Rain Check

The monsoon can play havoc with your electronic gadgets. Brian Pereira tells you how to protect your notebook computer, PDAs and other devices during the season…

The monsoon season is eagerly awaited by many of us in India. The first showers catch intra-city commuters and travellers off guard as they duck for cover in nearby shops and buildings. Some continue the journey, not minding their rain-soaked state. But what about those who carry a cell phone, notebook computer, PDA or some other electronic gadget? These would stop functioning should water or moisture enter the internal circuits. So what can you do to protect these?

All electronic gadgets have PCBs (printed circuit boards) within them. Electronic components (such as chips, capacitors, and resistors) are soldered on these PCBs. The copper tracks 'printed' on these boards carry small amounts of electricity between the various components. If water droplets were deposited across these conductive copper tracks it would short the circuits. As a result, the gadget would cease to function or some of its functions would not respond.

Explains Clyde D'souza, an electronics engineer at Lynx Electronics, "When moisture enters the system electronic chips go into lock mode, or switches short. So the gadget doesn't respond to user commands, or it behaves erratically. We have observed instances when the laser assembly on the CD fails to read the disk, or the CD tray opens and closes. We have also seen failure of the internal power supplies."

But the real culprit is dust, informs D'souza. "Our environment is dusty throughout the year, so dust enters the system through cooling vents and settles on the PCB. When the rains begin, moisture enters the system, mingles with the dust within and forms a sticky paste on the PCB. This causes short-circuiting or component failure. Not surprisingly, we receive six to seven TVs for servicing every day when the monsoons begin."

Condensation on camera, camcorder, and projector lenses is another problem reported by travellers. If a camera or projector is exposed in an air-conditioned room for long, and then suddenly moved to the sunny outdoors, the lens gets "foggy." What really happens is condensation – the cool air near the lenses changes its state to water droplets. While lenses can be wiped with a soft, lint-free cloth from the outside, what does one do if the condensation occurs on the inner surface of the lens?

Technicians say there are two ways to correct this. One is to open the device, remove the components and get to the lenses (and this should be done by an authorised technician only). The other solution (which sometimes works) is to store the device in a place that's at room temperature.

Panic buttons

And what should one do if in the unfortunate circumstance water or moisture does find its way into the electronic gadget? Switch it off immediately and give it to a qualified technician for inspection.

"We have received damp notebooks for servicing. In such cases we open the notebook and clean it from the inside. Then we use a blower to dry it. But if the user switches on a damp notebook, it could cause severe problems," says Romit Dalal, director-technical/operations, Xpress Computers Ltd.

Users can do the blow dry routines themselves (externally). But one should take extreme care while doing this, as the process could damage the external case or internal components.

D'souza of Lynx Electronics offers a word of advice, "Take care not to blast hot air directly on the device for long periods. Use a hair dryer for short 30-second intervals, wait two minutes, and then repeat the action. Don't put the dryer too near the gadget as it could cause overheating."

Water proof

A gadget that's damaged by rain or moisture can cause much heartache especially if you need to use it for business (or have a special attachment towards it). And the (high) cost of repairs could give you a shock, albeit of a different kind. So why not take some precautions to protect your gadgets?

The most obvious thing to do is to wrap the gadget in plastic. New notebook computers and PDAs are wrapped in special anti-static plastic covers. Most of us thoughtlessly discard these covers – retain these and use during the monsoons.

You can laminate your mobile phone to protect it from dust and moisture. Notebook computers are often sold with special carry cases. These are also widely available in airport duty-free or luggage shops (check out the range from Targus).

Some major shopping centres sell custom-made, clear plastic anti-static covers. These can protect monitors, TVs, and audio systems from dust and moisture.

Another effective solution is to use dehumidifiers. For example silica gel is a good absorber of moisture. It is available in pouches at the pharmacy store. Remember to replace the silica gel pouches every three months.

"Silica gel crystals work well for small gadgets like cameras and PDAs. However, computer and music systems have electronic components scattered all over (on the inside), and silica gel would be ineffective if used externally," says D'souza.

Business travellers who regularly visit damp or dusty places might want to consider special Rugged Notebooks. These are built to withstand extreme weather conditions, dusty environments and also rough handling. Rugged Notebooks are used by journalists and mission specialists in warfare, and also in geological expeditions.