Surface Pro 3 Discussion Thread

You're right Jim. I'll probably wait to 4th of July; just didn't want you all to think I was a scardy cat !

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<<...I had a water bottle leaking in my bag yesterday and the AC adapter was flooded entirely... Any advice?...>>

Regarding a recent problem with a water-logged AC adapter, and the recommendation to put it in a container of rice:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/14/9326035/can-rice-actually-save-your-wet-phone

"In the experimental measurements, slightly more water was lost to evaporation simply by leaving the waterlogged device in an open room than by enclosing it in a container of rice..."

Bottom line is it's an urban myth...

(Courtesy of theVerge site)

 

This, not rice, is proven to help. The Verge article, like many of theirs, has shoddy, incomplete research. Also they quoted a man named Beineke, same name as the tax cheat on Breaking Bad, lol

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Interesting, I once dropped a phone in water and put it in a bag with rice and left it in the window sill, and since the phone was revived I swear by the method. Maybe it was the window sill.

Twitter is to communications as haiku is to literature.

 

It's not saying that rice doesn't work, it's saying that rice doesn't work any better than leaving it out in the open air of a room, and probably not as well. (Unless you live in a sauna or something!)

Hm, scoopable cat litter makes sense as an alternative. But I bet my cat would play with the phone, and chew it. My Lumia 920 has her bite marks already on one corner.

 

There is a Phd dissertation here I suspect. Any mariner knows that rice in a salt shaker keeps salt from clumping. It seems a natural assumption that it would make a good desiccant and help remove moisture inside a phone where air is not likely to exchange easily. While I don't really consider the Verge article definitive, it's good enough to make me rethink recommending the rice trick unless I know it works.

 

Rice is produced by drying paddy. Therefore, fresh dry rice must act as a desiccant somewhat like silica gel. Once exposed to moisture for enough time it will get re-hydrated and lose activity. It might be possible to reactivate it by drying again or frying in a pan. Rice powder may be more efficient in this respect due to increased surface area. Don't know somebody has quantified these things.

 

My thoughts exactly when I read the, so called, study. How long had his Uncle Ben's box been open in his pantry at home? Only a fresh-package of rice would work to wick moisture.

 

Oh hai! 10 days after charger death, it came back to life after I'd mostly given up on it and just sullenly occasionally tried hooking it up. It spent the last 6 just sitting there in air. So add that to your scientific evidence of either way.

I've used rice in the past with seemingly good results. I do feel that it helps things dry faster than some other case scenarios, but attribute it no special powers. I mean if I could leave the phone sitting out in warm summer air with a fan going on it, that would be great too...but someone would probably just walk up and take it!

 

<<...10 days after charger death, it came back to life...>>

...I'm not surprised. As far as rice is concerned, simply keeping a wet device gently warmed and allowing air to circulate is both economical and un-wasteful! It has the advantage that the volume of air is (essentially) unlimited...