Waterproof CF card

Accidentally, my wife washed my jeans with a compact flash card in its pocket. When I realized that I forgot to take it out of the pocket, the jeans were already washed and dryed. I inserted the CF card in my camera and it still works and the images that I took were intact.

Why do the CF card stll working?
Is it safe to use it?
Will the water and heat damage the CF card with time?

AORC said:

Accidentally, my wife washed my jeans with a compact flash card in
its pocket. When I realized that I forgot to take it out of the
pocket, the jeans were already washed and dryed. I inserted the CF
card in my camera and it still works and the images that I took
were intact.

Why do the CF card stll working?
Is it safe to use it?
Will the water and heat damage the CF card with time?

Click to expand...

Testing with CF cards and SmartMedia has revealed that they are incredibly robust. As long as the soap residue was rinsed (I assume it went through the rinse cycle as well as the wash cycle) and thorougly dried, there is no reason why it should not continue to function normally. Static electric discharges are the primary cause of CF card failure. They are relatively immune to shock (from dropping) and from moisture as long as they are clean and thorougly dry before using to prevent short circuiting between contacts.

Yes, there is no reason to not continue to enjoy your CF card after it's accidental dunking.....

Best regards,

Lin

Thank you for your quick response Lin and yes, it went trough all of those cycles. Nevetheless, I'm sure I will be more careful the next time.

Lin Evans said:

AORC said:

Accidentally, my wife washed my jeans with a compact flash card in
its pocket. When I realized that I forgot to take it out of the
pocket, the jeans were already washed and dryed. I inserted the CF
card in my camera and it still works and the images that I took
were intact.

Why do the CF card stll working?
Is it safe to use it?
Will the water and heat damage the CF card with time?

Click to expand...

Testing with CF cards and SmartMedia has revealed that they are
incredibly robust. As long as the soap residue was rinsed (I assume
it went through the rinse cycle as well as the wash cycle) and
thorougly dried, there is no reason why it should not continue to
function normally. Static electric discharges are the primary cause
of CF card failure. They are relatively immune to shock (from
dropping) and from moisture as long as they are clean and thorougly
dry before using to prevent short circuiting between contacts.

Yes, there is no reason to not continue to enjoy your CF card after
it's accidental dunking.....

Best regards,

Lin

Click to expand...

Sorry - but I certainly wouldn't trust that card for mission critical work anymore. If and when it fails, (and it will) you will kick yourself for being penny wise and pound foolish.

Electrical equipment which gets soaking wet WILL fail - it's only a matter of time.

AORC said:

Accidentally, my wife washed my jeans with a compact flash card in
its pocket. When I realized that I forgot to take it out of the
pocket, the jeans were already washed and dryed. I inserted the CF
card in my camera and it still works and the images that I took
were intact.

Why do the CF card stll working?
Is it safe to use it?
Will the water and heat damage the CF card with time?

Click to expand...

I saw a test a while back, where they were dropped from great heights and even frozen in an ice cube tray. After they were properly thawed and dried, they worked fine. I don't advise you to try this, because you'll get the one that surely will fail the test.

lawprofkk said:

Sorry - but I certainly wouldn't trust that card for mission
critical work anymore. If and when it fails, (and it will) you
will kick yourself for being penny wise and pound foolish.

Electrical equipment which gets soaking wet WILL fail - it's only a
matter of time.

Click to expand...

If you understand the construction of SmartMedia and Compact Flash, you will see why that's not necessarily true. Extensive testing was done on the above by highly qualified electronic engineers and the results were definitive - no damage. Because the only thing exposed to the water is the contacts (all circuits - chip, etc. are sealed), when the units are free of contamination from dirt, soap, or other corosive or conductive residue which could cause short circuits, etc., there is no reason why, when completely dried, that there will be any difference in performance than before the soaking.

Best regards,

Lin

Without having any engineering background, I don't think I would be using that card for important photos. Do you know that all of the residue was removed? Could your jeans have run and the dye ran and dried in the card?

Is it really worth it to you to take the chance?

If not sure you could rinse it again and dry it thoroughly using warm air such as from a hairdryer to ensure that no residue remain.

Who is to say that the CF did not get washed in the process of manufacturing it ?

CF are simple device mechanically (not electronically) consisting of a circuit board and a few components, all are waterproof, the danger is in the contact point and the shortcircuiting of the chips. After soldering they are then coatd with a protective layer of chemical which should seal all components from the elements.

The xposed bits are the contact pins as they need to make contact with your camera, residue may build up.

Allen Frankel said:

Without having any engineering background, I don't think I would be
using that card for important photos. Do you know that all of the
residue was removed? Could your jeans have run and the dye ran and
dried in the card?

Is it really worth it to you to take the chance?

Click to expand...

All logical opinions, of course, but i think Lin is probably most on the money.

If the card worked after the washing/drying process, then it was unlikely to have been damaged by by the water. And the gold plated pins will keep them from corroding unless some caustic residue remained on them. Again, from the description, unlikely.

But, this recommedation to use a flowing stream of hot air to dry this type of device concerns me, as that can and does create static charges on it. And, while static charges can lead to immediate failure, they are often responsible for long term failure as well.

Fortunately, CF and other flash memory cards, by design, are protected extremely well against this, in consideration for the frequent (near constant) handling they are subjected to. But it's always a good idea to use caution as it still may be possible to build up a charge adequate to punch through the input clamping diodes of the device.

Frankly, I would have been more concerned about the heat from the clothes dryer physically warping or otherwise damaging the card. The fact that it continued to work is pretty strong testimony in favor of its design and construction. If it were mine, would have no reservations about using it (though I would probably keep a spare close by.)

Rick