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08/26/2007 03:19:36 PM · #1 |
| I went to a party yesterday and during the shooting put a Compact Flash Memory in the pocket of my shirt. As usual this morning I was making the laundry when I remembered something that scared me, yes, the compact flash memory is still in the pocket of my shirt, well not exactly in the pocket, it is in the button of the washing machine. As happen with a big treasure I went to the button and recovered it, tried to dry and after an hour put it in the card reader and as if nothing happens all the pictures where there, I copied them as usual and the memory card is working perfectly. Amazing, isn't it? or is this something that commonly happens and is nothing to worried about? |
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08/26/2007 03:31:13 PM · #2 |
| I heard about a CF card that was found post tsunami that worked and had last pictures of a couple before death. There isn't any voltage or anything that is running while the card is sitting there, so I guess if you dry it well enough and it isn't too hosed by contamination causing shorts and things, it should be ok. |
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08/26/2007 03:33:29 PM · #3 |
A few years ago someone tested the most popular makes of memory cards, and I believe all of them passed the "washing machine test." However, only two (including the apparently-defunct Smart Media card) passed the "nail it to a tree" test.
I think I just saw an ad for a CF card which specified that it was waterproof ... |
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08/26/2007 03:43:25 PM · #4 |
It should be fine. Water is fine on electronics. They even wash most electronics in water during the manufacture process.
It's only when water, electronics, and electricity are mixed. I wouldn't try it, but you should be able to grab your camera, dunk it in water, and dry it off. As long as it's completely dry, it should still work.
Problems occur when the power is on and it gets dunked in water. Water causes shorts since electrons can travel in water (BTW, pure H2O doesn't conduct electricity, it's the containaments in water that conduct electricity.) |
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08/26/2007 04:02:21 PM · #5 |
Check the memory of the card as if the wash was too hot it could have shrunk.
1gb would shrink to about 850 meg
Or something like that |
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08/26/2007 04:04:55 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by kevrobertson:
Check the memory of the card as if the wash was too hot it could have shrunk.
1gb would shrink to about 850 meg
Or something like that |
Also, if you used bleach, you'll only be able to take black and white images. |
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08/26/2007 04:08:52 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by Nullix:
It should be fine. Water is fine on electronics. They even wash most electronics in water during the manufacture process.
It's only when water, electronics, and electricity are mixed. I wouldn't try it, but you should be able to grab your camera, dunk it in water, and dry it off. As long as it's completely dry, it should still work.
Problems occur when the power is on and it gets dunked in water. Water causes shorts since electrons can travel in water (BTW, pure H2O doesn't conduct electricity, it's the containaments in water that conduct electricity.) |
As they say, water doesn't kill electronics, electricity kills electronics.
Clean water is safe for electronics (as long as no power is applied), but salt water will corrode the tracks on the PCB. |
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08/26/2007 04:28:43 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by Nullix:
I wouldn't try it, but you should be able to grab your camera, dunk it in water, and dry it off. As long as it's completely dry, it should still work. |
Great! - Does this mean that to clean my sensor I can just run it under the tap? :) |
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08/26/2007 05:23:30 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by jhonan:
Originally posted by Nullix:
I wouldn't try it, but you should be able to grab your camera, dunk it in water, and dry it off. As long as it's completely dry, it should still work. |
Great! - Does this mean that to clean my sensor I can just run it under the tap? :) |
When you wash your camera to clean the sensor, make sure you use Jet Dry or other good rinse aid... it will keep you from getting spots.
;D
Mike
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08/26/2007 05:41:10 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by Nullix:
Originally posted by kevrobertson:
Check the memory of the card as if the wash was too hot it could have shrunk.
1gb would shrink to about 850 meg
Or something like that |
Also, if you used bleach, you'll only be able to take black and white images. |
Oh...I thought that if you used bleach, all of your pictures would be overexposed. I stand corrected. |
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08/26/2007 05:45:18 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by annpatt:
Originally posted by Nullix:
Originally posted by kevrobertson:
Check the memory of the card as if the wash was too hot it could have shrunk.
