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I get a lot of emails asking about what to do when a PSP gets dropped in water or left out
in the rain or something along those lines. There really isn't a whole lot I can say on the
subject other than time is definitely of the essence. Quite often somebody will get their
console wet and let it lay around to dry for a while then start playing as normal thinking all
is well. This is not the case. What happens to electrical components is that even once
components slowly eating away at it until it finally gives out. By that point there's nothing
anybody can do about it other than replace the damaged part and this can quickly add up to
a lot of money. Now if the PSP just got a small amount of water dripped on it with any luck
it probably won't end up being that big of a deal but if it really got soaked it's absolutely
imperative that you get it cleaned up as quickly as possible. I had one customer who's son
left the PSP in the bathroom while he took a hot shower and the resulting condensation
just wrecked the whole thing.
Another thing to keep in mind is that once it's gotten wet you have a much better chance of
coming out of it with no permanent damage if you don't try to turn it on or charge it until
after it's been cleaned up. Even when everything seems dry as a bone there can still be
tiny amounts of water underneath the microchips and sending an electric current through it
is the worst thing you can possibly do.
In summation, if your PSP got pretty well soaked you'll want to take the entire console
apart as soon as possible to let it dry out properly and then clean the various electrical
components with rubbing alcohol to prevent the above mentioned corrosion from setting in.
Most people aren't up to this kind of work but there are things you can do yourself before
sending it to someone like me to do the job.
Number one is to take the battery out and leave it out until the console's ready to be used
again. Take out the memory card and UMD game if they're in there and leave the memory
card cover and UMD door open. Leave the battery cover off as well and of course dry it all
off as well as you can and put it somewhere warm to help the water evaporate. If you
happen to have a #000 screwdriver handy you can go ahead and take the faceplate off
which will help a lot with the drying process. Once you've done all you can yourself get it
to a repair shop asap. If you're mailing it you can package it up for transit, doors/covers
still open, in loosely wadded up newspaper or paper towels to help it dry out a little more
while it's on the way. The good news here is that no matter how wet it got if you follow the
instructions above there's a very good chance it'll come back to life and keep playing like
new for years to come.
One thing I have to mention is that a few people on the Internet suggest putting it in the
oven to dry which can easily turn into a disaster if you're not careful. I've received
partially melted PSP's and there's just no hope at that point and for goodness sake please
don't put it in the microwave :-)
That said, if you'd like me to take care of it I'll be happy to do so and with any luck it'll only
come to a $49 'labor only' repair if we get to it quick enough. Of course there's no
guarantee it'll turn out like that but I'll give it my best shot and there's no charge for it at
all unless I succeed in getting it going again. All you need to do is go fill out the form on the
'Repair Requests' page to let me know it's coming and then package it up loosely in
newspaper or paper towels like I mentioned above. I'll email to let you know as soon as it
arrives and hopefully a little later I'll be emailing again with some good news.
in the rain or something along those lines. There really isn't a whole lot I can say on the
subject other than time is definitely of the essence. Quite often somebody will get their
console wet and let it lay around to dry for a while then start playing as normal thinking all
is well. This is not the case. What happens to electrical components is that even once
components slowly eating away at it until it finally gives out. By that point there's nothing
anybody can do about it other than replace the damaged part and this can quickly add up to
a lot of money. Now if the PSP just got a small amount of water dripped on it with any luck
it probably won't end up being that big of a deal but if it really got soaked it's absolutely
imperative that you get it cleaned up as quickly as possible. I had one customer who's son
left the PSP in the bathroom while he took a hot shower and the resulting condensation
just wrecked the whole thing.
Another thing to keep in mind is that once it's gotten wet you have a much better chance of
coming out of it with no permanent damage if you don't try to turn it on or charge it until
after it's been cleaned up. Even when everything seems dry as a bone there can still be
tiny amounts of water underneath the microchips and sending an electric current through it
is the worst thing you can possibly do.
In summation, if your PSP got pretty well soaked you'll want to take the entire console
apart as soon as possible to let it dry out properly and then clean the various electrical
components with rubbing alcohol to prevent the above mentioned corrosion from setting in.
Most people aren't up to this kind of work but there are things you can do yourself before
sending it to someone like me to do the job.
Number one is to take the battery out and leave it out until the console's ready to be used
again. Take out the memory card and UMD game if they're in there and leave the memory
card cover and UMD door open. Leave the battery cover off as well and of course dry it all
off as well as you can and put it somewhere warm to help the water evaporate. If you
happen to have a #000 screwdriver handy you can go ahead and take the faceplate off
which will help a lot with the drying process. Once you've done all you can yourself get it
to a repair shop asap. If you're mailing it you can package it up for transit, doors/covers
still open, in loosely wadded up newspaper or paper towels to help it dry out a little more
while it's on the way. The good news here is that no matter how wet it got if you follow the
instructions above there's a very good chance it'll come back to life and keep playing like
new for years to come.
One thing I have to mention is that a few people on the Internet suggest putting it in the
oven to dry which can easily turn into a disaster if you're not careful. I've received
partially melted PSP's and there's just no hope at that point and for goodness sake please
don't put it in the microwave :-)
That said, if you'd like me to take care of it I'll be happy to do so and with any luck it'll only
come to a $49 'labor only' repair if we get to it quick enough. Of course there's no
guarantee it'll turn out like that but I'll give it my best shot and there's no charge for it at
all unless I succeed in getting it going again. All you need to do is go fill out the form on the
'Repair Requests' page to let me know it's coming and then package it up loosely in
newspaper or paper towels like I mentioned above. I'll email to let you know as soon as it
arrives and hopefully a little later I'll be emailing again with some good news.