Railfan Technology > Two years underwater, card survived

Off the west coast of Vancouver BC http://news.ca.msn.com/local/britishcolumbia/shipwrecked-camera-found-underwater-after-2-years-with-photos-intact

Sort of wonder how well other digital storage cards / devices would stand up to this, or for that matter any storage device kept in cool dry area??? Doug

The components of the card are potted in epoxy or a similar substance, so it would be impervious to water. The only potential damage would be to the contacts of the connector. Often they are gold plated, so it would depend upon what might be in the water that would corrode or coat them. Chlorine would attack the plating, but salt water wouldn't. If the contacts are clean enough to make a reliable electrical connection,the card should work.

If I were to try and recover a card that got dunked, I would give it a soak in distilled water, allow it to dry thoroughly in a desiccant, and wash the contacts with a top quality cleaner and enhancer, like the DeoxIT products.

Interesting.

The card was installed in the camera so the contacts were somewhat protected since they were pressed against other contacts.