1gb would shrink to about 850 meg
Or something like that |
Also, if you used bleach, you'll only be able to take black and white images. |
Oh...I thought that if you used bleach, all of your pictures would be overexposed. I stand corrected. |
nah, it just keeps giving you artistic pictures you didn't want ;) |
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08/26/2007 07:58:09 PM · #12 |
| One way to ensure that all the water is out and the camera is truly dry is to submerge in isopropyl alcohol. A buddy had a Blackberry that was dropped in a swimming pool and submerged for quite awhile. Upon retrieval, he placed it in a bowl submerged in iso for a couple of hours, then removed and allowed to dry under a fan for a couple days. Everything came back except the mic, which we think dissoved in the solution heh. |
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08/26/2007 10:01:24 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by Nullix:
Originally posted by kevrobertson:
Check the memory of the card as if the wash was too hot it could have shrunk.
1gb would shrink to about 850 meg
Or something like that |
Also, if you used bleach, you'll only be able to take black and white images. |
once mom used softeners in the laundry with my CFcard in it, i can now fit my CFcard into an SDcard slot because it is soft so i can squeeze it in. |
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08/26/2007 10:07:08 PM · #14 |
| I've had flash drives go through the laundry a few times now and they have always come out of it working just fine. |
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08/26/2007 10:07:27 PM · #15 |
| Found a digital camera in the bottom of a river while snorkeling. It had been the long enough to have algae growing on it. Got home, took the smartmedia card out of it, and looked at someone's vacation pictures. Nothing wrong with the card whatsoever. |
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08/26/2007 10:11:59 PM · #16 |
| Anyone know where the video is of that guy photographing the bridge demolition and his camera actually photographed itself getting slammed with pieces of the bridge? man that was a cool one, I'll have to look for it. Camera pretty much destroyed, card still works great. |
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08/26/2007 10:14:24 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by dudephil:
Found a digital camera in the bottom of a river while snorkeling. It had been the long enough to have algae growing on it. Got home, took the smartmedia card out of it, and looked at someone's vacation pictures. Nothing wrong with the card whatsoever. |
you can have the same kind of cheap thrill by buying used memory cards off ebay :p |
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08/26/2007 10:29:41 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by crayon:
Originally posted by dudephil:
Found a digital camera in the bottom of a river while snorkeling. It had been the long enough to have algae growing on it. Got home, took the smartmedia card out of it, and looked at someone's vacation pictures. Nothing wrong with the card whatsoever. |
you can have the same kind of cheap thrill by buying used memory cards off ebay :p |
if you guys really want to get deep i have a piece of software that recovers erased shots off a memory card, saved my moms sanity when she accidentally erased all the shots she had taken of my nieces wedding
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08/26/2007 10:43:44 PM · #19 |
| I put a few sd cards through the wash and the dryer in the pocket of a pair of pants..It didn't seem to hurt them I got my pictures off and I still use the cards.. |
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08/27/2007 05:59:34 AM · #20 |
The only problem is now, you can't trust it anymore because the card will start corroding.
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08/27/2007 07:35:31 AM · #21 |
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08/27/2007 09:08:14 AM · #22 |
Originally posted by sabphoto:
Anyone know where the video is of that guy photographing the bridge demolition and his camera actually photographed itself getting slammed with pieces of the bridge? man that was a cool one, I'll have to look for it. Camera pretty much destroyed, card still works great. |
Here's a doc from Sandisk about it that has a couple of thumbnails. Not all the pictures though. This was all I could find. I suspect Sandisk has purchased the rights to these images, as I cannot find them elsewhere. Hopefully those pics helped pay for replacing some of the lost equipment. Good advertising for Sandisk.
Here's the page:
//www.sandisk.com/Corporate/PressRoom/PressReleases/PressRelease.aspx?ID=1111
Message edited by author 2007-08-27 09:11:20. |
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08/27/2007 09:40:43 AM · #23 |
Hi Cristian, I'm glad to hear that you did recover the images, however I agree with K4rp that the card is no longer reliable. Tap water along with the detergents contains bleach and other minerals that most likely degraded the paths and solder joints of the electronic components in the card.
This is the perfect opportunity to get a bigger card!!! Now try not to leave it in your pocket.... ;-)
Edit to add that I enjoyed the all the puns and jokes!!!
Message edited by author 2007-08-27 09:41:49.
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