Like the title says, what are the damage mechanisms when there is no current flowing in the electronics? Additionally, what methods do hardware manufacturers use to “waterproof” electronics?
In: Engineering
Water damage to an unpowered electronic device comes in three forms: Retention, corrosion and contamination.
First, retention. When water gets into an electric device, it will flow into every little crevice it can. It can be difficult to get all of the water out once it’s in, and water can cause a number of problems once it’s in. Ignoring any problems with electrical shorts (we’ll get to those), the heat of the device can flash-boil small amounts of water, and the resulting steam can cause problems on its own.
Second, corrosion. In the presence of water, certain materials used in the device may corrode. This changes the electrical properties of these materials and may lead to permanent damage when it’s later powered on.
Finally, contamination. Water on its own is mostly electrically neutral, but it’s also a very good solvent. Most water that you come into contact with is not pure water, but rather it contains copious amounts of trace minerals. These minerals, suspended in solution, can often be good conductors of electricity. And when water gets into your device, it can leave deposits of those minerals behind even after the water evaporates off. These mineral deposits can then cause electrical shorts, damaging your device.
Additionally, since water is a good solvent, it can dissolve some materials used in the construction of the device, and deposit those materials onto the rest of the control board – again causing electrical shorts.
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