[TriLUG] [OT] I killed my laptop ...

[Ed Hill]

On Fri, 2006-03-31 at 16:25 -0500, Matt Frye wrote:
> On 3/29/06, Joseph Mack NA3T <jmack at wm7d.net> wrote:
> > there's very little in modern electronics that will have a
> > problem with (distilled) water or being dunked in Coke, if
> > it's turned off. Everthing is encapsulated in plastic
> > coating of some sort or other.
> 
> Normally, I would agree with this statement, but my experience with
> new-ish Thinkpads tells me differently.  In my case, my T42 came into
> intimate contact with ginger ale while en route to Dallas.  Within 30
> seconds, the screen flickered and the unit shut down...permanently.

Two years ago I accidentally spilled an entire large coffee (with cream
and plenty of sugar) onto the middle of the keyboard of a ThinkPad A22p.
The keyboard was *completely* soaked.  The laptop was on at the time and
it kept right on running.

So I shut it off and quickly cleaned it (basically, wiped it down with
plenty of napkins).  For the next few weeks, the laptop had a "sticky"
CD drive that didn't want to eject.  So I completely disassembled and
cleaned every part as best as I could (including all the dust in the fan
and heat-sinks).  That fixed the sticky CD bay.

The laptop is still regularly used -- its now owned by a friend.  He
says its working nicely.

Ed

-- 
Edward H. Hill III, PhD
office:  MIT Dept. of EAPS;  Rm 54-1424;  77 Massachusetts Ave.
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