Help [Resolved: Phone Swap] Help. I'm Experiencing Random Blackouts.

[ProfeZZor X]

I've had the thing since it first came out, and it got slightly wet when I went to a water park (yeah I know dumb move, but I brought it along in case of an emergency). I proceeded to dry it off immediately, removed the case, popped the cover, made sure the battery was dry, and wiped any remaining water on it that would pose a threat. It seemed a little off at first when it wouldn't come on, but after pushing the button a few times it came on. I tested some of the apps and the seemed to work okay. So I put it away and went about my business. When I got home, I immediately let it soak overnight in a sealed container of rice, to help drain any other water that might be an issue. Again, on the following day I'd get random blackouts where I'd be using it, and the screen would go into a dim mode, and flash in and out of brightness. And each time it flashed, it got dimmer and dimmer until the screen goes black. The buttons below are illuminated, but the screen just goes black.

It happened again yesterday while I was playing the Spider-Man game, but after a reboot it was fine. It was somewhat hot yesterday, and my palms started to sweat a little while playing it, but not so perfusely that it soaked the device. This is probably the 5 time it's blacked out, and it just seems so random when it does happen. I have an appointment with Sprint this afternoon, so I hope their tech personnel can resolve the issue or just give me another phone.

It may inevitably come down to it getting wet that Saturday (June 25th), but if not, I must have really pissed someone off, considering my original box and the charger was stolen within 20 minutes of getting the phone, and now this. It's a wonder how I can keep a straight face without spontaneously laughing out loud in histeria.

 

[marctronixx]

could be water damage. the phone is so thin and compact that it will not take a lot of water to damage internal components.

a hard reset is definitely a recommendation and if it still behaves badly, replacement.

 

[EarlyMon]

Well, lesson learned.

When a phone gets wet, do NOT turn it on to see if it works until it's completely dry.

Electronics get water baths during manufacturing - water alone is usually not an issue.

Sediments left behind may cause short circuits: issue. Running electronics with moisture inside creating short circuits: issue.

Best luck with your phone.

 

[jerofld]

Rice is mostly a myth. The following article mentions Blackberries, but works for anything, if anything is going to work. Except we would have our phones face up, because we don't have physical keyboards. For future reference. (Also, stick your E3D in the glove box next time).

How to Deal with a BlackBerry thats Gotten Wet–THE RIGHT WAY | Medic Three

 

[EarlyMon]

That's a pretty good article - except for the alcohol - that can fog some displays. Ours are glass, so maybe that's ok but still...

 

[jerofld]

At least the part about taking it as far apart as you can without tools, separating them, and letting them dry should be done.

 

[PyroSporker]

Rice is mostly a myth. The following article mentions Blackberries, but works for anything, if anything is going to work. Except we would have our phones face up, because we don't have physical keyboards. For future reference. (Also, stick your E3D in the glove box next time).

How to Deal with a BlackBerry thats Gotten Wet–THE RIGHT WAY | Medic Three

Fun yet semi-informative. I probably wouldn't subscribe to the process, but in my book everyone can have their own methods.

This was the highlight of it for me. Hilarious!:

The prinicipal behind rice is that it “draws” out the moisture. While yes, rice does absorb a great deal of moisture, its drawing power is very limited. There are no rice gnomes that sneak out of the rice and bring the moisture back for the rice gods.

Prevention is the best solution to the problem though. Just like Smokey says:
"

...can prevent water logged gadgets". Er, something like that.

 

[ProfeZZor X]

I guess my first reaction was to get as much water out of the phone as quickly as possible. I wasn't about to ruin my kids day by hurrying out of the water park to go home and follow those steps... Which by the way are great ideas.

I guess Sprint will advise me on what they'll do when I take it to them today. I'm fully covered for a replacement, unlike with my previous Touch Pro 2.

 

[marctronixx]

if they look at the water sensor and if it shows as being damaged by water, they will not replace it for free. that's user error/damage and would be covered under your assurion insurance at a cost. and i KNOW you have the ins.

i dont think anyone was expecting you to stop and get home to repair your device, however taking your handset to a water park with no protection is just asking for trouble. i would imagine the park would have a locker to store items? or if not, as mentioned a glove box is a great place also.

 

[NeoteriX]

That's a pretty good article - except for the alcohol - that can fog some displays. Ours are glass, so maybe that's ok but still...

Though the article says otherwise, I don't see why rinsing in distilled water is such a bad thing. Provided that we can make sure the phone dries out completely (and assuming no initial damage to the phone from the original submersion) can't we assume that a healthy rinsing of distilled water would wash away any impurities/sediment/dissolved ions or salt that could pose a short circuit risk?

Or is it that alcohol is superior at vaporizing and that we can't ensure that distilled water will completely dry/vaporize out?

I'm assuming that if we put the phone near a synthetic desiccant like silica gel or on top of a humidifier, that ought to handle any remaining water inside.

 

[ProfeZZor X]

if they look at the water sensor and if it shows as being damaged by water, they will not replace it for free. that's user error/damage and would be covered under your assurion insurance at a cost. and i KNOW you have the ins.

i dont think anyone was expecting you to stop and get home to repair your device, however taking your handset to a water park with no protection is just asking for trouble. i would imagine the park would have a locker to store items? or if not, as mentioned a glove box is a great place also.

The other problem that I didn't mention was that the dedicated camera button also stopped working. It'll go through the motions of taking the picture, focus, and make the sound, but without actually taking the picture. While I was at Sprint I showed it to him and he said that my phone is the first 3VO to have issues. But he was cool, because he was the same guy that helped me when I first got the phone a few days ago. My lunch was almost over, so I had to come back to work, but I'll pick it up when I get off.

If they do replace the phone, I hope they don't toss my screen protector. Those things aren't cheap.

 

[marctronixx]

to take a photo you you press the button halfway to focus, etc then press it fully down to snap the photo. just making sure we are on the same page with that.

much success on the replacement.

 

[ProfeZZor X]

Just as quickly as I had a problem, Sprint offered me a quick solution... They just up and replaced the phone altogether.

No more fade to black issues, and no camera button issues. In fact, the tech really didn't want to bother trying to fix it at all, he just swapped out my info and gave me a brand new phone. AND... Since those guys remembered my seriesof unfortunate events on my first day (box, charger & old phone stolen), they gave me a new charger. So now I have wo home chargers, one for work, and one for my car. And I'll be damned if I run out of juice for this phone now.

So all in all, everything worked out for the best. And because I had just arranged my widgets and contacts the other day, it only took me a couple of minutes to get the phone as right as rain again.

 

[Kevmo]

My phone was submerged in water for about 3 seconds just today.
I took it out, dryed it off, and let it sit for half an hour with he battery out. Then I tested it and tried to turn it on. It worked fine, but the screen flickered a few times so I took the battery out and stuck it in rice. 6 hours later I took it out of the rice and tested it. This time the screen did not turn on. The buttons at the bottom lit up, so did the notification light. My phone also vibrates when I have notifications, the screen doesn't show anything however. Does anyone know what the problem may be and how it may be remedied.

 

[marctronixx]

you should have done the rice trick FIRST. water is NOT forgiving to electronics. by reinserting the battery back in the first time, you caused further damage.

the unit is most likely suffered irreparable damage to the main board and/or digitizer.

of course you have insurance, so just setup a claim.