Uh Oh

[lennon33x]

So one of my fabulous kiddos (I really mean it. They're great. They're just toddlers) decided to take my compact flash card off of my desk (lesson learned) and put it in their room atop a pile of laundry, unbeknownst to my wife, who washed said pile o' laundry. After finding it two days ago, I placed it in a baggy of rice.

Do I:
A) Continue to use the flash card
2) trash the card
III) keep it as a spare just in case?

I haven't yet connected the card to my card reader at my computer, nor to my camera. Is there a risk? Thaaaaaaaanks

 

[Derrel]

I have run a couple of SanDisk CF cards through entire laundry cycles...wash/rinse/spin/wash/rinse/spin + heated drying!!! with no apparent ill effects. Lots of cursing and vows never to do it again, but, no issues on the fo-to end of things....

 

[manaheim]

Oh man. No question. Trash it. For as little as most of those things cost, it doesn't seem worth the risk of losing pictures.

 

[lennon33x]

I have run a couple of SanDisk CF cards through entire laundry cycles...wash/rinse/spin/wash/rinse/spin + heated drying!!! with no apparent ill effects. Lots of cursing and vows never to do it again, but, no issues on the fo-to end of things....

Well this was a Transcend card. I know Sandisk can make a beast of a card...Transcend...I'm not sure. I'm with the Jedi Bunny here

 

[robbins.photo]

So one of my fabulous kiddos (I really mean it. They're great. They're just toddlers) decided to take my compact flash card off of my desk (lesson learned) and put it in their room atop a pile of laundry, unbeknownst to my wife, who washed said pile o' laundry. After finding it two days ago, I placed it in a baggy of rice.

Do I:
A) Continue to use the flash card
2) trash the card
III) keep it as a spare just in case?

I haven't yet connected the card to my card reader at my computer, nor to my camera. Is there a risk? Thaaaaaaaanks

Ok, this sounds pretty fishy to me. I mean, ok, kid grabs memory card. That's totally believable. Kid putting it someplace silly like on top a laundry pile. Ok, sure, I can see that.

But your actually trying to tell me you married a woman who does laundry? Ya.. not buying that one.. lol.

Ok, all kidding aside, I wouldn't test it in camera, but it shouldn't do any harm testing it in the computer. The circuits your talking about only use a low current 5v logical so even if something did short which is unlikely it wouldn't do any damage to the card reader, it just wouldn't read. Like Derrel said, believe it or not odd are good that the card probably survived just fine.

 

[NedM]

I too, also have had my fill of accidentally leaving SD cards running through an entire laundry cycle. Fortunately, nothing extreme or noticeable ever happens to the chip. Of course, sometimes I'm pushing my luck but if yours seems to working without any defects-heck, I'd say use the damn card as a backup.

 

[Braineack]

My ipod has taken a swim in a pool for hours with me...It still works after a rice "soak".

I'd imagine a memory stick to be perfectly fine, water doesn't inherently destroy electronics.

 

[Dao]

I think if you think it is all dry, why not? Put it in the card reader and dump a lot of files to it and then reformat it and then write some more files. If you do not see any issue, why not?

 

[lennon33x]

I think if you think it is all dry, why not? Put it in the card reader and dump a lot of files to it and then reformat it and then write some more files. If you do not see any issue, why not?

Because I'm terrified of frying the circuitry in my 5D. Albeit, it's probably a long shot that it would happen...however, there is Murphy and his stupid law

 

[astroNikon]

test it on a computer first then before putting it in your camera

Do a bunch of testing on your computer such as: Copy stuff to it, delete, reformat
And you may have to use a pencil eraser to clean off the contacts.

 

[lennon33x]

And you may have to use a pencil eraser to clean off the contacts.

How do you do this with the contacts on a CF card?

 

[Braineack]

Keep it in rice for a good week to ensure all moisture is sucked out of it.

 

[Dao]

test it on a computer first then before putting it in your camera

Do a bunch of testing on your computer such as: Copy stuff to it, delete, reformat
And you may have to use a pencil eraser to clean off the contacts.

Or test it on a friend's computer.

 

[astroNikon]

And you may have to use a pencil eraser to clean off the contacts.

How do you do this with the contacts on a CF card?

Oops, I forgot a CF card uses 50 small pins for contact ... never mind ..


I haven't used a CF card in about 6 years ... I forgot !!

 

[MGRPhoto]

I'd just throw it away. Transcend cards are finicky enough as it is. I wouldn't worry about it damaging any other equipment but I would never consider the card reliable.