Help my waterlogged iPod
May 16, 2010 10:15 AM Subscribe
Yet another iPhone/iPod Touch in water question. But wait, this one is different!
So I dropped my iPod touch in a sink full of water on Wednesday. I immediately dried it off with a towel and put it in a bowl of uncooked rice, where it has been sitting since then.
The problem is, the iPod did not turn off when it went in the water, and when I tried to turn it off (by holding the sleep button), I couldn't slide the red "unlock" bar to confirm that I wanted to shut it off (apparently the touch screen isn't working).
So at this point I'm pretty sure that the thing is fully dried out, but it's been powered on (asleep) this whole time. What should I try next? Syncing and resetting? Leave it in rice longer?
So I dropped my iPod touch in a sink full of water on Wednesday. I immediately dried it off with a towel and put it in a bowl of uncooked rice, where it has been sitting since then.
The problem is, the iPod did not turn off when it went in the water, and when I tried to turn it off (by holding the sleep button), I couldn't slide the red "unlock" bar to confirm that I wanted to shut it off (apparently the touch screen isn't working).
So at this point I'm pretty sure that the thing is fully dried out, but it's been powered on (asleep) this whole time. What should I try next? Syncing and resetting? Leave it in rice longer?
Hold down the sleep and home button for 10 seconds to reset the phone completely--this is kind of a reboot.
And kudos for you for having the patience to wait this long to see if your phone is fried...I can barely wait 24 hours when I have done things like this.
posted by murrey at 11:11 AM on May 16, 2010
And kudos for you for having the patience to wait this long to see if your phone is fried...I can barely wait 24 hours when I have done things like this.
posted by murrey at 11:11 AM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: My iPhone went through the wash - on. After I had realized what had happened I let the phone dry in rice for a few days. When I eventually turned it on the phone worked however the LCD backlight had burnt out.
After searching eBay I found a new screen (LCD touch screen digitzer, glass, button and front piece) that made replacement easy.
If you phone turns on at all feel free to mefi mail me and I will try to be of help.
posted by axismundi at 11:51 AM on May 16, 2010
After searching eBay I found a new screen (LCD touch screen digitzer, glass, button and front piece) that made replacement easy.
If you phone turns on at all feel free to mefi mail me and I will try to be of help.
posted by axismundi at 11:51 AM on May 16, 2010
Best answer: First of all, I am presuming this is a iPhone 3G or 3Gs.
Here's what to do if you haven't already: Take it from the rice, plug it in, and let it charge for some hours. Then switch it on.
It sounds as if it will come on.
If it does come on, but the on-screen slider doesn't work, chances are your glass touchscreen will need to be replaced. That's easy enough, and will set you back $25 (including s&h) on ebay. Just search for iphone 3g screen.
Changing that out is easy. Most of the screens come with a little useless opener tool. Go to Home Depot or Radio Shack and buy a set of tiny/electronics screwdrivers. $10. You will need a really tiny (but strong) flat-head and a philips head.
There are plenty of videos on youtube which show you how to do this. IMO, the most important thing is to be gentle removing the LCD screen. I use "pry" between the frame and the LCD screen unit on the sides to free it up, popping it free of the frame instead of from the bottom. But I have done it both ways.
It can be done without a heat gun but removing the glass is much easier with a heat gun. $25. Oh, and be careful with heating up and peeling off glass around the "home" button. The frame which holds all this stuff together is pretty malleable when warmed up. Meaning, your button will still work, it just might lose that nice "snap/pop" it has. However, you can always open up the phone again and put a piece of paper between it and the frame. That fixes it.
Taking off the glass means scraping off the left-over adhesive. Replacement touchscreen glass always comes with these weird little stickers which are pretty effective once you figure them out. I cut the middles out of the die-cut strips and just put in the stuff in as corner pieces. Heating up the adhesive strips after you attach them and then letting them cool makes it much easier to pull off the (tricky) backing.
If your screen is all white, its the LCD digitizer. That's another $25. Easier to replace than the glass touchscreen.
If you replace the touch screen, and it still doesn't work, it's the frame, which is plastic but holds some electronics. Another $25.
Lastly, you probably won't have to go through any of this stuff because it will hopefully work. Have fun. PS if it's a 2G, you're screwed.
posted by humannaire at 8:19 PM on May 16, 2010
Here's what to do if you haven't already: Take it from the rice, plug it in, and let it charge for some hours. Then switch it on.
It sounds as if it will come on.
If it does come on, but the on-screen slider doesn't work, chances are your glass touchscreen will need to be replaced. That's easy enough, and will set you back $25 (including s&h) on ebay. Just search for iphone 3g screen.
Changing that out is easy. Most of the screens come with a little useless opener tool. Go to Home Depot or Radio Shack and buy a set of tiny/electronics screwdrivers. $10. You will need a really tiny (but strong) flat-head and a philips head.
There are plenty of videos on youtube which show you how to do this. IMO, the most important thing is to be gentle removing the LCD screen. I use "pry" between the frame and the LCD screen unit on the sides to free it up, popping it free of the frame instead of from the bottom. But I have done it both ways.
It can be done without a heat gun but removing the glass is much easier with a heat gun. $25. Oh, and be careful with heating up and peeling off glass around the "home" button. The frame which holds all this stuff together is pretty malleable when warmed up. Meaning, your button will still work, it just might lose that nice "snap/pop" it has. However, you can always open up the phone again and put a piece of paper between it and the frame. That fixes it.
Taking off the glass means scraping off the left-over adhesive. Replacement touchscreen glass always comes with these weird little stickers which are pretty effective once you figure them out. I cut the middles out of the die-cut strips and just put in the stuff in as corner pieces. Heating up the adhesive strips after you attach them and then letting them cool makes it much easier to pull off the (tricky) backing.
If your screen is all white, its the LCD digitizer. That's another $25. Easier to replace than the glass touchscreen.
If you replace the touch screen, and it still doesn't work, it's the frame, which is plastic but holds some electronics. Another $25.
Lastly, you probably won't have to go through any of this stuff because it will hopefully work. Have fun. PS if it's a 2G, you're screwed.
posted by humannaire at 8:19 PM on May 16, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks, axismundi and humannaire. This is a 3rd generation iPod Touch, but from what I've found online the replacement process is fairly similar to the 3rd generation iPhone. Sounds like I need a new touch screen!
I will try to remember to post followup after I source and replace the broken part.
posted by rossination at 7:05 AM on May 17, 2010
I will try to remember to post followup after I source and replace the broken part.
posted by rossination at 7:05 AM on May 17, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by rossination at 10:39 AM on May 16, 2010