Question about a weird fix for a laptop that wouldn't boot after a coffee spill

A client brought in a Dell Latitude that got a full cup of coffee dumped on it, and after the usual cleaning it still wouldn't turn on until I left it sitting on a warm air vent for two full days to dry the keyboard ribbon cable.

3 comments

3 Comments

clark.alex2mo ago

Reminds me of a waterlogged Nintendo DS I saved by burying it in a bowl of dry rice for a week. The thing was completely dead, but it slowly came back to life, button by button. I was honestly shocked it ever worked again, but it played Pokemon for another two years before the screen finally gave out.

coleman.gray2mo ago

Sounds risky to leave electronics on a heat source that long. Moisture can get trapped deeper in the board and cause corrosion later. Wouldn't a proper tear-down and isopropyl bath be a safer long-term fix?

nora1102mo ago

Well, the proper fix is always better, but sometimes you just have to work with what you've got. A warm air vent is the tech equivalent of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. It's not in the repair manual, but you can't argue with results if it actually works. I'd still worry about sticky residue causing problems down the road, though. That sugar is going to attract every bit of dust in the county.