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Water damaged M8.2


Larsnl

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Hi. First post.

 

I just purchased a M8.2. The last owner said that the camera was laying under a stroller(?) for about 30 minutes, it was not raining, but the ground was wet. When he tried to turn it on, it didn't work. I asked him about the batteries, and he had tried with two batteries, but nothing...

 

My simple mind then think that this can be fixed some how.

 

Is there some parts that's more sensitive to water than others? What should I start with? I'm thinking that it could be something simple as the on/off leaver, and by cleaning the PCB in the top plate with alcohol may solve the problem.

 

I'm not sure how long it's been since the camera was exposed to water.

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Moisture damage, certainly if the function of the camera is impaired, means RIP.

 

The camera should not get damaged by lying on a wet floor, but as these stories go, it might be slightly disingenuous . Wet under a stroller might mean a deep puddle and 30 minutes in there would certainly finish the camera off.

Edited by jaapv
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Agree with Jaap. Water inside the camera can cause an electrical short, especially if the camera was powered on, and it can damage the delicate internal circuitry. Leaving moisture in the camera for an extended period can also cause corrosion. You could try sending it to Leica to see if they are able to repair it, but most likely it would be more economical to ask the seller to give you your money back, and buy an M8 that you can actually test and verify that it works.

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Electrolytic corrosion is fast. It starts as soon as a power-carrying printed circuit gets moist and will throw shorts all over the circuitry within a few hours. If one opens such an electronic piece of gear up the green corrosion products are all over.

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Edited by jaapv
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Probably not from the outside.

The switch is a very unlikely suspect. It is not a real power switch, but a digital mode selector. If it does not work any more, especially under these circumstances, the most likely scenario is that the electronics are irrepairably damaged.

90 $ is OK. The bottom plate alone, if it is in good shape, should fetch double that on ebay.

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Probably not from the outside.

The switch is a very unlikely suspect. It is not a real power switch, but a digital mode selector. If it does not work any more, especially under these circumstances, the most likely scenario is that the electronics are irrepairably damaged.

90 $ is OK. The bottom plate alone, if it is in good shape, should fetch double that on ebay.

 

I was thinking about when I open it up, and inspect the circuit boards. If it's damage, should I be able to see the corrosion, or can it be damage with no corrosion?

 

Yeah, thought $90 was a good deal. It comes with original strap too, and that's worth about $50 itself.

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Throw the camera in a bag of rice for a couple of days and see if it works.

Could be that some moisture is shorting a circuit.

Hopefully the rice will absorb the moisture.

 

Johann

Edited by JohannB
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Throw the camera in a bag of rice for a couple of days and see if it works.

Could be that some moisture is shorting a circuit.

Hopefully the rice will absorb the moisture.

 

Johann

 

Even if it's been several weeks since the incident?

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Throw the camera in a bag of rice for a couple of days and see if it works.

Could be that some moisture is shorting a circuit.

Hopefully the rice will absorb the moisture.

 

Johann

It might help for an analog camera….
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Rice is unlikely to work so long after the moisture entered, plus the camera is too well sealed for the moisture to simply come out again ;)

 

On a side note, I have had an iPhone in a bag of rice for a couple of days now after my partner decided to wash her phone on a 40 degrees spin cycle. It hasn't helped....

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Rice is unlikely to work so long after the moisture entered, plus the camera is too well sealed for the moisture to simply come out again ;)

 

On a side note, I have had an iPhone in a bag of rice for a couple of days now after my partner decided to wash her phone on a 40 degrees spin cycle. It hasn't helped....

 

The iPhone didn't like the washing machine? :p Well, I don't think rice is going to have an effect, since it's been such a long time since the exposure.

 

I'm gonna open it's gut, and see what is going on, and take it from there I think.

 

I'm receiving it tomorrow. Pics will come :)

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My thread from 2007 "Anatomy of the Leica M8" might be useful in finding your way around.

 

I agree with others here that electrolytic action may have killed it.

 

I actually red that earlier today :) Very nice. And now I know what's waiting in there, or at least how it's suppose to look like :)

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Hi. First post.

 

I just purchased a M8.2. The last owner said that the camera was laying under a stroller(?) for about 30 minutes, it was not raining, but the ground was wet. When he tried to turn it on, it didn't work. I asked him about the batteries, and he had tried with two batteries, but nothing...

 

My simple mind then think that this can be fixed some how.

 

Is there some parts that's more sensitive to water than others? What should I start with? I'm thinking that it could be something simple as the on/off leaver, and by cleaning the PCB in the top plate with alcohol may solve the problem.

 

I'm not sure how long it's been since the camera was exposed to water.

 

The only way to be sure is to totally dismantle the camera and see what is affected.

 

This is no small feat and you could make a small career doing this and even if you could fix it, getting it back together successfully is another story.

 

I've worked in electronics all my life and have tools for working surface mount components, microscopes, and all kind of specialized miniature hand tools and I would probably be loath to try to fix it.

 

Then again, if someone offered me a dead Leica M8.2 for $90 I would probably have bought it for nothing else than parts for my M8 should I ever need them.

 

In your case I think you just got a $90 shelf ornament.

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the base plate, battery and strap should easily cover the expense.

 

Perhaps Leica will offer you an upgrade plan to an ME or a discounted M? :rolleyes:

 

I would try the silicon/rice trick. And I disagree that the moisture won't come out of the camera. If you use silica crystals and first dry the silica in a warm oven or microwave- then surround the camera with it in a sealed container- it will really suck any moisture in the camera out of it. There are plenty of ways for the water to get in- and out.

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the base plate, battery and strap should easily cover the expense.

 

Perhaps Leica will offer you an upgrade plan to an ME or a discounted M? :rolleyes:

 

I would try the silicon/rice trick. And I disagree that the moisture won't come out of the camera. If you use silica crystals and first dry the silica in a warm oven or microwave- then surround the camera with it in a sealed container- it will really suck any moisture in the camera out of it. There are plenty of ways for the water to get in- and out.

 

Do you think they would do that?

 

I think it will work at least if I take of the buttom and top plate. But I doubt that there's still any moisture in there though.

Edited by Larsnl
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