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Repair information and guides for the Apple iPhone 5s that was announced on September 10, 2013. Model: A1533, A1453, A1457, A1528, A1530, A1518

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Water damage - how to diagnose specific problem?

I was given an iphone5s that had dropped into some water. The person said they did not wait for it to dry completely before they attempted to turn it on. The phone does not work and I guess they knew that I like to try and fix things so they gave it to me.

When it is plugged in it will give 2 short vibrations and then sit for a little less than a minute and then give 2 vibrations again. Also, it gives the typical (light-gong) sound of being plugged into a power source after the 2 vibrations.

How do I go about repairing this device? What should I be considering to replace? Screen? Mother board? Power connector? How can I diagnose specific problem hardware issues? (With multimeter?)

In other words, to what extent does water damage the hardware of the iphone?

Thank you very much in advance.

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You're going to want to start with an ultrasonic cleaner, or at least a deep clean with isopropyl alcohol (91% if possible). Don't use a jewelry cleaner but instead a true ultrasonic if you have one.

Strongly recommend you desolder the emi shields on the motherboard itself to give it a quality cleaning.

Basically what you're looking for , first at least, is to remove any and all corrosion buildup on the board. When water or liquid sits it leaves minerals and deposits on the board. These deposits (corrosion) can add extra pathways for current to flow through including directly to ground...which is not where you want most components to go.

I would first do a cleaning then let it get an air dry for about 30 min to 1 hour and inspect the board. Look for physical damage such as damaged pins on connectors. If you get a schematic online you can also test main lines for shorts using continuity mode on a digital multimeter.

Also, unless you're doing this as a pure hobby I strongly advise against putting a lot of time into it for any reason other than data recovery.

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3 Comments:

how do i get a schematic online? need it for iphone 6

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Thanks Stephen. I did not move forward on repairing the phone. From what you explained I realized that it is out of my league and beyond my level of motivation. The phone is not just a toy for my kids to play with an imagine that they have their own iphone. Thanks.

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StarrDan will be eternally grateful.
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