Fried Screen??

[DoctorHamburglar]

Hey guys and gals,

A few months ago, I had an unfortunate drinking accident, and got my droid wet. It was not submerged, but it got wet between the slider and under the battery. When I found my phone like this, I immediately pulled the battery, and laid it on the window sill to dry out. After a few hours, I put the phone in rice (it worked for a friend) and left it alone for around 36 hours. When I plugged it in to charge, the screen lit up and everything seemed to be working, so I left it alone while I went along with my business. When I returned to check for next texts (around 30 minutes later), the screen was black. I turned the phone off, and turned it back on. The (M) symbol appeared on the screen, but then went back to black. Now when I turn the phone on, the LEDs lights up, the sounds work, and the touch screen even seems to work (it vibrates when I touch the slide lock, and when I press on the screen as if to move icons). Just wondering it there is anything I can do to repair this, or if the hardware is just fried (mother board, screen, etc...).

I searched around many forums looking for an answer, but I couldn't find the answers I was looking for. Apologies in advance if something similar was asked before. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[christim]

You could bring it into a Verizon store and see what they say. There is a guide here saying rice is not the answer. Rice sucks up the moisture and leaves mineral deposits behind. That can short things out or make things behave funny. Immediately yanking the batter and dropping it into rubbing alcohol is what the guide suggests. This will displace the water. Leave it there for 3-4 days or even longer. Taking the phone apart would help, then letting it dry out for a week should ensure the alcohol evaporates.

No idea if this is what happened to your screen or not. I don't know if I'd want to go through this process now but if it is a totally lost cause you might consider it.

You could also probably purchase a used D1 if you don't have insurance. A bunch of folks have been turning retiring theirs has they get new phones. I know of some who put them up on e-bay.

Good luck!

 

[DoctorHamburglar]

Well, I'm not too concerned with replacing this phone; at this point, a D1 is a fossil! Was just tinkering around it today, because I got bored, and the more I look at it, the more I want to find out what's wrong with it. I carefully took it apart today, trying to see if anything looked amiss in the circuitry, but I didn't notice anything (or maybe I just don't know enough about electronics to have seen a problem). I read about the alcohol method, but I wasn't sure if the damage had already been done, and I would have just be wasting my time. I might just go ahead and do it anyway. However, I'm thinking it has to be something wrong with the screen itself. I just checked the phone again, to be positive on what I was posting, and everything else is working. Is there any place online to get a replacement LCD, or would that be more expensive than just buying another one of these phones?

 

[christim]

I know folks have looked over time for replacement screens. No idea if an outlet ever turned up. I don't know what soaked the droid, but if it was rum and cokes or wine or coffee or something then trying to clean it all off with rubbing alcohol may do the trick. I really don't see it hurting as long as it is totally dry when you pop the battery back in.

Can you get into the recovery screens? You could try and guess the movements to mount the SD card too, just to see if that part is functioning.

Try calling the phone. It rings? That should tell you if it is just the screen. USB cable port lights up when charging too?

 

[DoctorHamburglar]

Well, by unplugging the phone and pulling the battery, I discovered that the phone won't turn on without being plugged into the charger. Maybe the battery is messed up, too? Still wouldn't explain the screen, though. Can't reach the recovery screen. I guess I should have been more clear: The (M) symbol appeared THE FIRST TIME I turned it on. Every time I've turned it on since has produced nothing but black screen. The USB cable port does light up, but I'm not sure about calls. I switched back to my old RAZR shortly after the accident, and never tried to call it. I do hear that the new text message chime play at boot up, but that may be from messages that I received the night before. I'm starting to think that it's a lost cause, but I'm gonna try the alcohol method for ****s and giggles. With alcohol it was destroyed; with alcohol it shall be resurrected?