Dealing with Seawater in my Coolpix

[david_senesac]

Yesterday Saturday February 17 was quite a pleasant day here in Northern

California with sunny record 70F plus degree temps so I was down working the

local shoreline with both my view camera and the my 7mp Coolpix 7900 digital

camera. As a long time photographer of wave zones on Pacific shores I know

well one ought always needs to keep an eye and ear on approaching waves.

Although it is inevitable I will occasionally receive ankle deep overwashes of

the rushing surf on a beach, I rarely get soaked above my knees. When near

deep water right next to the shore, one ought to always be aware of rogue

waves.

 

The sound of the first of a large set of waves caught my attention as I was

focused on the sand so stood up looking seaward. As a large swell arched up a

couple hundred yards out, I decided to merely climb atop a nearby 5 foot high

wall of rock instead of walking further up the shore. The wave was far larger

than any others, exploding over boulders at the shore edge then racing up to

my position where the water splashed upward over my boulder. I had turned my

back to the ocean, hand over the camera lens against my chest, but seawater

still managed to penetrate down onto the back LCD/button side of the camera. I

quickly wiped off some seawater on the lcd and buttons. The display at first

continued to appear normally but then some image breakup began. After a couple

minutes button control stopped so I pulled out the battery to turn it off.

 

I've been an electronic tech and hardware electronic test engineer for three

decades so had some hope of bringing the camera back to life. I thought about

a handheld LCD game I used to enjoy playing then years ago died after a soda

with its conductive sugary liquid had gotten inside and killed it. Although I

rinsed the insides out, it never worked again. Little digital cameras have all

manner of easily damaged tiny electronic and mechanical parts densely squeezed

into tiny packages. Even though I've worked on a great many microelectronic

systems, unless one has instructions of how to disassemble specific devices,

just taking the cover screws out to look inside can be dangerous as mechanical

parts and wires may move out of proper positioning.

 

Quickly back in my car with the backside of my clothing wet, I used a jewelers

phillips screwdrive to remove the half dozen case screws and was glad the

LCD/button side of the camera opened up without anything going boing. Also

was glad to see just a few drops of seawater had gotten inside here and there

which I soaked off with a tissue. On top three cables from a printed circuit

board led up to the now loose LCD side of the case. The circut board had

several fine pitch large scale integrated circuits surface mount soldered to

the board along with lots of tiny discrete electronic parts and wires. I

could see the seawater could have easily enter around the edges of the LCD

panel or any of the several small buttons. From the way the failure

gradually occured, I reasoned the seawater probaby caused the highest speed

clocking signals to degrade where the conductive liquid bridged between

adjacent IC pins. My strategy would be to hopefully rinse out the salty

conductive seawater.

 

I drove home then under a strong light at my bathroom sink worked the camera

above a metal tray to catch tiny screws. For an hour I carefully used small

pieces of duct tape to cover circuit board holes and mask off ways the water I

would be applying, might enter the considerable areas of the camera beneath the

circuit board. This highest grade Nassua 333 duct tape has terrific glue for

sealing off holes or keeping wires out of the way. If any of the rinsed salt

managed to get below the board, that could also be electronic death. I would

not be able to disassemble the camera beyond the point I'd managed. Like other

modern circuit boards, there is a protective coating atop board traces so the

likely places contaminated were just around the many unprotected IC pins. I

had to gingerly remove a few tiny cable connectors and more screws to work on

the board.

 

I took an old well cleaned Windex bottle sprayer and dipped it into a glass of

distilled water. Note pure water is non-conductive while tap water impurities

may be conductive enough to disrupt electronic functions. Then with the

camera's circuit board face downward, carefully aimed the sprayer upward and

rinsed all areas of IC pins. Next with the board still facing downward so

water would not seep below the board, I used a hair dryer on warm to dry the

board from below. I took apart the button/LCD side of the case that likely

still had salt residues on it and likewise rinsed out those areas. Even though

it had no electronic parts, I wanted to rid those areas of salty residues lest

they manage to recontaminate insides in the future. Finally I removed the

tape, reinstalled the cables, and screws.

 

Over at my battery charger, I picked up one freshly charged battery, and pushed

it into the battery slot. As I did so, the camera automatically caused the

lens that had been extended all this time to now retract back into the camera

body, its normall off condition. Well that was a good sign! I pushed on the

POWER button and heard the standard power up tune play with the LCD lighting up

into an initiation menu for setting the date and time. Well all seems back to

normal. I had a $400 smile!

 

...David

 

http://www.davidsenesac.com

 

[art_haykin]

Were I you, I'd abandon photography, quit my job, and become a non-fiction writer.

[jimstrutz]

I think I'll bookmark this page.

 

Very well executed save. Unless there's salt still hiding in there someplace, it should last. One has to wonder if a Nikon is worth the effort, but that's just me bigotry showing. :)

[sebastian_galbo1]

What kind of an answer is that.....Art(?)?

[jimstrutz]

Sebastian, I think Art was complimenting David on his well written text. He obviously has a knack for making things clear.

[tripanfal]

I also read that as a compliment.

 

Good save BTW. I think most of us (me included) would have turned that thing into a doorstop. It takes me mere seconds to render anything electronic to scrap the second I touch it with a screwdriver.

[niall_church]

......Me!...I can't wait for the sequel! 'Coolpix strikes back'!

[jay_jeffery]

Impressive story.

In my opinion, the most wasted camera is the one that sits idle. I can't help but admire someone willing to put their camera in harms way to get some good shots. Kudos to you.

Did any of the picture at the shore that day tun out well?

[Rene11664880918]

Nice save! Great story! I'm not sure if I feel like going to the beach or crying coz of the happy ending! Well, now that you save it, enjoy it!

[phule]

Great story. Thanks for writing this all up David. :)

[david_senesac]

Jay Jeffery >>>"... Did any of the picture at the shore that day tun out well?

 

Yes it was quite an excellent day both with my 4x5 and Coolpix. Here is a closeup image I've labeled "The Giant Red Spot of Jupiter" I wasn't able to set up for with my view camera due to timing with the tide but did manage a fast Coolpix image.

 

...David

http://www.davidsenesac.com

 

http://www.davidsenesac.com/slideshows/seashore_cu720/red_spot_jupiter.jpg