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I have 99.5% Isopropanol that I am using for cleaning electronics and optics(I specifically ordered it from my local electronics specialist; it is no knock-off, it is genuine pure IPA for a ton of money).

I was cleaning my Pentax K5 mirror with it when I accidentally spilled some inside. Not much: not more than 50ml. Now the camera won't turn on. This is odd, since IPA should not be conductive. Is there some moisture sensor inside preventing it from turning on? I bathed my laptop in it last week (when cleaning the monitor) while it was on and nothing happened.

But the camera won't turn on!

xiota
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user74200
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    IPA will adsorb moisture and become conductive, However, both the moisture and IPA will evaporate w/o residue assuming the IPA doesn't have significant contaminants. Put the camera in an dry place at 120F or 50C for 12 hours. You should be good. IPA doesn't normally attack the various plastics and other material in a camera. I use anhydrous ethyl alcohol. It's not all that expensive but still taxed heavily and has less residue. Only available in some states like AZ. You can speed things up with something that adsorbs the moisture like silica gel. Always good to have around. – doug Aug 16 '18 at 01:07
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    Yes, thanks, I tried blowing hairdryer on it and now it works just fine. – user74200 Aug 16 '18 at 11:45
  • However, I have a stain on the LCD, will try putting it into an owen on 50°C for a few hours. – user74200 Aug 16 '18 at 11:53
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    A hair dryer is way too hot. You can go up to about 120F or 50C w/o a problem since designs consider those temps possible. Especially when not operating, but higher temps may damage parts. – doug Aug 16 '18 at 15:13
  • I'd be more worried about plastic housing parts than unpowered electronics parts regarding heat :) The stuff you find on circuit boards is built to deal with 500°F+ level ambient temperatures for a short time - that is how SMT populated circuit boards are mass-soldered! – rackandboneman Aug 17 '18 at 14:37
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    I gotta say this. Isopropanol used on ANY lens assembly or camera is a very good way to destroy your equipment. It DISSOLVES many of the high-tech materials used in manufacturing optical equipment. There is no fix for this DIY attempt. It is ONE WAY. – Stan Aug 17 '18 at 16:04
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    I can't help but chuckle at "Not much, not more than 50ml". When it comes to spilling into a camera, 50ml is quite a lot! – mattdm Aug 20 '18 at 15:49
  • Hair dryer: fan+ignition source. Exactly what you need to get flammable liquids out of stuff. – rackandboneman Dec 21 '18 at 18:59
  • @Stan you perfectly described acetone, but isopropanol is commonly used to industrially clean electronics.... the only thing in a normal electro-optical device that i would expect to permanently get damaged by ethanol or isoprop are lubricants. – rackandboneman Dec 21 '18 at 19:04
  • Repeated/prolonged use of alcohol to clean rubber can also cause damage. – dgatwood Dec 23 '18 at 14:44
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    "I was cleaning my Pentax K5 mirror..." with IPA. Am I the only one shocked (twice) ? Isn't the mirror supposed to be highly sensitive to scratches ? – jihems Feb 06 '19 at 09:39
  • Do not use frozen IPA then, it could indeed scratch the mirror :) – rackandboneman Feb 06 '19 at 12:25

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Best practices for the future:

  • Do not serve alcohol to cameras and lenses. They don't enjoy it as much as you do. They also tend to not tip bartenders – 50mL is 25% more than a shot.

  • Let your camera sleep it off. It will be fine post hangover.

  • Avoid using alcohol yourself when operating on cameras and lenses. Using other "recreational" substances is also inadvisable.

  • Baking your camera also seems like a bad idea.

xiota
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