Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 camera with gyro-stabilised lens

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?

Reply to
N_Cook
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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.

Reply to
N_Cook

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.

Reply to
Mike Coon

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 .

Reply to
N_Cook

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.

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Jeff
Reply to
Jeff Layman

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".

Reply to
N_Cook

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

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Reply to
Ralph Mowery

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: . 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.

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Jeff
Reply to
Jeff Layman

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

Reply to
Ralph Mowery

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, s o you have nothing to lose.

120F is no worse than the camera being in a vehicle on a hot day. Or outsid e 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 wa ter 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.

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Peter Wieck Melrose Park, PA

Reply to
pfjw

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

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Jeff-1.0 
wa6fwi 
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Reply to
Foxs Mercantile

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. (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.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

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.

Reply to
Mike Coon

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
Reply to
makolber

For a 30cm radius drum, spinning at 1500rpm, it would be about 750g (according to )

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Jeff
Reply to
Jeff Layman

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: 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.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
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Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

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