry, bake in a warm (not hot) oven for as long as you
think is safe. You want to accelerate the water evaporation, not melt
all the glue and plastic parts. Please note that the device needs to
be open to the air for the water to evaporate properly. Only when
you're sure it's dry, put it back together, apply power and see if it
works.

There are some other things that need to be done when dealing with
keyboards and LCD displays, but I don't think that's needed here. Good
luck.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Mike Coon]

In article <2ismuct6otja8i4b61f249esin348s9chh@4ax.com>,
jeffl@cruzio.com says...

... or shake the device to uncover hidden droplets.

Reading that I thought we should have mentioned centrifuging to assist
gravity. But getting the orientation right would be tricky/impossible.
So perhaps the alternative is to strap the unit to your body and take it
(still wet) on a roller-coaster. It may not help but hopefully was
enjoyable!

Mike.

 

On Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 4:52:20 PM UTC-4, Mike Coon wrote:

In article <2ismuct6otja8i4b61f249esin348s9chh@4ax.com>,
jeffl@cruzio.com says...

... or shake the device to uncover hidden droplets.

Reading that I thought we should have mentioned centrifuging to assist
gravity. But getting the orientation right would be tricky/impossible.
So perhaps the alternative is to strap the unit to your body and take it
(still wet) on a roller-coaster. It may not help but hopefully was
enjoyable!

Mike.

there is an interesting idea
duct tape it securely to the side of the washer tub and take it for a spin dry cycle ....with the water turned off of course.

I wonder how many G's that would be

m

 

[Jeff Layman]

On 24/10/17 14:57, makolber@yahoo.com wrote:

On Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 4:52:20 PM UTC-4, Mike Coon wrote:
In article <2ismuct6otja8i4b61f249esin348s9chh@4ax.com>,
jeffl@cruzio.com says...

... or shake the device to uncover hidden droplets.

Reading that I thought we should have mentioned centrifuging to assist
gravity. But getting the orientation right would be tricky/impossible.
So perhaps the alternative is to strap the unit to your body and take it
(still wet) on a roller-coaster. It may not help but hopefully was
enjoyable!

Mike.

there is an interesting idea
duct tape it securely to the side of the washer tub and take it for a spin dry cycle ....with the water turned off of course.

I wonder how many G's that would be

For a 30cm radius drum, spinning at 1500rpm, it would be about 750g
(according to <http://www.calctool.org/CALC/phys/newtonian/centrifugal&gt

--

Jeff

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 21 Oct 2017 21:52:08 +0100, Mike Coon
<gravity@mjcoon.plus.com> wrote:

In article <2ismuct6otja8i4b61f249esin348s9chh@4ax.com>,
jeffl@cruzio.com says...

... or shake the device to uncover hidden droplets.

Reading that I thought we should have mentioned centrifuging to assist
gravity. But getting the orientation right would be tricky/impossible.
So perhaps the alternative is to strap the unit to your body and take it
(still wet) on a roller-coaster. It may not help but hopefully was
enjoyable!

Long ago (about 1968), in a place far far away (Orange County, CA), I
used to go to the 25 cent do it myself car wash to clean older
commercial 2-way radios:
<http://www.wb6nvh.com/Moto42/Moto42.htm>
One problem was the rubber insulation on the wires would harden,
crumble, and fall off. If that happened, I would spray the exposed
solid wires with fake Christmas spider web decoration spray, which
provided some insulation and a stabilizing web. Another was
hygroscopic paper capacitors, which needed replacement anyway. Of
course, everything had to be retuned from scratch, but that was
expected.

During the early 1970's, I did much the same when cleaning marine
radios. Fortunately, the wire was PVC or PTFE, so no spray was
needed. The radios looked very much like a dirty automobile engine. I
decided that the radios should also be treated like a dirty engine and
get a good hot suds spray wash. Drying was handled by leaving the
radios open, stacking them in the back of the company pickup truck,
and taking them for a drive on the freeway for a "blow dry". In those
days it was actually possible to drive 65 (or later 55) mph during
daylight hours. By the time I arrived back at the shop, the radios
were cleaned and dry.

We did have a roller coaster nearby, but they wouldn't let me take the
radios on a ride without paying for the extra seats.


--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558